Celica Forums General Discussion Exterior Car was TOO LOW for an oil change...

Went to Northridge Toyota for a standard oil change this morning at 8am

at 9am, the tech called me up to the service counter and told me that my car was too low for an oil change

I have TRD Shocks/Struts & Springs with 18" wheels and 35 profile tires... the full suspension was installed by a Toyota service center/dealership 4 months ago with no problems

...an hour of wasted time (plus the time to drive there and back), just to be told that my Toyota car with full Toyota suspension, installed by Toyota... was too low for Toyota to do a Toyota Oil Change

Invested in a floor jack and a case of 30w oil for less than $50 total... It only took about 10 minutes to do the oil change - lesson learned, i should have just done it myself in the first place

now thats funny!

lol, i think mine's too low too...

but yea, you can do it yourself

car is looking good too in those pics

that sucks...they don't have ramps on toyota dealerships anymore?

yeah ... been there done that, there's only two places by me that'll even touch my car.

they do, i guess they didn't wanna jack his car up for some reason, which is jump...
put it on the lifts.

I think thats the problem, they do have ramps, but there single incline with rails. So these guys can't clear it without F'n up there kits and underbody.

but no one has a problem coming out to stand and stare at your car though

yeah, thats what i'm saying.

the only thing that has changed about my car on the outside since July 2001 was the 15" to 17" to 18" wheels (1.5" total raise) and then a month later, 1.2" TRD drop. I wonder how they put it on the ramp to drop it ???

true dat

i bet you anything though - if I didnt clean and detail my car just lastnight, they wouldnt have told me that they didnt want to do it

Good point, overlooked that part.

that sucks, but at least you'll save yourself some money in the long run by doing your own oil changes.

they just didnt want to do it. but why?
its really stupid to blame on something that is their product.
dude, i would go talk to the manager or somsthing unless you didnt care about it at all. stupid mechanics, were they atleast cool or just like "we cant do it, you have dropped it to much, not our fault"

lol thats funny

Some places have "pits" under the ground that they go into to change your oil. In other words, no ramps, jacks, or lifts even touch your car.

My dealer has no problem lifting my over 2 inch of drop...
Once in a while they tell me it's too low for the jack.. but they have done it for over a year... seen my self on the lift few time...
Some tech just don't know shit...

lol~that is freaking funny~

Isaac I have a very low Celica where I can't even get an alignment unless at a very expensive specialist for exotic cars that I yet have to make an appointment. But any ways, Toyota does my oil changes every 3000 to 5000 miles. There's something wrong there. My car goes on a lift will some trouble, but it will go, I've seen it.

hahaha what idoits

Welcome to my world the last time I tried to go to the dealer for an oil change i had about 20 people standing around my car then one of them says "so what can we break on this car" My dealer has a pit too but my car wont even clear that so now I just go to a quick pit and can clear their pit bu about a 1/4" Every one at the dealer just loves my car they just dont want to touch it.

"So what can we break on this car?" That sounds like a fucking threat to me. I would have told the manager and gotten some free shit outta that.

My friend got his windows on his Cobra tinted, and when it was done, the guy pulled it out and did a burn out, not thinking that anyone would notice. Well needless to say, my friend did, told the manager, and got like half off the tint job.

Naa these guys are good guys they were just making a joke because they are scared to touch it I know most of them because they call me for parts. Hence the joke about breaking something.(I should have said that in my first post)

lol...

That is why I go to Jiffy Lube. The one around here has a pit where the car never leaves ground level. Plus they take about two and a half minutes to do a full oil change. FAR more efficient than sitting around at the damn dealer.

bro, this must be a preview of things to come for me i go to northridge toyota for my oil changes, i have a service plan with them unlimited oil change under warranty(whuch i believe i paid for in the contract). my car is dropped(trd springs) with 18"(same exact setup as you(isaac) minus shocks) no kit now but in the process of gettin the vs2 kit. does this mean that every time i bring it in i have to take off my kit? if they refuse to work on it do you guys think i can get my money back??? man this sux

I have a Sportlines and do not have any problems with an oil change at my Toyota dealer...

lol, tthat is funny.

and i would have done it myself to begin with

and by the way, i really like your car

toyota. wow.

if toyota doesnt want to do work then they dont get my money.

ive gone to a smaller oil change place for the last 3 years. they use the pit under the car, no lifting the car. they always accomodate me by letting me drive over the pit from the opposite side. they put pieces of wood down for me to drive on, because my previous car was too low to clear the lip that surrounds the pit. theyve asked if i was going to lower my celica and put a kit on it. i have already lowered it, but no kit yet. they laugh and just say they will go back to doing it on the opposite side of the pit when i do get the kit.

How can the car be too low? At greese Monkey, and other places i go they have one of those broken floors they drive the car over and work from a level under the car, and even if they jack it up they can do the work...They must have been packed if they didnt your your business, or if it was a free change, then they BS'ed there way out of doing an easy job.

No take a look at my car and its clear its way to lou even my dealer has a pit but they have thoes bars that go all the way around that are about 3.5" high. like I said I know the guys there real well we even measured it.

a 1.5" increase in rim size, but i bet you dont have 60 series tires on your 18's, the only way that the 1.5" measurement is even viable. if you have 225/35's then you should net a 1" drop from factory, given the slighty taller tires on the 18" and the 1.2" drop. i got 1.8" springs all around, and if i have the stock 15's, then i cant put it on the ramp on post, but if i put my 215/45r17's on there, than it can clear by about a centimeter.

Toyota did this to me too once...they didn't wanna be liable...i have the hotchkis springs on mine. Its better to just do things urself

So how does getting a car was work for you? at the places here that are automatic, i am not sure how low the rails are, but they are pretty short

i change oil myself, dont trust the dealer

My very exact thoughts. Besides, most places around here don't carry royal purple and k&n. Changing oil since I was able to drive.

the worst car that I had to change the oil was my first car, a oldsmobile, the bloody oil filter was IN the oil pan, everytime I change, I get all oily.

Agreed... I owned a Pontiac that was horrable also

wasn't northridge the place that "lost" your car once sir isaac? that was funny..."how do you lose a big red celica out of all those corollas and camrys?"


anyway, i've been doing my service at santa monica toyota if you want you can go try there..they hardly say a peep about my mods, although my car is not at modded as yours. but they have always been courteous and friendly

that's strange. my car is lower than yours and Longo Toyota never had a problem.

yup... same place but I thought that if I knew I was going to be in the area first thing in the morning, I would call the night before and setup an appointment for an oil change there. Atleast they didnt damage my car the first time - they just lost it