My Pro’s Oil Change Experience Today

Sorry for the long post.

I recently came back to a 2022 Tacoma TRD Pro w/ manual (previously owned Pro in 2018 w/ Auto and hated the gear hunt). Purchased this new to me from an online dealer with 10,500 miles on it. Carfax showed one owner with both 5k and 10k service done at a Toyota dealer (won’t mention which one). I would consider myself OCD, and go above and beyond taking care of my maintenance. So being that the previous owner didn’t change the oil out around 500-1k miles I didn’t trust this previous owner, and especially since they didn’t get their first oil swap until 10k and didn’t request one at 5k. So I took it upon myself to flush all the fluids I could for piece of mind. The previous owner also scratched the crap out of the roof, got it repaired by the dealer since they didn’t disclose it.

I already swapped all the fluids underneath (which they needed it, quite a bit of shavings and fluid was dark in diffs), except the oil change that was today. I purchased the motix oil change hardware, based. on previous reviews. I start draining and all is going to plan. Move onto the filter access panel, and remove the 4 bolts. To my surprise my truck already came with a motix oil filter wrench. I was like WTF is this??!! It was completely loose just rolling around in the skid plate with oil still in the wrench. I just about lost my shit, but so glad I did this before waiting to the 15k mile service to swap. Out of all my years servicing my own vehicles I have never seen such a lack of care and attention to detail. I hope my dealer is better at changing oil as the previous dealer. I dropped the skid plate to do all the diffs/tcase/trans, and it was not in there. So it was either wedged in somewhere or they just left it on the filter when they tightened it back up. Anyone else had this kind of experience before? I don’t want to service my vehicle long term, but man this sure makes you think twice about taking it in. The picture was taken as I found it in the skid plate.

Love the truck, and the manual is awesome. Just thought I would share my experience with you all.

 

Free oil wrench.

 

Wtf? How is that even possible?!

 

Score!

 

Lubies at Toyota fucked up? Who knew.

congrats on the free wrench

 

Wow…..that’s certainly a new one

 

At least they changed the filter, presumably.

 

I’m surprised it didn’t fall off ….u never noticed rattling ? U would think that would make a lot of noise . Sweet u got a free wrench out of it .

 

Yeah for being self proclaimed OCD, how did OP not notice a rolling oil filter wrench on the skid?

 

I have lost two oil filter cups during oil changes. It happened even to seasoned techs. You tighten the filter housing up, pull the ratchet away, grab the skid plate and bolt it on. Don't notice until the next oil change go to do. "where's my filter cup....... damn it, it must have got stuck on that last filter housing". Has nothing to do with "lubies' being incompetent.

 

Failure to double check your tools are not left out after a job is incompetence.

Edit, because I’m tired and realized that comes off as sounding like more of a jerk than I intended. I also left a tool or two in a job as a noob. But a guy I worked with left stuff loose, forgot tools repeatedly, you know the type, I’m sure.

Repeatedly leaving tools is a sign of incompetence.

 

Free oil filter wrench...that's a win-win!

 

i do not see how this can happen especially to an experienced tech. when the oil filter is installed and the housing tightened, the next step is to fill the engine with oil. afterward, you start the engine and check for leaks, which should include a visual inspection of the drain pan plug and oil filter housing.

i am not questioning your ability and i mean no disrespect, but if "You tighten the filter housing up, pull the ratchet away, grab the skid plate and bolt it on." without checking for leaks and double checking your work, you are working entirely too fast and are careless.

 

It's obvious you are not, nor have ever been a flat rate tech. There is no way you are putting a car back up in the air to check for leaks, after doing an oil change. When you start the engine, you look down the front of the motor, where the oil filter housing is, and look for a leak. It WILL be obvious if there is a leak. Oil will be spraying everywhere. That's how it's done. Question all you want. But in the world of turning cars, which is what dealerships, AND customers want. That's just the way it is. Customers expect their oil changes to be IN AND OUT as FAST AS POSSIBLE!

 

If the dealer knew it was there it would have been a $1999 oil change package add on…

Nice filter wrench though!

I still have a nice socket wrench I grabbed out of a car I appraised/bought.

 

Being OCD, I'm surprised you didn't mention the missing Pro Badging just under each side mirror.

 

That’s impressive, in a bad way. Sorry you had to deal with that.

I stopped going to my local dealership halfway through the “free” oil changes because I caught them lying about things. It’s a shame that it seems they really can’t be trusted anymore and it seems pretty universal.

I had a similarly terrible experience with the Dodge/Ram dealership back when I owned a 1500. The local Nissan dealership recently tried to swindle my elderly mother into thousands of dollars of repairs that were not needed. I get the impression that most dealerships are just big criminal organizations committing large scale theft on a daily basis.

 

I once had a tech try to tell me he checked the oil in my BMW and it was quite black and recommended a change. I asked him how he checked to find it was black and he stated on the dip stick. I laughed, told him nice try and thats pretty shady. I had literally just changed my oil and the E90 doesn't have a dipstick.

I did just change the oil in my truck for the first time since I bought it. I found that it drains far faster than any other vehicle I've had and my current oil pan can't keep up. I also have mixed feelings about the filter drain...

 

Nice score!

 

'22 and '23 Pro models ditched the door side badging for bedside impressions