amf1932 Posted July 7, 2004 Posted July 7, 2004 My car has had 2 oil changes at my Lexus Dealer since new (8450miles). The first oil change they did, I checked it on the dipstick and it was ¼ below the full mark. This I can accept, but I just came home from the dealer after the second oil change and once again measured the level and it was at least ¾ above the full level on the dipstick! This I can not accept! :chairshot: For 8 years I changed the oil & filter's myself on my '94ES and on all these occasions the oil level did not vary more then + or - a fraction of an inch from the full mark on the dipstick. This is the reason I'm so annoyed: "Be careful not to overfill. To high an oil level in the crankcase will let the crankshaft churn the oil to foam. This will result in oil pump starvation, which means your engine won't be properly lubricated. Overfilling can also lead to high crankcase pressure, possibly leading to oil seal leaks." One other thing: It says in the Owners Manual, the oil weight should be 5W-30. The first oil change they put in 10W-40, and on this change 10W-30. After this I'm going back to doing this service myself because I know when I do it, it'll be done right.....and I'm not trying to save money!
jragosta Posted July 7, 2004 Posted July 7, 2004 My car has had 2 oil changes at my Lexus Dealer since new (8450miles). The first oil change they did, I checked it on the dipstick and it was ¼ below the full mark. This I can accept, but I just came home from the dealer after the second oil change and once again measured the level and it was at least ¾ above the full level on the dipstick! This I can not accept! :chairshot: For 8 years I changed the oil & filter's myself on my '94ES and on all these occasions the oil level did not vary more then + or - a fraction of an inch from the full mark on the dipstick. This is the reason I'm so annoyed: "Be careful not to overfill. To high an oil level in the crankcase will let the crankshaft churn the oil to foam. This will result in oil pump starvation, which means your engine won't be properly lubricated. Overfilling can also lead to high crankcase pressure, possibly leading to oil seal leaks." One other thing: It says in the Owners Manual, the oil weight should be 5W-30. The first oil change they put in 10W-40, and on this change 10W-30. After this I'm going back to doing this service myself because I know when I do it, it'll be done right.....and I'm not trying to save money! Seems that a complaint to the service department is in order. Overfilling the crankcase is definitely bad. Putting in the wrong oil is possibly even worse.
tundra-lover Posted July 7, 2004 Posted July 7, 2004 Amen! I won't let them touch any of my vehicles. Too many problems from what I've seen in the past. I've mostly heard the most complaints with them never tightening the drain plug. But, my biggest is when they leave oil all over from the filter, and don't bother to wash it off -and you don't find out till its all over the garage!
mbpgawest Posted July 7, 2004 Posted July 7, 2004 I'm with ya all on this. It's not about the money, it's about doing the job correctly. I have not patience with techs. that are sloppy with thier work. I've been doing my own oil changes on our vehicles ('97 LS & '04 Toy Sienna) for years now.
JPI Posted July 8, 2004 Posted July 8, 2004 I guess these people don't care about their work. This is what we do to prevent these things happen at our shop. 1) After every oil change. We start the start up for 1 second and check the stick 2) Put some rags under the oil filter so They will catch all the oil 3) Fender covers are very important. We don't want to scratch the fender JPI
mbpgawest Posted July 8, 2004 Posted July 8, 2004 Hey JP: I wish there was a local shop that I could trust to do that type of work. I might just bring my cars to them. B) But until I find that kind of shop, I'll continue to do most of the work myself.
