First oil change at dealership.

I like your sticker on the air filter! You have 3 years on me, I'm a youngster of 70. I don't plan on letting the dealer do my oil changes or tire rotations. After a couple of weeks with my 2007 Touring and reading a lot of posts on priuschat about over filling of oil, I pulled the dip stick on mine for the first time and it was 1/4 inch above the full mark. I loosened the plug and dropped the level to 1/4 inch below full. I just don't trust them to be dilligent on changing the oil. I bought mobil 1 05-35 from Sam's and ordered 10 filters from a Toyota dealer in Dallas. So I will just do it myself. My prius came from a dealer in Arkansas and through two dealers here in OKC before I bought it, so most likely the last dealer didn't over fill the car but I doubt they checked it either.

I called mobil oil and they are sending me stickers to put on the engine for mobil 1 syn. only. Anyway I fully agree with you, when someone tells you how much they know about something and tries to imply that you don't know much then its time to let them stay in their world and get what you want done then move on.

 

some service writers seem to think they do the REAL work... but if they knew how to fix cars, they'd be in the shop not at the counter.

 

I like the sign for the oil fill. I think I will make one up and attach it like you did. Maybe if enough service advisors see them here in Tulsa they will get the message.

 

I print a page stating

DO NOT WASH
DO NOT ROTATE TIRES
DO NOT TOP-OFF WASHER FLUID

(that last because the dealer uses some awful crap for washer fluid) and leave it under the wiper blade.

 

Your sticker is a great idea, but I won't be taking my car back to the dealership for oil changes after they overfilled mine. I would have excused one screw up, but the service writer also lied to me about fixing my rear alignment, so they lost my business for good.

Its too bad that they have that system in the first place - I'd rather be able to speak directly to the person who will be working on my car - now I will just talk to myself.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Oct 22 2007, 09:10 AM) [snapback]528577[/snapback]</div>

I agree, the people on the counter in my experience as a mechanic often don't know much about the work being done, however there are the exceptions. I'm a mechanic with 20 years in the trade, some of that time I worked the service counter. I'd like to think I did a good job. I also went into the shop to help sort difficult diagnostics. This is why I hate computerised fault codes. This wasn't with a dealership but an independent workshop.

The reason you don't talk to the mechanic doing the work is often
They don't like dealing with customers
They are too busy fixing cars
Interuptions to a service or repair cause mistakes to be made
Who would you charge for the mechanics time at the counter?
The work is alocated to a mechanic as he finishes his last job
Waiting clients get their car done first if you leave your car all day it is done last.

 

I had a similar experience with Maplewood Toyota in Minnesota. This has happened to me twice. Each time I told the service writer to ensure that the car is not over filled with oil. And, each time it was. I bring in my own Mobil syn 5-30 and Mobil 1 filter. The last time the service advisor also told me that my warranty would be void with a Mobil 1 filter and that they would not install it the next time. And, he was not friendly. Well, it won't matter anymore because I'm not taking the car there again. Each time they had to drain the oil out to get it at the proper level. I think your idea with the notice 3.6 qts do not overfill is a good idea. But, to tell you the truth I don't believe the people that work in these dealerships are competent to even understand what 3.6 qts means. My personal solution, seeing how I don't have a garage, will be to give them only 3 quarts and tell them to use only these 3 quarts of oil. After the car is rolled out and parked, I will personally add the remainder that is needed.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lordmakemeworthy @ Oct 23 2007, 01:51 PM) [snapback]529386[/snapback]</div>

Okay, so I have a real problem with this whole "overfill" issue. How come the dealerships or Toyota or whomever hasn't come out and CHANGED the specs? Is this a real problem or is it being overstated? I'm curious, here, not being antagonistic. Seriously. What's the deal?

 

I think it's a little overstated, but you're asking a bunch of car fanatics, so the answer you'll mostly get is "of course it makes a difference!"

That said, I asked the service writer at the Toyota dealership to have them put in 3.5qt and leave the half full remainder in the car, and they did just that. I was happy enough with that, but still wanted to do the next oil change myself since I had never done it before.

So last weekend I changed the oil on a car for the first time. It was pretty easy, I have to say, and can't imagine bothering to go to a shop ever again because of the time it takes to either leave the car, or wait there for it to be done.

I was feeling trigger-happy, so I changed the oil on our Camry as well and it was a breeze, although the filter screws in facing down, as opposed to the Prius where it screws in from below, so it was just a tiny bit messier. I also learned that the Prius and our '01 4-cyl. Camry use the same oil filter, which makes buying them a little easier.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(skguh @ Oct 23 2007, 03:09 PM) [snapback]529391[/snapback]</div>

way overstated. i have a hard time biting my tongue some days at the people who use all kinds of nasty names for the guy who puts 3.9 qts (ie the book value) in their car.

same with the folks who think all usa toyota dealers are morons because they don't know about the canadian block heater... but that's another story.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ichabod @ Oct 23 2007, 03:24 PM) [snapback]529397[/snapback]</div>

toyota only uses 2 kinds of oil filters, highly convenient

 

Hi okiebutnotfrommuskogee,

Sorry to hear about your problems in dealing with Service Managers that clearly are not customer orientated and don't pay attention to technical details. They are clearly in the wrong job. From you description, I belleve that the job they are most qualified for is President of the U.S.

