2022 Toyota RAV4 Follows Tundra Oil Problem with Dealers Pushing Back on Early Oil Changes
Buying a new car takes away the maintenance burden off your shoulders more than buying a used car, especially from a private owner. However, buying a brand-new car off the dealer’s lot comes with its own problems. For starters, there might be a recall on some things which means trips to the dealer, loaner cars, and paperwork. Then there are the unlimited calls you get from your rep trying to see if you like your car after to told him 20 times that you do.
However, have you ever thought of metal shavings being a problem in your brand-new car?
Metal shavings are probably a worst-case scenario for an engine because it means there was not proper lubrication within the engine. Metal on metal contact produces heat which produces sparks and shavings to come off. This is bad because if this remains in the engine for long, it could completely ruin it.
However, a recent post on Facebook’s Toyota RAV4 Club showed that an early oil change that is not recommended by the dealer is actually healthy for your engine because of the insane number of small shavings that get stuck in the oil. Before we take a look at that post, it’s important to know that every single ICE car out there is being produced will always have metal shavings in the first few thousand miles. Now depending on what type of car you drive; your dealer might tell you to come in for an oil change depending on your car. High-end cars get a mandatory 1000-mile break in service on cars like BMW M’s and AMG vehicles. This ensures that your car does not run with the shaving-infested oil for too long.
Robert Howard shared his discovery of the early shavings in the post saying, “Changed the oil and filter on the 22 RAV4 today at 2500 miles. Judging by the sparkly items coming out of the filter I wish I had done it sooner!” So, depending on what Toyota vehicle you drive, your first oil change should be around 6000 miles on average. Now, this is to ensure that your engine breaks in using the factory oil.
So this question also arose on the new 2022 Toyota Tundra as well. We covered this story in a recent article and at the time of that article being written not a lot of people shared their thoughts, but we recently started to see an uptick in numbers after the article had been written.
Let’s take a look at what a few other owners said about an early oil change. Dusten Seffron said, “Break in sparklers, it’s fine to change it again after another 100 miles.” And yes, a lot of the Tundra owners said the same thing. This is completely normal for every car. Don’t worry if you change your oil for the first time and see sparkles. The only way this could get serious is if you leave it there for a long time.
Some people recommend an oil system flush on the first change because some of the sparkles could be stuck in the lines, cylinders, block, etc. A flush would get rid of that easily. Interestingly, some dealerships would not want you to change your oil that early. Matthew Tracy said, “They wouldn’t change mine at 2500 at the dealership so I did it myself and it was a glitter fest. Sent my service rep a picture of the oil and a winky face.” Why is that? Well, it depends on the dealer. Some will do it if you express your concerns with the service manager, others won’t do it because of environmental concerns, and some just won’t do it period.
So if you recently purchased a 2022 Toyota RAV4, make sure to change the oil after about 1-2000 miles and talk to a professional to see if a flush is also right for you. I read hundreds of forum posts and most of them said a flush was a great idea. Even if you do it on your second oil change a flush would ensure that you get everything out so your engine’s guts will remain healthy and clean.
What do you think? If you work at a dealership, why do they not recommend early oil changes? Let us know in the comments below.
Harutiun Hareyan is reporting Toyota news at Torque News. His automotive interests and vast experience test-riding new cars give his stories a sense of authenticity and unique insights. Follow Harutiun on Twitter at @HareyanHarutiun for daily Toyota news.