Power steering fluid change? Coolant change?

Hello!

I have a 2010 Toyota Tacoma V6 Access Cab TRD Manual truck with 108,000KM on it.

I recently took my truck in to be serviced and have a couple of questions:

1) I have a 1" spacer on the rear and had the leaf springs replaced due to warranty. Toyota charged me $200 for the warranty because my truck was "modified". Apparently the spacer means they have to torch off the old U-Bolts and it adds "way" more work. Is this normal?
2) The service person tried to add a power steering fluid change and a coolant fluid change. I asked if this was in the toyota recommended maintenance schedule and she said yes. I then said "I recall this being asked last time and it was not on the maintenance schedule. Has something changed?" She changed her answer to "we highly recommend doing this because your truck definitely needs it" I stated: "Please do what is on the maintenance schedule". Should I be changing those fluids? It seemed like a sleezy sales pitch and it makes me not want to ever go back there. It was truly terrible and deceitful.

 

1) No, it's not normal. They ripped you off. Spacers don't add anymore work considering they're only removing the wheels to get more working room.
2) Coolant change I would recommend. 100k miles is on the Toyota recommend schedule. Power steering is one of those things that you can test yourself using a tester (purchase either online or auto parts store.) Power steering fluid can go bad at various intervals.

 

1) The lift block means the U-bolts were not factory. Aftermarket U-bolts may have subpar corrosion protection, and the nuts may be seized in place. Common way to deal with seized nuts is to torch them until red, then rattle them off with an impact wrench. It doesn't take an extra hour and half to do, though.
2) Coolant life is about 6 years in the Canadian maintenance booklet. Power steering fluid is just common Dexron III transmission fluid (which is not used in the Taco's transmission); typical life is 5-6 years. I bought a $6 bottle of DIII fluid from the dealer and changed it myself using a suction gun.

 

Thank you both for your input! I will take it to someone else for the next scheduled service (June 2017) and get the work done there. Any suggestions for Victoria, BC?