mark your oil filter

bought a 2010 Tacoma 2 yrs ago at this time, part of the deal was 2 yrs free oil changes. Took the truck in 5/11 for first oil change but i suspected they didnt do the job. So this time i marked the oil filter with a blue felt tip pen, the mark wasnt hidden, it was right on the top of the filter.

brought the truck in 5/12 for second oil change, pick the truck up later in the day, go home & pop the hood and my mark is still on the oil filter.

I drive back to the dealer and asked for the service manager, showed him the mark on the oil filter, explained why i was there and man, i was more than rippin' pissed. Manager was basically speechless, he knew they were caught.

upshot is i got 2 more yrs of free oil changes, still not happy, will never buy from them again and i have been buying a new Toyota pickup every 4 yrs since 1985.

wont mention the dealers name but I suggest you folks that have a free oil change coming mark your oil filter before you bring the truck in for service. Thats all i got.........thanks for listening

 

One of the many reasons I do my own maintenance. Jiffy Lube has been busted for this numerous times. I guess it doesn't surprise me that a dealer would do it as well.

Good job catching them in the act!

 

Dang man, that is messed up!

 

Can you imagine how many times that happens and they get away with it?

 

My friend had the same problem a few years ago with a chevy dealer. He initialed his filters and looked @ em before he left and yep same ones...

 

Yeah-I'd rather a case of filters and crush washers for EVERYTHING that needs a fresh washer.

 

I wanna know what dealership did that - especially if you are in Scranton Pa. as your username suggests?

 

You're the 2nd person to mention this on here that I've seen, but it happens more than we know. I went 5/4/12 for my first oil change for 2yrs and checked my oil filter after they changed the oil. Luckily they did change mine. I will be checking mine as well as my wife's Corolla each time

 

the most messed up part is that its a toyota dealership. not a jiffy lube or quick oil change place

 

Up to now I would have trusted dealerships. They have a lot to lose if they screw up. I don't trust the quick lube places. I bought a truck a while back that had a sticker from one of them reminding of the mileage for the next change. When I changed the oil myself, I found the wrong size (much smaller) filter on it.

 

A year after I bought mine, I had a vacation planned, decided to give the dealership a job, they were running a special all fluids, filters, rotate and balance and alignment for a nominal fee.
When I went to pick up my truck, I had the service writer come out and show me exactly what I was paying for. After he went over the list of things they said they had done, I then pointed out the small dots of pink fingernail polish I had strategically placed on each wheel, and the weights, and made a line between the jam nuts on the tie rods.
Needless to say by the time I had a good once over with the service manager, they called the guy back to work on his day off the next day to fix everything. Free of charge no doubt. But YES, it does happen, and YES you should beware. Its not just dealerships, but any shop. Commissioned tech's in the heat of battle and trying to flag hours will let things slip that they think no one will notice. I have continued business with that dealership, and have had problems since, but only with warranty stuff, but I do my own maintenance now.

 

Sad, but a lesson I already learned for myself. I mark my filter and wheels now before I go in for service. Will do it myself when the "free" oil changes run out.

 

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I do my own oil changes (even with free Toyota maintenance) and put a sticker or write with a sharpie (date & mileage done).

When I was having my oil & filter changed by others ... I always marked my filters ... several times the filter was NOT changed.
.

 

I certainly dont think this happens most of the time, but its one of the reasons I have done my own changes for the last 10-12 years. And the quick change places have their lines connected to 55 gallon drums which contain....what exactly? I always use synth, and I dont trust that they will always actually use the good stuff. Too tempting to many businesses, especially in these tough times to take short cuts to make a few extra bucks here and there.

 

... ^^^ ... This is STEALING ... Letter to Toyota Corporate in CA ... to save others this problem in the future.
.

 

I have a 2011 and have done the first 2 of my free oil changes. I too was suspicious of getting my filter changed. I marked with a scratch on the top
of the filter both times,,,,and both times it was OK....It just makes me
feel better if I check...I also marked one of my tires to see if they rotated them, OK on that issue also....So I am satisfied with the work my dealer
does....

Perry

 

Best reply.

Frank

 

Haven't been in yet for my first free service, but I will be making more than a subtle mark on the filter and wheels. That's bullshit.

I had a gasket recall on the rear end of my 2002 xterra. The guy that did the work didn't plug my abs sensor back in and the abs light came on 10 seconds after leaving the dealership. I talked to one of the techs while they were trying to figure it out and he told me that the guy who worked on my car threw it back together as fast as he could to get to a party. I told the service manager that I was going to write a letter to the owner and to Nissan since this was complete negligence on their part and a major safety issue. The tech was fired immediately. That was not my intention at all but he put me and more importantly my family at risk.

 

I actually do put a date and mileage on mine.

 

Will be doing this for my next service...i just brought mine in for its first free service. They pulled it into the garage and i went to the " Customer Lounge " to wait, by the time i made a free Keirig coffee and picked up a newspaper they called my name and told me it was ready...