amf1932 Posted July 8, 2004 Author Posted July 8, 2004 Follow up: My car has had 2 oil changes at my Lexus Dealer since new (8450miles). The first oil change they did, I checked it on the dipstick and it was ¼ below the full mark. This I can accept, but I just came home from the dealer after the second oil change and once again measured the level and it was at least ¾ above the full level on the dipstick! This I can not accept! For 8 years I changed the oil & filter's myself on my '94ES and on all these occasions the oil level did not vary more then + or - a fraction of an inch from the full mark on the dipstick. This is the reason I'm so annoyed: "Be careful not to overfill. To high an oil level in the crankcase will let the crankshaft churn the oil to foam. This will result in oil pump starvation, which means your engine won't be properly lubricated. Overfilling can also lead to high crankcase pressure, possibly leading to oil seal leaks." One other thing: It says in the Owners Manual, the oil weight should be 5W-30. The first oil change they put in 10W-40, and on this change 10W-30. After this I'm going back to doing this service myself because I know when I do it, it'll be done right.....and I'm not trying to save money! I drove the car back to the dealer and they had to remove about 1 quart of oil! They told me that they use a machine that meters in the proper amount of oil. I guess the machine was NOT so accurate......and what about the service person checking the proper oil level on the dipstick? I guess that would be too hard to do. Lexus service, in some cases are no better then the local service station, and you pay premium prices there. At least you get free coffee & donuts while your car is being worked on. :D
RedRocket Posted July 9, 2004 Posted July 9, 2004 I agree that proper filling the car with oil is not rocket science and should be properly done. The choice of oil grades is a different story. the first number is the winter (thus the W) weight at 32 deg. F. the difference between the 5W and 10W could only be detected by a lab. The tolerance for these viscosity numbers is so wide that 5W and 10W from differne source could be the same. The same argument goes for the upper high temp. number. It is a measure of the viscosity at 212 deg. F. If yoru REALLY interetsed in oil performance, get the oil analyzed. It reveals a lot about the real story in your car. Glen
es300ed Posted July 9, 2004 Posted July 9, 2004 I'm the third owner of a 96 ES300. It had 50K 2 years ago and now has 75K. I see no evidence of sludge even though I don't know if the prior owners had regular oil changes. I have the dealer do the oil changes. Why? In the beginning they didn't spill oil on the frame when removing the old oil filter like my local mechanic did. However, the last two times the dealer also spilled oil on the frame. So why do I still go there? No appointment needed; coffee and snacks; internet access from their waiting room computers; wash and vacuum the car; and here is the real reason (besides me being lazy) - they give me a list of things needing fixing. No I don't have them do any of the work but it gives me an idea of what MAY need to be done. Ed
kyle0k Posted July 10, 2004 Posted July 10, 2004 so cant u guys do anything about all this stuff. like if they spill oil on something,cant u get them to replace it. its their fault.now obviously if its just liek somehwere unnoticable then yea but if its like on outside of the car cant u get them to repaint the car for free.
SW03ES Posted July 10, 2004 Posted July 10, 2004 Well spilling oil on something isn't going to mean it needs to be replace, it just needs to be cleaned up. A Lexus dealer that charges over $100 for an oil change should be capable of doing the job without making a mess damaging something that requires replacement.
andrecat112 Posted July 10, 2004 Posted July 10, 2004 what is the easiest way to notice evidence of sludge?
steviej Posted July 16, 2004 Posted July 16, 2004 What tools do i need to use for oil drain plug? Thx. a breaker bar or a socket wrench and a 14mm socket. (I think it was 14). have a large catch basin ready. You might want to wear a glove. steviej
ace Posted July 16, 2004 Posted July 16, 2004 What tools do i need to use for oil drain plug? Thx. a breaker bar or a socket wrench and a 14mm socket. (I think it was 14). have a large catch basin ready. You might want to wear a glove. steviej Thx. for your reply Steviej! Do u have a foto of the plug or tool? I called a couple of auto parts stores, but they kept telling me that the oil drain plug for ES300 is your typical hexed head. I have a rounded screw with the hex head in the center. TIA
tundra-lover Posted July 16, 2004 Posted July 16, 2004 Sounds like your looking at the tranny drain plug- not the oil drain plug, which is on the pasenger side.
ace Posted July 16, 2004 Posted July 16, 2004 where is the darn oil drain plug located for es300? Much appreciated.
steviej Posted July 17, 2004 Posted July 17, 2004 the plug is to the back left (standing in front of the car) of the oil pan. It is the six sided bolt. the hex heads are as dcfish said....the tranny and diff drain plugs. I'll snap a pic this weekend if I can. steviej
dcfish Posted July 17, 2004 Posted July 17, 2004 ;) The oil drain plug is 14mm and the tranny drain plug is 10mm allen wrench , and it is a good idea to replace the washers on each drain plug. ;)
amf1932 Posted July 17, 2004 Author Posted July 17, 2004 and it is a good idea to replace the washers on each drain plug. I know that this is what Lexus recommends, but on my '94ES I changed the oil myself for 8 years of ownership and I never replaced the washer.......and I never had a leak.
steviej Posted July 17, 2004 Posted July 17, 2004 I'm with you on that one Alan. Never had a problem with or without the washer. steviej
dcfish Posted July 17, 2004 Posted July 17, 2004 I never have replaced the washers on either of the previously mentioned drain plugs , but it is recomended :whistles:
ace Posted July 19, 2004 Posted July 19, 2004 Gents, Thanks for all the tips. I had been looking at the tranny plug all this time. Was able to locate the oil drain plug, which is on the passenger's side. Had my oil change w/ 5-30W! Have a nice day,
Ricky Posted July 19, 2004 Posted July 19, 2004 Well guys, anyone know where the oil filter is on a ES330? I'm guessing it is under the forward shroud since that is the only area I can't see 100%. If so, does the shroud come off easily and go on as easy? It looks like quite a few fasteners on it. Any pre-cautions to take? Thanks..
steviej Posted July 19, 2004 Posted July 19, 2004 stand in front of the car, look just below the front exhaust manifold. You will see the bottom end of the filter sticking up at you. many a thread has been written on removal techniques. (hint, let the manifold cool a little.) steviej
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