my tc is not like it used to be...i mean i was hoping that it will be just like new after having the oil change!!! :-/ any comments or suggestions???

also is there any way to verify that the OIL WAS ACTUALLY changed by the dealer??

Ahhh, another budding young TC owner in the making. :lol: You're on the right track for sure. All you are missing is a good conspiracy theory and you will move to the head of the class! :lol:

How many miles did you have when you changed your oil??? Sometimes what happens if you exceed your suggested oil life. You get scratches along the walls of your pistons which reduce engine compression. Befor you rule out compression. make sure your spark plugs are good and your wires are making good contact. There is a oil formula Called "Engine Restore" that works wonders. You can buy this formula anyware. I used the v8 fomula for my 1970 Dodge Dart swinger during its restorations phase and I increased mad horspower and torque. but this formula is recommended for medium to severe damage to piston walls. So dont run and buy right away. rule out your other possible issues first!

http://img5.exs.cx/img5/5839/restore3x1tu.jpg

How many miles did you have when you changed your oil??? Sometimes what happens if you exceed your suggested oil life. You get scratches along the walls of your pistons which reduce engine compression. Befor you rule out compression. make sure your spark plugs are good and your wires are making good contact. There is a oil formula Called "Engine Restore" that works wonders. You can buy this formula anyware. I used the v8 fomula for my 1970 Dodge Dart swinger during its restorations phase and I increased mad horspower and torque. but this formula is recommended for medium to severe damage to piston walls. So dont run and buy right away. rule out your other possible issues first!

http://img5.exs.cx/img5/5839/restore3x1tu.jpg

what size engine was it 318 340 or some bb 383 440 or a slant 6 225

i use to own a 71 plymouth FURY III 360 2bbl

Make sure they used the right weight Oil. heavier Oil can cause it to lose some power.

do not put restorer in a new engine!! it will do nothing to help you. The problem is in your head. Pull the dipstick out and make sure that there is the correct amount of oil in the car. If there is then you don't have a problem

I just had my first oil change done this past weekend. I had it done at the dealership where I bought the car. Being as it was the very first change, it was one of my three free ones, so I didn't look at the "invoice" they had me sign. I just folded it, stuck it in my pocket and went home. When I got home and took it out, I almost had a heart attack. The invoice states what they used and the quantity. Like:

Oil Filter....................1

Drain Plug Washer....1

5W 30 Oil..................5

That's right...the invoice said they put 5 QUARTS of oil in my xA!!!!!! Needless to say, I went out to the garage and checked my dipstick right away. It was hard as heck to see the clean, new oil, but it looked like it was at the right level. I called the service department to ask why it said that. The lady put me on hold for a bit and when she got back on, she said, "yeah, that was a misprint. They only put 4 quarts of oil in your Scion."

Some places charge a flat rate for oil changes up to 5 quarts whether or not they actually use that amount.

i changed it with 3130 miles on my tc..

7 replies so far and i am still not sure how to go about my problem... :-P

You never actually stated what the "problem" is. Are you having real, explainable, technical issues with the car, or does it just feel a little different :?:

Mmm...one more thing. If your nervouse about the work they're doing at the dealership, walk in and watch them. I used to do this before I started changing the oil myself, and nobody ever had a problem with it. :D

Unless they didn't refill the oil, it's very unlikely that it caused a change in your car, especially one that you can feel... What exactly is different?

I'd look inside the vehicle first. It sounds like there's a loose nut between the driver's seat and the steering wheel... j/k :wink:

wtf this topic needs to be closed
you wont feel any diffrence by changing your oil to regular, synthetic blah blah blah
its called preventitive mainenance. it prevents your junk from being broke

How does it feel different? Does it vibrate more? Does it feel very sluggish?

