i was wondering who has done an oil change on the xB, and how hard it is to get at the oil filter / drain plug. some vehicles are fairly easy, but the oil filter on my wife's New Beetle is a pain in the fanny. just to get it off from underneath, you have to maneuver around 2 hoses and a lower cover. i can't see the oil filter when looking at the dealership, so i would like some input on the ease or difficulty on doing the oil change yourself. also, what oil does toyota recommend for the xB?

5W-30 is recomended, and is what I use. I make sure when I get my oil changed at toyota that they put toyota oil and filter on ( seems pretty repetitive to say that but my toyota dealer is also a dodge dealer- so you have to specify)- BTW are oil filter is 6 bucks! - and the guy that changed it for me said that the oil filter and plug are on the passenger side, and close up front - making it easy to change!!- Id do it myself, but i cant fit underneath my box without some jackstands...

Ive heard on a new engine that you should wait till 15k mark to switch to synthetic (even though you can switch at first oil change- some will argue...)- so at 15k ill switch to something synthetic ( mabey some TRD syn?)- but for now toytota oil is good- it is suposedly designed for toyota engines ...

you know you get 3 free changes at your dealership right?

Yes, but the closest SCION dealership is 95 miles away. I have a Toyota/dodge dealership in my town- but they do not carry Toyota oil and - thus they wont do the three free ones unless i want dodge oil poured into my box- NO THANKS!- So I orded toyota oil, and make them put that in...(at my cost)

l know many of the xB owners haven't had to change their own oil yet, due to the free oil changes upon purchase. i was just wondering how hard it was to access the filter/get it off without spilling most of the oil inside it down your arm! i haven't purch. my yet, but i went up to the dealership today, and you can easily see the drain plug on the passenger side, right by the right front wheel. but i can't slide under that LOW of a vehicle to see the filter location. just hoping someone had gotten under it to see how difficult it was......

i haven't purch. my box yet, but i will use it for work purposes (i'm in outside sales, so i drive about 30-35,000 miles a year) as soon as i get the mercury mystique paid off next may. i will do my own oil changes as soon as the free ones are gone, so i was naturally curious on how hard it was to access the oil filter. i went by the local dealership today, and you can easily see the drain plug, which is close to the right front wheel. but i cannot see up into the engine compartment to locate the filter (and they're NO way my body could squeeze under the front to locate it!!). i know the vehicle is so new to the market, that most people haven't had to worry about the oil change process yet, as most our still taking advantage of the free changes. but i figured that somebody had at least been under their box to see how difficult it may be. anyone? bueller? bueller?

Oh yeah it's really easy. Jack it up a few inches and it's very accessible. If you're skinny you can change it without even having to jack up the car (stock height). Easier than my old honda accord. The oil filter is a foot and a half from the bumper and up (towards passenger side) . The drain plug is a foot behind that at the bottom of the oil pan. Simple.

Yes, but the closest SCION dealership is 95 miles away. I have a Toyota/dodge dealership in my town- but they do not carry Toyota oil and - thus they wont do the three free ones unless i want dodge oil poured into my box- NO THANKS!- So I orded toyota oil, and make them put that in...(at my cost)

There's no such thing as Toyota oil and Dodge oil...

Yes, but the closest SCION dealership is 95 miles away. I have a Toyota/dodge dealership in my town- but they do not carry Toyota oil and - thus they wont do the three free ones unless i want dodge oil poured into my box- NO THANKS!- So I orded toyota oil, and make them put that in...(at my cost)

There's no such thing as Toyota oil and Dodge oil...

omfg

i can't believe someone actually believes there are toyota,dodge,honda,etc. oils out

they also have TRD,NISMO and RALLIART oil aswell

go end yourself

anyone know the bolt size for the oil pan?

The dealership I go to now uses Pennzoil products for their oil and filters. Go figure.

i was wondering who has done an oil change on the xB, and how hard it is to get at the oil filter / drain plug. some vehicles are fairly easy, but the oil filter on my wife's New Beetle is a pain in the fanny. just to get it off from underneath, you have to maneuver around 2 hoses and a lower cover. i can't see the oil filter when looking at the dealership, so i would like some input on the ease or difficulty on doing the oil change yourself. also, what oil does toyota recommend for the xB?

To answer your question, the oil chnge is very easy for the xB. When I did my first oil change I did not even have to jack the Box up. The oil filter is located on the passenger side behind the bumper. It's mounted vertically between the bumper and oil pan.

