What have you done to your 5th Gen 4Runner today?

You beat me.
Congratulations, that looks phenomenal!

 

Looks like its coming together Jen, very nice.

 

Looks great!

 

Nice job Jen, your the Truck is looking great

 

Dropped it off at the dealership... Apparently last week when i got the service done they stripped the bolt on the oil filter canister and its been leaking this whole time. Just noticed it last night. They didnt have any of the bolts in stock, which i find hard to believe... So they had to give me a rental car.... A 2019 CHevy equinox. That i really dont love....

I wanted to do my own services, but the stealership makes that a pain if you want to keep your warranty. They told me id need to keep all receipts, a journal, take pictures etc, and then they could still say i did it wrong if a warranty problem came up that normally results from no/wrong oil... Decided to just let them do it... Mistake apparently.

 

That’s such a crock of lies your not voiding your warranty by doing your own oil changes, I hope that you don’t take it back for any more oil changes ....

 

As long as you can prove that you did it, at the right interval, with the right oil and filter, then you are correct, you won't void anything... But if you can't prove it... You may be in trouble.

I'm in college for Auto tech and performance. I'm more capable of changing my own oil than 99.9% of the teenagers in the quick lube Toyota line... I have my own garage at home... Plenty of tools... But keeping receipts is not something I excel at... Keeping logs/journals either...

I think I'll take the chance from now on. Just keep all receipts in the garage and take pictures of my odometer when I do it. Hopefully it won't ever be an issue.

 

S

Sounds like you fell for their BS. Ask for that in writing, see how many colors they turn.

 

Could simply buy your filter at the dealer and there is a record, just make sure they put it under your name when you buy it. I also keep a log of all mods and maintenance performed which is very easy to do.

 

Sounds like you might wanna read the fine print of the Toyota warranty. If you can't prove you did the preventive maintenance they have the right to not warranty a fault that could of been caused by lack of or wrong oil or filters used. Read the warranty book.

 

This is a screenshot from @PVT Pablo in reference to superchargers.
Federal law trumps Toyota. I can only imagine that the same goes for oil changes. I am not a lawyer but I have never heard of any warranty work being denied because of "home" oil changes. That is absurd. They could take some of the oil & have it analyzed to see what is in it.

My snowplow didn't effect ANY warranty on my Ford F-250 when I bought it. I asked multiple people! That was a big one.

 

Magnuson moss warranty act is centered around upgrades and additions to the vehicle and does not apply to preventive maintenance. Even the wording shows it won't apply to things changed, but can't void a warranty that wasn't affected by the change. For instance, you lift the vehicle, CVs and shocks may no longer be covered, as lifting it affected those items, but your transmission will be covered under factory warranty still.


Failure to do preventive maintenance will void a warranty... And if you can't prove you did it, they can say you didn't and indeed void the warranty.

 

While @ 60k miles my F-250 experienced loss of power & while smoke out the tailpipe. I told the service writer. They drove it & replaced my headgaskets under warranty. Not once was I asked where I changed my oil. Hell, I have a tuner on the truck & they missed that.
Also, we drive Toyota's. Who has has a catastrophic failure unless it truly was your fault (running it with no oil).

 

I am not trying to fight. We all know that if it came down to it Toyota would make you pay. They have lawyers just for that.
I am however stating that I think Toyota is trying to intimidate us into paying an uneducated person to loosen a drain plug & filter housing to keep prices up.
I am personally more concerned with bulk oil out of a tank & tanker trucks not being clean. Now that I think about it; I told my salesman I would be doing my own as I hate bulk oil.

Why do I have a feeling that if we all called our dealerships in the morning we would have a dozen different answers.
Toyota wants to win & stack the deck like a casino...

 

Well I was doing my free-for-life oil changes at the dealer. Then I started getting a nasty smell while driving. Over filling oil? It calls for 4.3 quarts, Corolla. It was way up to the top and a lil over the dipstick dot. Now since I changed it myself with 4.3 it’s way below the dipstick dot where it should be...

