Air cleaner’s plastic bottom box available anywhere other than Toyota dealer?
Now tightly closed with a rope tied around the two halves.
Wal-Mart was doing a courtesy check of the air filter. I did not ask for it. I change the air filter myself after vacuuming the box out and using a wet wash cloth to thoroughly clean all the interior surfaces.
Buy the Mobil 1 0W-20 oil and Fram oil filter at Wal-Mart and they do the oil change for $8.54 !
Purchased April, 2015, Camry now at 140k miles.
I will try. Did not discover the problem for 6 days until the weekly vehicle inspections done while listening to Cah Tahk. Thought they just reattached the cover incorrectly until discovering the lower box “latches” are broken off. As Gomer would say: “Surprise, surprise!”
The advantage of purchasing a Camry is since it sells in huge numbers, there are a lot of spare parts like this from wrecked Camry’s available and waiting. Ebay, Craigslist are options . What I’d probably do if I had this problem is visit an auto recycling yard or the local Pick and Pull and grab me one from a wreck. Those places can tell you all the models, years that have the same air filter box, so for example you might be able to get one from a wrecked Rav 4 or Corolla too.
It might be possible to fix the existing one too, by removing it from the engine compartment, you might be able to come up with a solution involving some JB Weld.
^ Thank you. The pieces broken off were probably on the floor at Wal-Mart.
Will try to find a junk yard, (I mean, auto recycling center) which has Camrys. Would be nice if other Toyota models have the same air cleaner box.
Be my luck to be in a Pick & Pull when a hospital calls for an emergency transport.
They always wait for me to be in the shower covered in shampoo or in the attic adding fiberglass insulation when they call.
I will try. But they may claim I broke it. But my wife held the flashlight when I last replaced the air filter in a Wal-Mart parking lot as we.returning from a 530-mile round trip bloodelivery.
My fire chief said "Why do things the easy way when you can do them the hard way?"
He also complimented when I was carrying heavy items in one trip.
“Robert, you’re strong as an ox and twice as smart!”
Why not just order it from the dealer and be done with it?
The MSRP for the air cleaner body is $136.54, the sales tax on this is more than the labor for the oil change.
I find broken air cleaners on vehicles that are normally serviced at cheap aftermarket shops, this doesn’t happen to our regular customers. Those guys are using air tools on the plastic air cleaner box and breaking them.
You can expect them to look for up-sells, nobody can make a living changing oil for $8.50.
I hope you will be changing the oil yourself from now on.
Why on earth would anyone think that paying $8 for an oil change is a good deal for either party?
If something sounds too good to be true it probably is. If you saw a sign advertising a prime rib dinner for $5 would you complain if the meat was tough or would you figure you just got the quality you were willing to pay for?
You’re not going to get a good dinner for $5 and you’re not going to get a quality oil change service for $8.
I would simply replace the lower housing with a new or good used part and never buy anything at that store again.
As an aside, I was in the job market recently, ran across an ad from WalMart looking for techs and service writers for their auto centers. Pay was in the $12-$15 an hour range. If the pay at a place is in the toilet, then so is the quality of the product.
I’ll say something, and some of you may disagree . . .
Toyota has had some problems with their air filter housings. The bolts shear off, and the plastic breaks. This has been going on for a few years now
It really doesn’t have anything to do with “cheap aftermarket shops” . . . but more with the design of the air filter housing and possibly the hardware
This problem is common with Toyotas, less so with other brands, IMO
It is quit possible the plastic was weak and on the verge of breaking, anyways. Quite possibly this could not have been prevented
There are some design weaknesses, meaning they are quite likely to occur, even if you’re careful
^ I have called several Toyota dealers asking if they have a problem withis. They say “No”.
But I did have difficulty with inserting the top box’s tabs to the point that I cleaned them off and considered silicone spraying them to lubricate them.
Wife and I used a flashlight to check that everything was correct. Two tabs on left side of air cleaner box. Two metal clips on the right side. No screws or bolts.
