The Matco Tools Toyota/Lexus Oil Filter Kit, No. OFKTOY, services Toyota and Lexus oil filters with all size coverage and a drain hose. Designed to be long-lasting, the kit is composed of high-strength chrome vanadium with 1/2” square and 15/16” hex drives. It comes with a usage guide to determine the size to use by vehicle model.
The review
Technicians are always looking for versatile, convenient tools to help them with repairs. According to Lou Fort, lead technician at Huntingburg, Ind.-based K.A.R.S., Inc., the Matco Tools Toyota/Lexus Oil Filter Kit, No. OFKTOY, proved itself to be up for the job.
Fort employed the filter tools in the kit to conduct oil changes on a variety of Toyota and Lexus vehicles, and he was quite pleased with how they performed. He also appreciated the fact that they could be used with either a 1/2” square drive or 24mm hex.
“I liked having the dual drive options on the filter sockets,” explains Fort. “Some may find the sockets identifying markings a nice feature. They are both bold and easy to see even when they are a bit dirty. The three end cap sockets have provided a solid grip on a wide variety of filter brands. Unlike with my old end cap tools, I have yet to fear one of these, from Matco, rounding a filter during removal.”
The kit came in a blow molded case wrapped in shrinkwrap inside a cardboard sleeve. According to Fort, the sleeve featured a picture of what was contained inside and called out the dual drive options. In addition, there was a pamphlet located inside the box offering a comprehensive vehicle-to-tool listing.
“This pamphlet is useful when one isn’t sure which tool will be needed to service a particular model Toyota or Lexus,” says Fort. “It also explains how to use the filter housing drain adapter in the kit.”
Fort currently owns end cap sockets and a drain hose, but none of the filter sockets he has utilized in the past are made of chrome vanadium. Furthermore, his older, less expensive sockets do not fit filters as snug as the ones offered in the Matco kit.
Also, Fort says using the tools in the kit required no set-up time, so long as the technician did not need to look up the filter necessary for the vehicle being serviced. However, he says it did offer some potential time-savings.
“Having this kit may save some time doing service by simply having all of the filter tools in one place,” Fort explains. “But a well-organized, well-educated and well-equipped tech may not see any time savings outside of having to assemble their own kit one tool at a time.”
After testing the kit for some time, Fort says he could think of only one potential addition.
“How about adding an apron attachment with a port for the drain hose to carry away the oil?” he asks. “One would think that with having the 24mm hex on all the sockets, this could be done with ease.”
Other than the one potential improvement, though, Fort says he had no additional questions or concerns related to the Matco Tools Toyota/Lexus Oil Filter Kit, No. OFKTOY, and adds that he greatly appreciates both its versatility and performance.
“For both the convenience of having all filter options covered in one kit and the high quality of each tool in the kit,” he says.