 

Exactly. It is not commonly known but the oil level should not be to the top of the full line. You need to compensate for thermal expansion. As oil warms (especially if very cold) it will expand; putting the oil exactly where it needs to be.
This is information I have gain as a lawn & landscaping contractor. The smaller the engine, the more important the oil level! If a machine only uses less than a quart, you cannot afford for it to go low @ all. I check all my equipment daily when in service. I will admit I only check the trucks about once a month (small engines inherently burn oil as do diesels but the oil capacity of my ford is 15qrts (just short of 3 gallons of oil). Unless there is a leak, it won't get low!
In short; @ room temp (for the engine) the oil should be half way between the low & full hash mark's.

 

I’m just an old poop, but if my vehicle manufacturers say it takes 5.5 quarts, when i drain the oil, then refill with 5.5 qts. I take notice of where that puts it on the dip stick. I then maintain that until the next change, hence preventing under or over filling.

 

Ya it really gets tricky on sport bikes. I think mine holds 2.8 liters. Always have to double check, what the heck is a liter?

 

I went into our dealership. I asked our salesman about doing my own oil changes. He said to ask parts but tons of people do. He recommended a log book also.
Parts lady was able to get my current mileage on my receipt for my filter. Now every filter I buy is date & milage stamped. She said "you better ask a service advisor as I am just sales" duh! Lol
Service advisor understood what I wanted & why (no bulk oil). He said he would keep a logbook just in case. Then I told him of the milage notes on their computers when I buy filters.
Also, at this price; it is a no brainer!
Now I am getting ready to do our first oil change. One tech told me to drain the filter so I don't break the housing. Does anyone have any other advice for my first time on our T4R?
Eating lunch & going to buy oil then head to my shop.
Thanks in advance.

P.S. none of them had heard of a warrant claim being denied for oil changes. Even the service advisor that has been with Toyota since 1995!

 

They have a white Supra Launch Edition @ sticker. Plus, huge rebates on '19 Tacoma PRO's (apparently that never happens).
Nothing in Army Green on the lot. Also, the new Supra is tiny! Looks nice in person but it is small!

 

I used my phone camera... But then a friend of a friend edited it and made it look like that.

Here's the original...

 

They need to PROVE you didn't maintain the vehicle. Keep your receipts, it's really that simple. There can't legally void your warranty because you did your own maintenance, period.

 

picked up a Thule Motion XT in preparation for Christmas travelling.

 

Didn't someone here find color matched door edge trim? I have looked everywhere.

 

So we shall do this again, because I couldn't get rid of personal info.
I did our first oil change today. Just over 6K on the clock. It was fun learning about our T4R! The only thing that struck me as odd was the need to remove 16 bolts to get to the filter & housing.
*any first time oil changers, be aware*
It wasn't difficult; fun actually learning about our T4R'S. Just took a while to learn. I am very glad that the counter person told me about the filter drain plug. That is important.
Also, was shocked @ the price of a OEM filter @ the dealer (under $6 with tax). Got a new hat (just because) & installed new OEM LED fog lights.

 

Filter drain plug? lol, guess I need to read some more! How do you like the fogs?

 

16 bolts?

maybe my trd pro is different but it’s only
Like 6

 

Another silly/stupid observation. When buying the filter cartridge removal tool (Which I somehow forgot to buy on my first trip). Said it was applicable for nearly every Toyota, Scion & Lexus including the GX... I took it to the counter to inquire. Since I had all my skids off we tested it. Perfect fit!
It is seriously like Toyota really designed the 4runner to go to a dealer for maintenance. It doesn't matter what T4R you have they designed them to want you to take it in for service. They figure if we bought a T4R the maintenance is pocket change. Even if it was free (as would have been the oil change I just did). I know the SR5 doesn't have the skids...
I for one shall never surrender! I can figure it out or I know of a local real off road shop that can! Pending a recall or warranty work.
Do it & enjoy it! You will be rewarded with a sense of accomplishment! It is well worth it!

 

Actually 12 bolts. 4 per skid & 3 skids. I was counting the bolts I took out for the fogs.
Still 12 bolts is insane!