On a pseudo-positive note if the dealership didn't do something right, then they are responsible for fixing it.

well, it feels a little sluggish...it doesn't have that pick anymore. it doesn't feel like i am driving a new car anymore. if its not the oil change then what is it? did owners of tc experience the same thing?

and i am not complaining or anything. i just want to provide my tc with the proper care. thats it. if thats how it is suppose to be then fine. as you can tell this is my first time owning a new car.

i think i will take it to the dealer and see what he has to say. i got the oil change from prestige in nj. it helps to understand the issue yourself since the dealer would try to avoid the warranty work as much as possible.

one more thing:

i think i drove it over the curb or something due to which it has scracth marks on its front and rear bumper. will the warrant cover this? or the insurance?

thanksss

wtf this topic needs to be closed
you wont feel any diffrence by changing your oil to regular, synthetic blah blah blah
its called preventitive mainenance. it prevents your junk from being broke

thank you for the positive feedback. not to derail the thread but what else can be done to bring my tc to its original condition?

one more thing:

i think i drove it over the curb or something due to which it has scracth marks on its front and rear bumper. will the warrant cover this? or the insurance?

thanksss

You think you might have driven over a curb??? You can feel a difference from an oil change but don't know if you may have driven off a curb? Why would Scion be responsible for fixing that? You're insurance may cover it under comprehensive, but it'll cost you deductible and could cause your rates to go up...

take it to the dealer and see what happens.

If you drove over a curb, then you are responsible for the damage. Oh wait, aren't curbs around 4 inches high? I'm pretty sure you know that answer.

one more thing:

i think i drove it over the curb or something due to which it has scracth marks on its front and rear bumper. will the warrant cover this? or the insurance?

thanksss

You think you might have driven over a curb??? You can feel a difference from an oil change but don't know if you may have driven off a curb? Why would Scion be responsible for fixing that? You're insurance may cover it under comprehensive, but it'll cost you deductible and could cause your rates to go up...

okay i got the scracth on the lower side of the front bumper while parking the car ... i drove it a little too further not realizing that the curb (if thats the right word..) was higher than normal. i am sure about this one.

i have driven about 3000 miles on my tc in about 3 days...i just moved from ia to nj. most of the time i was listening to music due to which (i am guessing) i didn't hear when i scratched my rear bumper. :-) i noticed it after i had it car washed here in ny..i don't remember scratching it but......

tc comes with bumper to bumper warranty. does it cover this? and well i would prefer not to file a claim with my insurance company for such a small thing. i have a clean record so far and i would like to keep it that way as long as i can.

Bumper to Bumper warranty means that they will fix defects or norma wear and tear. you backing up onto a curb is't normal wear and tear, neither are road hazards and improper driving. If the bumper just fell off, that would be a defect, if you cause it damage thats your problem.

The only noticable change you can see is in the VVTi. VVTi work off direct oil pressure. It probably won't be noticable to you, only if you had a dyno. The possibly you're just noticing it now because of mental image of a non-new vehicle.

The cheapest way to try and get your bumper fixed is to try and find the paint repair guys that go from dealer to dealer repairing paint chips and such created during shipping, test drives, and even an occasional mistake from the factory. Several years ago my wife backed out from a Sonic Drive-in stall and was hit. She had the dent popped out asap but it still left a shallow crease and the paint was damaged. The reapair shop said they couldn't fix it. We would have to buy a new bumper cover and have it repainted which would have cost several hundred dollars. I found the repair guy and he quoted me $80 to fix it and repaint the whole bumper. Not bad. I know it sounds cheap but this is the guy the dealers trust to fix the car so that it looks perfect and will last at least long enough so they don't have to fix it under warranty.

They *might* have put a different weight motor oil in than what you had before. To check it you can buy an oil viscosity tester which is sort of like a big spoon that has a string hanging off it. Drain a little bit of oil into a pan, use the tester, and see if its the appropriate oil weight. Or you can do the "poor man's oil viscosity tester", which is to take out the dipstick and see if the oil drips off it faster or slower than normal. You have to know what normal is for that to work, so maybe compare to another dipstick on another car that you know has the right oil.

I had an oil change place once not get the airbox back together right after opening it up to tell me I needed a new air filter (when in fact I did not need a new one). Suffice it to say I didn't go back. And on another occasion I had a different oil change place overfill the car by about a quart. Was overfilled on dipstick, not just on the invoice.

So you could check for things like that too. Its not impossible they messed things up.

As far as thinking you hit a curb... umm, if you file an insurance claim, you'll have to pay your deductible first. But everything above and beyone the deductible will be the insurance company's bit. And you could expect you premiums to go up too, since it would be your fault.