In For My Second Free Service

I have been to my dealer 3 times and have had good experience, and have been to my Lexus Dealers over many years and always receive excellent experience/ service. At Lexus the customer is always right. Maybe that Lexus customer service is starting to filter down to Toyota Dealers. I am sure many franchise owners own a Toyota and Lexus dealer, so it should not be hard for them to provide the same service, regardless of the cost of the car.

 

The term feathering is also know as cupping, and most likely is caused from lack of tire rotation, should be done every 5K miles.

 

Nope - LA

 

As to oil level following a change, there's something I can attest to, and I just did a (DIY) oil/filter change yesterday:

I put in 4 liters (spec is 4.2), backed the car out into the driveway, idled for about a minute, then rolled back in. Let it sit maybe 5 minutes, then checked the dipstick: the level was barely to the middle point between the 2 marks. I put roughly the extra 0.2 liter (per spec), and this is hard to do with Toyota bottles with no clear strip. Stalled a few more minutes, then checked the dipstick again: still at least a 1/4" low.

Now, I know from experience, once the car's been driven a few days, when I then recheck the dipstick, it will be on the top mark. Not sure why, but it does appear it takes that day or two, or a decent drive, for the level to stabilize.

Now back at the dealership, they don't have that luxury, and they don't want to be faulted for under filling. Maybe that's part of the issue?

 

It is a similar situation but not exactly the same.

It might depend on the tread pattern which one actually happens.

Also feathering can occur if everything is in perfect condition; cupping is a lot more common if something is NOT right......low tire pressure or alignment being off or worn out shocks or loose ball joints......etc.

 

If they charged you for 5 quarts, then they PUT IN 5 quarts.

They don't care if it causes a problem, which is highly unlikely BTW, because it would take a long time to show up and would be almost impossible to prove that overfilling contributed to anything that went wrong.

I try to make it a point to ask for the last half empty bottle back.
If they use a bulk tank, then there is no excuse for being sloppy.

 

Count me in the overfilled group as well.

Gave them a 5 qt jug and asked them for jug with 1 qt back. Got nothing back, way overfilled. 5 qt dumped in no doubt.

 

My guess for the "brown" is probably a bit of water (and rust) in the oil. The hybrid engine doesn't always run long enough to evaporate all the condensation that can accumulate in the crankcase.

 

Toyota OW20 is a darker color than a lot of oils. We went to a New Owners night; they had heavy-duty, graduated pitchers of it at the ready on a counter (carefully measured...). Somebody remarked about the color, and the service manager who was walking us through said it's like that from the outset.

 

so, when you guy siphon... do you go down the dipstick tube?

I bought my car from a non toyoyta dealer and I have two years of freel oil changes (woo hoo maybe three oil changes) and free state inspections for life. $12 safety and $33 emissions..

By At my work place I have access to a full garage, lifts, tools, ect.

I have never let a dealer do any service except for warranty. which has been far and few between since I've never owned new... My uncle and grandfather and great grandfather owned GM dealerships..

And while I trusted my grandfather, Uncle not so much... They all want money.

 

YIKES. What an alarmist guess !!

Probably totally unwarranted and just plain wrong.
Water in the oil tends to make a white foam and rust would be obvious as.......rust.
And the hybrid engines in the Prius's do a good job of heating themselves up when used for more than a couple of miles, whether they really need to or not.

Some brands of oil turn brown or black almost after only a couple of hundred miles of use.
It's not water or rust or fuel; it is just the additives in the oil.