Quick heads-up… if you do your own oil changes, consider upgrading that plastic filter housing

Toyota Truck, SUV and Vans Forum Toyota 4Runners
21

@GregoryMesh3
Still using the plastic one here—no problems, but I’m careful not to overtighten. Most of the issues people have are just user error.

22

@GregoryMesh3
I bought the metal housing straight from Toyota. Not fake, and it works fine for me.

23

Same thing happened to me. I specifically asked for a certified Toyota tech and got a guy with two days on the job. Ended up with a cracked filter housing, oil leak, and a messed-up fender. What a mess.

24

Guess I’m lucky—never had any trouble with the plastic housings.

25

First thing I did was upgrade to the metal housing.

26

Or just go to a real mechanic, not a rookie tech at the dealership.

27

Same thing happened on my Camry. Had to use a breaker bar and a pipe to get it loose. Luckily found a replacement at O’Reilly’s on a Sunday.

28

How long does it usually take to change the oil on a 4Runner? I’ve got my first one coming up and want to do it myself.

29

Lloyd said:
How long does it usually take to change the oil on a 4Runner? I’ve got my first one coming up and want to do it myself.

Depends on how handy you are, but probably about an hour.

30

@Slurry
I’ve done oil changes before on my old Honda, just never on a 4Runner. I know some cars are trickier.

31

Lloyd said:
@Slurry
I’ve done oil changes before on my old Honda, just never on a 4Runner. I know some cars are trickier.

Yeah, 4Runner’s a bit more tedious because you’ve got to remove the skid plate, but it’s not too bad.

32

Lloyd said:
How long does it usually take to change the oil on a 4Runner? I’ve got my first one coming up and want to do it myself.

First time took me two hours. The skid plate is always annoying.

33

Lloyd said:
How long does it usually take to change the oil on a 4Runner? I’ve got my first one coming up and want to do it myself.

Once you’ve done it a couple times, under an hour easy. It’s really not bad.

34

Used to do all my own oil changes, but once I got to the 2013 model, it got way harder. Now I just let my mechanic do it.

35

My 2024 came with free oil and tire service for 2 years, but I still prefer doing it myself. Don’t trust newbie techs with that stuff.

36

Toyota kept bugging me to use my free oil changes, but I’m not letting some rookie touch my new vehicle. Unless it’s something only the dealer can do, I’ll take care of it myself.