Help-I may have been had (oil change)

Ok, so heres the story.

I have been running Royal Purple in my 2007 tacoma for roughly 1.5 years. I took it to the dealer today for an oil change and I supplied Royal Purple.

So i get home and just decide to check the dipstick. I compared the oil on the dipstick with the royal purple (poured some on the stick) and the oil in the truck is WAAY lighter than the royal purple I have.

So i took it immediately back to the dealer and asked the mechanic and he said that oil changes colors as it burns....... which i understand..... but usually oil gets DARKER as it burns.... he didnt understand the logic.

So what im looking for here is an answer to this question.... Does synthetic oil burn lighter? and would the oil color change that much when i literally drove it 10 miles round trip from when i got home until i got back to the dealer?

 

Yeah...I'd get an oil sample ASAP....And why would you take it to the dealer if you are using your own oil?? I get mine done at the dealer but it's free for another 5 K miles.....and then- It'll be all me everytime.

 

Do it. I love catching people doing ish like this.

 

so how would i go about getting the oil sampled?

I dunno why i take it there..... i guess im just lazy.... and the only time i have to do it would be at night when my wife is home to watch our 1 year old. otherwise i have to watch him.

 

http://www.blackstone-labs.com

Kit is free...Analysis is 25 bucks...You can tell them that you think it's RP and they can compare to other samples and tell you.

 

is the oil a purple color, or is it a caramel color? shouldn't be too hard to tell the difference between RP and other oil because fo the dyes.

 

well the Dye makes it purple...... I read the RP FAQ's and found that the dye actually wears off rather quickly and will turn brown.... what i dont know is exactly how fast does it wear off, AND after it wears off will the oil be really light or what?

 

only way to do it right is to do it yourself!can't trust nobody anymore.

 

Relax. They put your Royal Purple in the truck. It turns clear almost immediately.

I switched to Royal Purple about 3 weeks ago. I did the oil change myself, ran the engine for about 5 minutes and checked the stick - the oil on it was already clear. The dye is apparently made to degrade after just a few seconds at a high temperature, which the engine is easily past once it gets to operating temp.

It'll take a few weeks as a daily driver to get that caramel color - the oil needs some time to soak up combustion byproducts, dust, etc.

Semi-digression: Noticed my 4.0L ran smoother and more quietly after switching to RP. The Oil analyses posted over at Bob's indicate the stuff does a quality job. I plan to stick with it for the forseeable future.

 

what if it was 3 quart of RP and 1 or 2 Qt of some other oil. Many crooks out there thats why if you love your truck dont be lazy i timed my self last time it took me 20 minutes to change my truck's oil....Always do it yourself ... i dont trust any mechanic with anything unless i am actually watching what they are doing ....

 

Your mechanic sure as hell is running royal purple in his truck..... I'd always DIY or watch 'em pour it in during the changes... That stuff is easy to fake, most people dont have then notion to check after the change. If you're angry enough, take a sample and get some money back. If not, just trust in humanity for now, (yeah, right), and next time DIY.

 

Royal Purple

Purple In bottle -> regular oil color after a little bit -> dark oil color after use.

 

Jesus Christ what if...what if god damned aliens came down out of the sky and stole your air filter?

Exactly how outlandish are we going to let the conspiracies get before we start laughing?

As stated, he has nothing to worry about.

 

maybe it never happened to you but trust me shit like this happens and you just gotta be careful sometimes thats all .... its always good to be precautious than to be sorry latter on .... thats all

 

Give "changing it yourself" a shot. Changing the oil in the 2nd generation is very easy.

 

probably won't work since this has been a few days since the oil change.

 

Oh, I know things happen - that's why I do my own maitenance (unless it's something I don't have the tools/space for).

The point is, having your oil not be purple, especially after the manufacturer states it will not be purple after use in the engine, does not suggest the mechanic is a crook. That's some seriously over the top jumping to conclusions on tenuous correlations.

 

I just make it simple -
I stand there while they change my oil -

 

I believe it does happen but I also believe for an authorized Toyota dealership to do it or any dealership for that matter would be risking alot more if they were caught compared to a regular repair shop.

Here's what I say test it and put your mind at ease or just do it yourself from now on. It's really that simple.