Are Toyota oil techs daft?

[Steve300xcw]

Wondered the same thing.
Looks like it’s in about the same spot in both pictures.

wouldnt be the first time a rig was serviced and the filters were skipped

 

[ODB]

Wondered the same thing.
Looks like it’s in about the same spot in both pictures.

Just to be clear, those pics are from sequential draws, not before and after. Only showing that it’s consistently high and not dragging on the tube etc.

I sent a note to the dealer last night. We will see.

Also, on the charge form they indicate 5 quarts. max with filter is 4.8. Hard to know “how much” extra oil is added as I don’t know this car as well as my tundras.

 

[IDElkmagnet]

I totally get that.. just as long as the job is done right. When I had my valve cover gaskets fixed in my tundra (a semi-common but not recalled issue), whoever changed the oil broke a fin off the oil canister.. funny I changed the oil many, many times before that with nary an issue. And I always torqued to proper spec. dunno.

I agree. Thats why I do it myself. I have seen how many different ways a shop can mess it up.
The lube tech isn't going to double check anything. He has a system built on muscle memory and if it somehow gets interrupted things get forgotten. If someone asks him a question right before he tightens the drain plug it may fall out a few weeks later. He certainly isn't going to pull the stick after filling, time is money and he knows what he put in and it's good enough for who it's for.

 

[BLJ]

those pics are from sequential draws, not before and after.

I misunderstood.

My take was that it didn’t get changed at all.

Looked clean and full when brought in, and in the same spot when drove out.

I misinterpreted the pictures.

 

[ODB]

I misunderstood.

My take was that it didn’t get changed at all.

Looked clean and full when brought in, and in the same spot when drove out.

I misinterpreted the pictures.

Yes. That is my fault for not being clear - sorry. I will add that the oil before the change was at the same level but indeed dirty.

So…oil was changed, but it was and is overfilled.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

I do with my other trucks, but I do not have a lift to get to this one - it's tight under there. I might figure something out though

Ramps under the front tires might give you the space you need. You can buy a set of ramps pretty cheap or make a set even cheaper. I don’t need them for my trucks, but my homemade ramps (2 pieces of 2x8 stacked on top of each other and screwed together plus a bumper piece on the end) make it much easier to change the oil on our family car (Expedition)…a few extra inches can make a world of difference (TWSS).

 

[Upwolf]

I first read this thread title as "dtf" instead of daft. I chuckled out loud at my desk.

 

[Sled]

Ok, seems to be some common themes here so...

If you have to put in more oil than you take out, you're burning or leaking oil.

If you always put in 4.5 quarts to the full level and it calls for 5, you're not changing all the oil. Some vehicles are difficult to impossible to get it all.

 

[5MilesBack]

If you have to put in more oil than you take out, you're burning or leaking oil.

If the old oil is at the full mark when you take it out, and the new oil is at the full mark after replacing it.......shouldn't that be a somewhat equal amount of oil coming out as being put in? If it's leaking or burning, it won't be at the full mark. Kind of funny though, I never have to add oil to my 37 year old Toyota between oil changes.

 

[Poser]

Where did you get this done? Dealership? Oil change place or a indie shop?

If you are going to pay someone to do it, I'd take it to your established indie mechanic. At least that way, you'll get some eyes and feedback on any looming issues. Dealership, while hit or miss, sometimes part of a package, otherwise expensive, is often pretty young guys straight out of tech school gaining experience to jump to a indie shop where they can make real money. Oil change places are guys straight off the street, though, some of these places have programs to hire ex cons who make careers out of it and develop extensive experience performing oil changes. While not reliable, you could have your oil changed by a guy who had done more oil changes than a lifelong master mechanic.... or it could be performed by a guy who started training yesterday.

Seeing how it is arguably the single most important piece of vehicle maintenance for longevity, I'd do it yourself or take it to your trusted mechanic or a mechanic with a solid reputation. The inconvenience about tacking it to an actual mechanic is the fact that they will need the vehicle for several hour,s half a day or even most of a day which makes DIY that much more convenient.