(The current President doesn't seem to listen either.)

Regards,

Keith

 

I said in an earlier post in this string that I would not take my 2007 back to the dealer to have the oil changed. Guess I have to eat those words!

I started by draining the oil in a new/clean drain pan. After it had completely drained I put on my new fumoto oil drain plug and all is well. I then spent the next 40 minutes trying to get the filter removed from the motor :angry: :angry: :angry: with no luck at all. It was just too tight. So I carefully put a little over 3 quarts of the dirty oil from the clean drain pan back in the engine. Great that the fumoto drain plug does not leak or seep any oil. So back to the dealer I went it was 20 miles away, there is one closer but this first oil change was FREE!.

When I got there I talked to the person's that changed the filter and oil. Told them where my mobil 1 (4 qts) was and asked them to return 1/2 quart to me. Asked them also to only hand tighten the filter. I started to tell them not to wash it, but did not do so (mistake). When they finished they told me the 1/2 quart of oil was in the hatch back and the filter was only hand tightened, but there is such a good seal that it may be hard to get off again.

About that time a driver brought the car back from the so called car wash. It was completely wet! I asked the guy if they had run out of towels and he said that it would air dry, I told him if I had of known that I would have told them not to do it, so now it is air dryed and my black prius has water spots all over it! I knew better and failed to follow through!

They had asked me if I wanted the tires rotated and I said no that I would do it. When I got home I did rotate the tires waited long enough for the air to be cold and redid 42 front 40 back. Unfortunitly or fortunitly I found a nail in one of the rear tires. So tomorrow I will go back to a closer dealer and have the tire repaired.

I know this is long but I am mostly just venting. One question I do have though is where to locate a good toyota filter wrench. I have one that I got at Autozone that someone on priuschat recomended but it was not tight enough and kept slipping. I tried putting masking tape in it to try and tighten it up some but that did not work. So I would like to find a good filter wrench that will work the next time if I have to have it.

All I can say now is the I HOPE NOT to take it back to the dealer for oil changes and tire rotations!

Thanks, Jim

 

I got a filter cap wrench at auto zone too... manufactured by "OEM," not to be confused with actual original equipment.

I applied maybe 15-20 lb-ft of torque and the metal disk with the 3/8 square whole broke right off of the wrench. Looks like it was very sloppily resistance-welded onto the wrench. I took it back to auto zone and gave them some sh#t about it. The guy insisted that I try again with a new one, so I looked through their inventory and saw some very inconsistent welding between different units. I settled on one that looked solid, and that one worked.

SOooo... to sort of answer your question, Topkick, I found that those ones are tighter as you push them deeper onto the filter. Mine slipped a little but then I tapped it down with a mallet and it didn't budge after that. I did have to smack it kinda hard to get it off the filter, but that's not as hard as when it's under the car.

I also had a cheap-o socket wrench that broke while trying to get the drain valve out. I think I'll install the fumoto... My dealer's service dept. was great in every aspect but this: they didn't put a gasket on the drain valve, and the thing was torqued on there amazingly tight. I had to really muscle it, and doing that with a couple thousand pounds of metal over my head is less than ideal.

 

Thanks Ichabod,

I will try getting the filter to go deeper in the wrench. I also understand about no liking to be under the Prius while trying to lever the filter out. Although I did have it up on a 2 1/4 ton floor jack with a jack stand under it also and the rear tires chocked. I think I will still look around for a better wrench, I saw some on amazon.com that looked interesting.

 

When working on a car with it on jack stands always apply the park brake and try to pull forward or backward rather than to the sides which will stop the feeling that you are going to push the car off the stands.

 

Look at walmart for a cap wrench it plastic and black but works ok.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(topkick @ Oct 23 2007, 09:15 PM) [snapback]529491[/snapback]</div>

 

Given the amount of torque required sometimes, I'd be hesitant to buy a plastic filter cap wrench... I guess as long as you don't take it to a shop that over tightens it, it would probably work well. I'd worry most about the socket attachment stripping out.

And yes Patsparks, I had the front of the car on jack stands, wheels chocked, parking brake on, level surface and was applying force front-back, not side-side, but it still made me nervous I ended up pulling with both hands and putting as much of my weight into it as I could from that position to finally get it loose!

A couple days prior, I had gone to my Toyota dealer's parts dept. and asked for a couple oil drain gaskets... The guy gave them to me at no charge, and said "don't over-tighten it!:

 

See, sometimes you can get good advice from a dealer!! and a great price!!