Changed the oil on a customer's LS460L this weekend.

Took the access cover off for the oil filter to find that Kwik Car (last place that changed the oil) had broken part of the housing that you put the oil filter wrench on, and obviously said nothing to the owner of the car.



"No big deal" I thought, I have the correct Toyota oil filter wrench which has the cutouts for the 3 tangs on the upper side of the plastic housing.

Well, I was wrong. Apparently King Kong works at this Kwik Car and used enough torque that I couldn't move it and broke the tangs on one side of the housing.

So I end up removing the large skid plate that goes under the car, with the plan that Im just going to break the housing into pieces and buy a new one since this one is hosed.

After getting the 20 some odd 10mm bolts off, I try one last time with my large oil filter pliers that fit medium duty trucks and try to either loosen the housing or crack it, and low and behold, it starts to turn.

Here it is removed:


And of course, because it is a quick lube place, they used the only filter they had, which is shorter than the OEM one:



I replaced the filter cap with an aluminum one from a Venza which a lot of Tundra guys switch to.


Will button her back up this evening.

That place is a dump, do not know why anyone would ever go there.

chloelee said:

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That place is a dump, do not know why anyone would ever go there.

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95% of the population that doesn't know any better or doesn't care.

Did they leave off the small o ring and the metal cap as well on the filter housing?

I got lazy a few times and had the local stealership change the oil on my Tundra. The last time they fastened my skidplate back on with only 2 of the 5 bolts and all 3 screws that attach to a plastic piece behind the bumper were missing. Raised hell about it and they couldn't even find the missing fasteners that they just removed 20 minutes prior. They had to give me brand new ones. I said screw it after that and I've changed it myself ever since.

Ag for Life said:

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Did they leave off the small o ring and the metal cap as well on the filter housing?

I got lazy a few times and had the local stealership change the oil on my Tundra. The last time they fastened my skidplate back on with only 2 of the 5 bolts and all 3 screws that attach to a plastic piece behind the bumper were missing. Raised hell about it and they couldn't even find the missing fasteners that they just removed 20 minutes prior. They had to give me brand new ones. I said screw it after that and I've changed it myself ever since.

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They probably werent able to figure out the purpose of that cap and O Ring....

What I can't understand is why this is not metal from the factory ?

I've never had any issues removing them with a standard proper sized socket filter wrench but I did have a tundra where it was extremely tight from the factory that concerned me but it came off without damaging the housing.

Popular in the 200 community

https://jowettperformance.com/products/coming-soon-billet-oil-cap-for-filter

I have one and it makes oil changes less messy due to the ez-valve instead if the push to drain doohickey

Tell me more about this.

coolerguy12 said:

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15620-31060

Youll have to change your middle tube assy if the length is different.

drmwvr said:

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Popular in the 200 community

https://jowettperformance.com/products/coming-soon-billet-oil-cap-for-filter

I have one and it makes oil changes less messy due to the ez-valve instead if the push to drain doohickey

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I saw that, but 105 bucks. Ouch.

23 dollars for the Toyota Venza piece...

Opened the thread knowing that I was going to be irritated.

Still irritated. Shoddy shoddy crap.

Ag for Life said:

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Did they leave off the small o ring and the metal cap as well on the filter housing?

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Are you talking about the metal cap you remove first to drain the oil & the o ring that goes on it? My filters always come with a big & small o ring but I usually just leave the old ones on.

Yes, it's the metal cap you take off in order to insert that plastic thingamajig that drains the filter housing. I've done it both ways but it's cleaner to drain the housing if you're not in a huge hurry.

Honestly, I think this type of story can be told about every place out there including dealers. They aren't all bad, you just have to either do it yourself, or find one in your area you trust.

1Ag:

What is the difference between the Tundra part and the Venza part - just plastic vs. aluminum?

You mentioned the cost of the new housing. Roughly what is the cost of the "new center tube" you mentioned also needing to also be switched out?

TIA

SA Ag 91 said:

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1Ag:

What is the difference between the Tundra part and the Venza part - just plastic vs. aluminum?

You mentioned the cost of the new housing. Roughly what is the cost of the "new center tube" you mentioned also needing to also be switched out?

TIA

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The Tundra (and almost every other canister that Toyota uses) is a plastic unit.

The Venza is aluminum, I'm guessing because of the tighter packaging and closer proximity to the exhaust manifolds and pan.

The Venza cap came with a tube, but it was a little shorter than the one that was on the Lexus, so I swapped them out. Took a few minutes fiddling with the spring to get it to release, but wasnt that tough to do.

I dont think Toyota services the tube/spring seperately, but if you go to your FLAPS or Amazon, they sell a Chinese version of the cap that comes with all 3 tube lengths for a few dollars more than the Venza part.

https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/dallas/press-releases/2012/judge-sentences-former-loan-broker-for-kwik-industries-to-36-months-in-federal-prison-and-orders-her-to-pay-approximately-8.5-million-in-restitution

As a self professed car dummy, is it really worth the extra green to get a full synthetic oil change at a brand place (as opposed to Kwik Kar, Jiffy Lube, etc.) type place?

We have a newer Subaru Legacy that I want to take care of, but it's not a pristine luxury car, and the local Subaru dealer doesn't seem to be a whole lot better than the aforementioned places. I'm sure this has been covered as nauseum, but search is letting me down.

Bulldog73 said:

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As a self professed car dummy, is it really worth the extra green to get a full synthetic oil change at a brand place (as opposed to Kwik Kar, Jiffy Lube, etc.) type place?

We have a newer Subaru Legacy that I want to take care of, but it's not a pristine luxury car, and the local Subaru dealer doesn't seem to be a whole lot better than the aforementioned places. I'm sure this has been covered as nauseum, but search is letting me down.

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At least you know at the dealership youre getting a OEM spec filter.

If you are under warranty, follow the manufacturer intervals and keep records.

Once you're out of warranty and if you're interested in extended drain intervals, synthetic may be worth it.

Happened to my Q7. Stripped the threads on the oli pan plug. Lost 2 qts.

The design on the Toyota filters are prone to failure, particularly if (in many cases) someone uses an impact gun to remove the old housing (WHY?). We also see that the plastic tabs break off, even with use of the OEM wrench. We've had to replace these on customer's vehicles frequently.

Damn that sucks. Thankfully the Sienna has the aluminum filter housing standard. Of course, I still do most of the oil changes on it anyway.

I thought people only went to Kwik Car for isnpection stickers. That's all I go for anyway.