Low Engine Oil Pressure Light

No -- Because of the mileage I drive, I spend closer to $200 on dealer service in the US.

And, with respect to time, yes. I believe we both spend about an hour surrounding each maintenance instance -- doing things we both enjoy.

 

Unfortunately, they are not kidding!

Correct!
When I was standing inside a shop once getting some work done on my car- I noted only one large (40gal?) oil drum with a pump on it.
I ask the mechanic who was working on my car (an inlaw- so I know he wasn't lying) how they managed to accommodate all the different oil viscosity needs for all the brand cars they service with just one drum? He said if they use regular dino oil (non-synthetic) they all get it from that one drum! So if you need 10w-30, 10w-20, 20w-50, etc... you got whatever was in that one drum. And it was measured with a hand crank pump attached to the barrel... so how accurate could that be?
I don't think their situation was unique.....

 

Your dealership is blushing.

 

Times are hard -- you gotta get it where you can...

 

That sounds bad. In 2013 a local Toyota dealership in a small town in NM changed my oil twice as part of the free service Toyota offers new car purchases. The mechanic bay was *spotless*; it reminded me of a Lexus dealership. They had multiple labeled nozzles for a couple different oils and each nozzle had its own gauge. I cannot remember if the gauge had an auto shut-off. The set-up reminded me of a fueling station. A few years ago 0w-20 was an exotic oil but these days I bet it is the most common oil a Toyota dealership dispenses.

I at least was completely confident in their service (and that is saying something, since in general I don't trust anybody.) I think the only criticism an OCD type might offer is that the tech may not check the dipstick after the oil fill.

 

I at least was completely confident in their service (and that is saying something, since in general I don't trust anybody.) I think the only criticism an OCD type might offer is that the tech may not check the dipstick after the oil fill.

Well a mechanic can put your car in park and not turn off the engine.......then proceed to change your oil because the engine wasn't running....yet

 

Stupid me ... I had to read your post twice before I understood LOL
Yes, that would be unfortunate. At least for Toyota dealerships, including the one I frequented where trucks and SUVs rule, hybrids are common enough that the technicians are well versed in common handling.

So long as I am praising a dealership, I'll also mention that the techs let me hang out by the car *and* go underneath. That is almost worth the usual price of admission since it gave me a chance to give the underside a good inspection.

 

I surely hope a dealership won't make that mistake. But your everyday mechanic/oil change personnel, distracted by whatever, can definitely do what mentioned (I have first hand knowledge lol). So OCD people, DIY is best

 

Come to think of it, I drove my car into the bay. So your scenario would have occurred if I was the dope and the technician trusted me to turn the car off.

 

Asked and answered.
You want to know the good news?

Even with the neglect for the first 110,000 miles, your car is a good candidate for another 100,000-150,000 miles.
Statistically, you'll be trading it out soon, but if not you'll want to start monitoring your car to see what your burn rate is.
It's probably had a hidden drinking problem for a while now.
You don't have to be super-anal about looking at the dip stick.
About every tank or two should be sufficient.
Buy a bottle (of oil!) to keep it topped off and make sure your other filters and fluids are attended to and you'll probably be OK for a while.

Good Luck!

 

I could understand this if I had asked about any old shop , but I have a hard time believing a dealership would not put in the right amount of the right weight and type of oil. Back when I was a kid, circa 1963, my first job was at a service station. We also had a single oil tank of 10W30 with a hand crank. However, we pumped oil into a measured container before putting it in the car. And we stocked cans for whenever a car needed a different weight or the owner specified a brand. During my tenure, they did upgrade to power dispensers, but we always used the dipstick to check the oil level after starting the car to fill the filter and then letting the oil settle. I have to say that back then we didn't change filters with every oil change and the boss once drove a car home with just the oil left in the filter. Fortunately, it was less than a 1/2 mile at 25 mph and he took oil with him to bring it back. He then changed the oil again and there was no apparent damage. He did own up to it and offered to fix anything that came up within a reasonable amount of time. The car happened to be a 57 Thunderbird convertible. I do understand that your experience is why shops that use bulk oil get a bad name.

 

You don't believe the dealer could put the wrong amount of oil in your car? Take a look at this:




Pic taken today, oil level indicated by a handy leaf I found.

Oil level way overfilled! FYI, it's my Camry. Good thing the oil capacity is 6.2 quarts, I don't think the Prius would survive oil that overfilled with its much smaller oil capacity.

SCH-I535

 

It's hard to read level on the picture. Is the camry V6? If so, I have the same V6 in my RAV4 and there are some peculiarities with oil level checks.

 

Dealerships vary. It may be that you can trust yours. Past experience has led me to not trust mine.

 

Yeah, I have the hardest time reading my oil dipstick, especially when the oil is new and pretty transparent on the dipstick. It looks way different from front to back.

SCH-I535

 

^ Yup. I invariably flip it over, looking for a distinct "border", the true level. Above that border, there can be a smear of oil, for an inch or more. Especially with clean, new oil, it's hard to read.

 

Been there, done that.

 

I wonder why the end of the dipstick is twisted into a corkscrew? It seems that all this does vs a straight end, is drag oil up the dipstick tube to be scraped onto the dipstick upon subsequent insertions and removals.

SCH-I535

 

The problem with the 2GR-FE engine (toyota's 3.5 L V6) is if you start the engine for a short time and it's fairly cold, some oil will go to the head and not drain immediately showing as low lever on dipstick. If you fill it then to the full, it will be overfilled. This explains why every time I had oil changed in the V6 at a dealership, it came overfilled. I never had any problems with any other toyota cars serviced at the same dealers.

 

The other problem with going to dealer or oil change place is over tightening of drain plug and eventually stripping off threads in oil pan. This is a expensive repair later on.