FOGeologist

Look at your odometer.

If you haven’t changed your own oil, it’s likely that your oil filter has never been changed since the truck rolled off the assembly line. Whatever you see on your odometer reflects the age of your oil filter.

The oil filter is HARD to get to - I’m betting few, if any service departments and ZERO quicklube facilities) actually take down the skid plate to get to it - which involve removing that plastic panel that bridges between the bottom of the radiator and the front of the skid plate. This makes getting the skid plate front hooks back into the front of the frame easy.

Successfully removing the skid plate takes time and Toyota placed quite low-profile bolts on the plate to secure it - meaning it’s possible to round one off if you’re not careful.

Mine were kind of corroded into place and had clearly never been removed in the vehicle’s 61,000 mile history - in spite of being serviced at Lexus dealers and sold as a Certified Used vehicle one time in it’s history.

I used anti corrosion lube on the threads to make it easy on me in 8-10k miles.

BradTank

While I agree shops cut corners all the time, I'm not sure I would go so far as to say this is what usually happens. On a lift (which every shop has) it's less than a minute to get that skid plate down to access the filter. I use a small electric impact gun and it's like 6-8 small bolts and the skid plate hangs from the hooks.

If you think you genuinely believe your oil filter has not been changed in 60k miles at the Lexus dealership, I'd address that with someone in charge. If for nothing else, it might save another consumer from having it happen to them. Techs do get fired for that sort of thing.

ASE

... between the Oil Filter Housing / Aluminum Receiver (on the engine) ... clean an area with isopropyl alcohol ... and then apply a small thick dot of paint between the two in an inconspicuous location ... which once dry will be broken if the filter housing has been removed for filter replacement ... easy proof ...

bob58

I do not believe, for even a second, that any Lexus dealer service department (or Toyota dealer for that matter) has ever completed a engine oil change without replacing the oil filter.

I just don't.

Now if you're going to a random quick change place, your mileage may vary.

ASE

Iffy-Lube is another story ... where the minimum wage oil change "technician" was just fired from McDonald's the week before ... and has 5-minutes of oil change training before working on your vehicle ...

Aegean

You would be surprised. My local Toyota dealer did not replace the oil and filter in my car after being a customer for more than 10 years. I checked the oil and it was not completely clean, so I thought maybe it was mixed with a little bit of residual oil in the carter. Then, I put my car on ramps, used a flashlight and located the filter which had road dirt from several months. This is a spin on filter. Not the one inside a canister.

When I confronted them, I was assured that they did changed it and these things are impossible for their facility. I showed them the filter photo and still said they will investigate but did not admit anything. Finally, they came back saying that the valet driver parked the car in the finished section as they saw on their CCTV and was a sincere mistake offering 3 free oil changes. Of course, they failed to explain who put the mileage reminder sticker on the windshield. Anyway, do not trust them easily.

jonshonda

I'm starting to see a pattern with the OP here. If you feel removing a few bolts to get to a skid plate is "hard" try changing the oil filter in my NA Miata when the engine is hot. A few bolts vs a burnt hand...I'll take a few bolts.

Honestly it takes maybe 2 minutes to drop the skid plate.

ASE

^^ agree with the OP to a degree ... yes, Toyota way over torques the skid plate bolts from the factory ... then add some corrosion, and they can be difficult to remove ... so yes, anti-seize on the threads is highly recommended ... and using a 6-point socket for improved fastener engagement ... never understood why 12-point sockets even exist since they are used on a ratchet anyway ... so what's the point other than reducing fastener engagement ... reducing the maximum torque that can be applied before rounding the fastener.

On the skid plate disengagement from the front crossmember ... yes, unless one is using a lift ... the "double hook" makes removal and the reinstall difficult. On multiple GX's ... 4-Runners and an FJ Cruiser ... I removed the small second bend on the skid plate hooks ... a small nub ... that is designed to ensure the skid plate does not inadvertently drop once rotated down. A Dremel cutoff wheel or sanding disk makes quick work. Once removed, removal and engagement is significantly easier.

On the plastic panel that bridges between the bottom of the radiator and the front of the skid plate ... yes, does make engaging the skid plate hooks more challenging ... but does not serve any functional purpose ... so could be permanently removed.

Beyond that ... I would NEVER EVER assume an Iffy Lube place has any clue on how to properly change the oil filter element ... especially if one is still using the factory glass-reinforced plastic housing ... this is an accident waiting to happen.

BradTank

You might as well just change the oil filter yourself if you're going to go to all that trouble 😂

ASE

^^ agree ... the exact reason I always do my own oil changes ... no concern with the use of "mystery oil" and the filter not being properly changed out.

MrTorgue

I'm extremely lucky that my old dealer did these sorts of extra details because I have no doubt service departments and mechanic shops cut corners to save money. Now that I'm 2k miles away from my preferred dealer I'm sort of screwed now. lol

ASE

... if the filter has "never" been changed ... at least the filter housing design has a reliable pressure relief valve ... where oil will continue to flow even if the filter is clogged ... meaning no filtering ... yes, not ideal ... but better than a spin-on cartridge filter where this feature can be variable given the mass (throw away) production.

FOGeologist

Not sure what “pattern you’re seeing… but I AM sure that we’re talking about GX460s, not Miatas. And ALL cars have hot oil filters. GX460s have 4 bolts securing the skid plate alone, and I’d contend any half-competent mechanic would want to remove that valence (another four bolts or so and one of those weird pop out plastic fastener things) in front of the skid plate, which makes actually replacing the skid plate EASY. It is a bit tougher to access the very weird Toyota plastic cap if you leave the plate hanging by the hooks.

The cap requires a very weird and large proprietary $30 socket to spin the thing off. Often times that thing is hammered on with the force of 10,000 suns. By about that time, I’d say all but the most dedicated technicians are done with it and moving on.

Just figuring out what needs to be removed is probably 10x harder than most other vehicles.

This ain’t your grandpa’s econobox. I’d bet many quicklube weenies just say “eff-it” and let it roll with only an oil change.

ASE

... agree ... but I have found that the oil filter housing is not "hammered on" ... the issue is the difference in thermal expansion between the glass-filled plastic housing and the aluminum receiver on the engine side ... where after 5,000 ++ miles of thermal cycles ... it becomes impossible to remove. Replacing the oil filter housing with an aluminum version solved this for me ... on multiple GX's, 4-Runners and an FJ Cruiser. At least if the aluminum housing requires mucho torque for removal ... it's not going to break.

texas008

Actually I've just started a new maintenance schedule, ie., oil change every 5k miles and oil filter change every 10k miles.
Since the filter element is still in great shape after 5k miles.
Oil change without filter change can be done in 3 minutes, no need to lift up.