The oil pan / drain bolt is located on the passenger side next to the tire.

You can access both by laying in front of the vehicle on the passenger side.

This picture was taking from the front bumper location on the passenger side as I laid on the ground:

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_img_a/680066_10_full.jpg

You can see both the oil pan and location where the oil filter goes.

I'm a pretty slender guy so getting my head underneath the bumper is not a problem for me (5'9" - 173lbs)

Hope that helps!!

if you need to get tha box up a little bit higher to get to tha filter and drain do this,make a low ramp out of 2x6 or 2x8 lumber about 18"long and drive on them pull e brake and go to work.shadetree eng.at its best. later folks.

I'm a pretty slender guy so getting my head underneath the bumper is not a problem for me (5'9" - 173lbs

haha. "slender."

Damn you skinny pups. I cant squeeze my shoulders/chest anywhere near the filter or plug.

What i have found helpful is to get the oil filter wrench that fits a 3/8 socket. I was having trouble getting the damn thing off, so i spent the 4 bucks 3 oil changes ago. Now its no problem to get the filter off. The drain plug is a 14MM i believe.

<=== would rather change his oil himself, that way he knows what is in his xB.

I am getting my filters from the local parts store it is the same one on the echo for years

yall need to dig your self an oil pit!!! :lol: or if you got one at work use it

The filter is in a relatively tight spot, and was a complete _____ to remove the first time I changed the oil (I guess the factory likes to really torque down the oil filter). Before I lowered the car I could just drive it up on some of those nifty plastic ramps I bought at PepBoys. Now since I lowered the car, the front lip doesn't even come close to clearing the ramps.

Since lowering, changing the oil is a _____. I have to use the cheap pos factory jack to get the car up in the air just enough to slide a floor jack under the front crossmember. I'm thinking about making my own ramps out of wood based on a write-up I read on mustangworld.com a while ago. This should do the trick on even some of the lowest xB's on the board: http://www.mustangworld.com/ourpics/News/mwramps/index.htm

http://www.mustangworld.com/ourpics/News/mwramps/mwramps5.JPG

l know many of the xB owners haven't had to change their own oil yet, due to the free oil changes upon purchase. i was just wondering how hard it was to access the filter/get it off without spilling most of the oil inside it down your arm! i haven't purch. my yet, but i went up to the dealership today, and you can easily see the drain plug on the passenger side, right by the right front wheel. but i can't slide under that LOW of a vehicle to see the filter location. just hoping someone had gotten under it to see how difficult it was......

all of these othere folks have answered the how and where, but not the messy part...

the oil filter is vertically mounted with the filter opening at the top.
this means that when you unscrew it the filter will be full and there will be some oil trapped in the mounting area of the filter.
because this oil is trapped (can not drain back to the oil pan) it will spill out. there might be 4-6oz. of oil trapped. how much of a mess it makes is up to you...
you can crack the filter loose and let it drain, then take it off when it stops. that way it doen't run down your arm...

I changed the oil in my xA for the first time a week ago. I had hopes that the vertical oil filter might be easier to change than the one on the side of the block. I was wrong. The plastic pieces behind the bumper make seeing and reaching the filter more difficult than the one on the side of the engine. Lots of oil must drain out of the filter mounting area. The filter got slick and slipped from my hand onto those plastic pieces. Had to fumble around for the filter and then try to clean the plastic pieces off. Had to drain the filter area first and put some papers under that area and slide the oil drain pan under the oil pan drain I could not reach both from one drain pan position. The oil change was much easier to manage with the old Geo Metro.

yeah, the metro you could take the motor out to change the oil (.9 litre 3 cyl.)

One thing you may want to look into while changing your oil, wear latex gloves. Like DG said, crack the oil filter off and let the trapped oil spill out. Then reach in there and spin it the rest of the way off. Oh, and you may want to look into the filter socket they sell at most parts shops for around $4. Best $4 i have spent. Just attach it to my 3/8 rachet, and the filter comes right off. Before this, i was using the Craftsman strap wrench, but kept beating the hell out of my knuckles.

filter scocket wrenches are great...(just make sure you always get the same filter)
and gloves make clean up easy...

run the car for a little bit to get the oil warm (it flows better)

filter scocket wrenches are great...(just make sure you always get the same filter)
and gloves make clean up easy...

run the car for a little bit to get the oil warm (it flows better)

Now i try and change my oil when its cold. Cause all the crap is at the bottom of the pan, right where the plug is.