I have had my Camry since Sep. of 10'. I have the free 2 yr service plan as well. It may seem that the oil change interval is long, but quality synthetic oil and following the recommendations of the manufacturer are a no lose situation. Sure if you plan on keeping the car forever, after the 25,000 mile agreement is up you can change more frequently if you desire. I seriously doubt that any of us on here are going to drive the car hard enough to warrant changing the oil at a 3,000 mile interval. It follows also that if you operate under the conditions provided by the warranty, then either way you’re covered. (Ideal world, yada yada yada).

I worked in the quick lube industry for a few years and saw how they operate. (They = the Lube shop companies and Big Oil). I think that Toyota is a genius when it comes to the marketing side of things. They want you to know that you are buying a reliable, dependable car. They want you to know that you are getting great value for the money. Even with the recent debacle surrounding the un-intentional acceleration problems, they want the public to feel safe and sound in their new Toyota. So they step up and say, "Hey! For the next 2 yrs or 25,000 miles I'll take care of the service for you!" Not only does this give the perspective customer a warm fuzz feeling, it cuts down the overall cost of owning the car for the first two years and, by letting Toyota do the service if an issue does arise they can fix it immediately at the prescribed interval and respond to any recall that may occur...

That being said, 25,000 miles at a 10,000 mile oil change interval is only two oil changes, and three inspection and tire rotation services… Once again, smart thinking on Toyotas part. First you keep parts costs down. Second the inspection services give you opportunities to service any issues that arise, and the tire rotation inspection is almost no cost on parts and super low overhead on labor. Lastly, if the car feels like it’s not so new or not so fresh near the end of it’s 25,000 mile service plan, the customer is about halfway through the finance plan and is in the showroom looking at new Toyotas while he/she waits……….. Dunh, Dunh, Dunh!!!! LOL!

 

I own a 2011 Camry SE 4 cyl. This is the fifth Camry I have owned starting in 1984. In addition, I have also owned a Corolla and now also own a 4 Runner as well. I have always performed a substantial part of my own maintenance. My last Camry has 296,000 miles on it on the way to a half million when it was taken due to flood waters. I am more than a little disappointed in this Camry for one simple reason. Toyota has elected to put a canister-less oil filter on the 2011 4-cylinder Camry. Not a bad idea, except for the design on the cap. The proprietary design and plastic material makes the use of an aftermarket wrench impossible. Toyota wants $60 for the specialized tool when similarly designed ones at auto parts stores cost $6. This is the kind of cheap trick that I would expect out of GM. In fact, it was this sort of thing that sent me away from GM to Toyota to begin with. I have always appreciated Toyota's seeming commitment to provide ease of maintenance. This one item, although seemingly trivial, seems like a cheap, underhanded trick and to me implies an attitude that Toyota no longer cares for its customers. SHAME ON YOU TOYOTA - YOU USED TO BE BETTER THAN THIS.

 

Settle down. I got a cast alum filter socket at autozone for $11. They have a pro line of tools. Ask for it. Yes, it is not chrome plated cast steel like the Toyota part but it is a nice piece.

 

Toyota states the filter change was for environmental purposes.