First oil change at dealership.

I recommend, if possible, one does their own oil/filter and tire rotations. I do mine every 5K and it is a great time to inspect the underneath of the car for any problems as well as checking all 4 tires for nails/screws, etc. I have never had a problem getting my oil filter off, I always install hand tight and that is quite enough. I also always use a good torgue wrench and torque my lug nuts to 80 pounds and then re-check them.
As an aside, I watched a national tire chain use a torque wrench on several cars to tighten the lug nuts and could not believe what I saw. They used it like a giant breaker bar, the wrench would "click" at the set torque setting and the installer would just keep tightening right past it, well past it. I went to the manager of the shop and explained it to him and he was not concerned. I could not believe it-he said, "We use a torque wrench on all jobs; we know how to use them". Complete idiots. I would never let them install anything. I had a flat fixed by them (I watched the entire process to make sure it was done correctly) and then torqued the lug nuts myself. So just please pay attention if you have a shop do your work.

 

The Valvoline one at Wamart is rated something like 130 ft.lbs, made in USA, lifetime warranty, about $3. This tiny little filter shouldn't be on so tight. Denso filters have a torque stopper design to prevent this, the filter becomes hard to turn at the right torque. If someone keeps forcing it, it will become very tight metal to metal I suspect. This wouldn't be good for the filter threads on the engine. When I did my change at 1100 miles the factory filter was easy to remove. Also I drained it for nearly an hour, added just about the 3.9 qts. The level is at 1/8 in over the full mark. Checked after parking all night. It makes a big difference how long the oil is drained and how long it sits before checking, we are talking about a couple oz. of oil. I now have just over 4K and it is the same level. This is just as the car is delivered from Japan. Next time I will add two oz. less but it is really not an issue at all. I would rather be 1/8 over than under. When the engine runs the level goes down, and 3 qts oil, as some are recommending, isn't a lot for oil stress and oil cooling.

 

I recently had my 15k service at the local dealer (why, I don't know). The price quote was $149. When questioned, the service rep said that included a engine air filter. The cost of the 5-10k services was $75, so they were going to charge me nearly $75 to change the filter! I grabbed my owner's manual and asked the rep to show me where it said that the filter needed replacing. The only mention is to "check"the air cleaner. I asked him to show me that the filter was dirty and indeed need replacing. His answer was that they would charge me for removing/replacing the filter. I then popped the hood and pulled the filter in about 10 seconds. It was fairly clead, with only a little dust buildup. I then put it back in another 10 seconds. He then began to tell me of his great expertise, factory training, many computer systems, etc. Needless to say the filter was not replaced and I paid the regular $75, which is still very high for a simple oil/filter and rotation.

I then Googled filters and ordered four Toyota OEM filters for $12 each, including shipping. It's time to find a local indie and rely on them. I wrote Toyota of this experience, but don't expect to hear from them. Miller Toyota of Anaheim has lost a customer and a reference.

I still like the car, though.......

 

One note, maybe try ebay for the filters, I paid about $34 for a pack of ten with shipping. They came right away, from a Toyota dealer. I suppose they are cheap because they are made in Thailand, but they are the same ones Toyota sells at the dealer. I do like the USA made PureOne filters but they are twice the price.

 

I use the Walmart black cap filter wrench and it works fine for me. I generally like to tighten the filters by hand and just use the wrench if I have trouble getting them off.

To me, the 15k 30k, 60k service packages are just a money maker for the dealer. Modern cars dont really need much service. In addition, most of the service listed on the 15k, 30k, 60k packages are just "checks". Look at Galaxee's recommended list of service items. There really is not much there, and the actual items that require work are not even included in most of the dealer service packages.

We could all easily get by with 10-15k oil changes, but that would keep us away from the dealers. If we don't go to the dealers they cant "upsell" us.

I am not really ranting. The dealers are just trying to make a living. However, buyer beware, and I never take my car to the dealer for service. Solely for diagnostics or repairs that I don't feel like tackling.

My 02.