Keeping Your 3Gen For A Long Time?

You got it. And I'm getting to where I'm closer and closer to old here.
What we knew then when I started to drive may have changed some because oils are not the same. Cars are actually built to higher tolerances for efficiency more than in the past. I believe that these new oils can last 10,000 miles or a year. You have to meet up with the normal use requirements and few of the things that are severe service though.

I'm not going to judge anyones reasons for doing more maintenance than the minimum. It's yours do what makes you feel good about vehicle care. Oil last I checked was still cheaper than a new engine.

 

I getcha' ... A lot of it for me was 79'-80' with my then GF/Still current wife ... In my 66' Dodge Surfer Van ... Going through either Malibu or Topanga Cyn, up PCH to have lunch at Neptune's Net (I wonder if it's still there?) cranking the tunes on the cassette deck.
Spending the rest of the day at County Line or Zuma.
Those days are absolutely irreplaceable.

 

But doesn't technology change over time , requiring you to keep up to date and informed with the correct maintenance and repair procedures? Like advances in machining and manufacturing of engine parts which no loner necessitate you to "warm her up first".

It would be akin to you telling your grandfather about internal combustion engines and how much better cars are vs his horse. He would laugh at you and say "I have been hauling people & things just fine with my horse I don't need you telling me about these expensive mechanical things that need oil and gas all the time". Similarly with me , when I tell my grandkids about proper car maintenance like changing fluids and rotating tires they will say "no need , we have self driving electric pods , you should look into it old man".

 

Why yes, technology changes. But, today cars are really motorized computer controlled systems.

Oh, that’s right I retired from a field that used computer controlled equipment.

In other world I have the old school knowledge and skills backed by having knowledge of computer controlled systems.

 

LOL! (Geezer here) ...
When I was in high school (71'-74') we used to have a thing called 'Auto shop' that no male with any kind of self-respect didn't take for 2-3 years as an elective class. (I haven't seen 'Auto Shop' in any local HS here in... 20 years or more .. I have zero idea if it's even still a thing..)
When I bought my 1st car in HS ... My dad told me 'Hey .. YOU bought that hunk of junk ... You better learn how to work on it..'
(Not that he didn't have the knowledge, but he was not gonna do anything for me, other than 'Son .. Here, do it this way..' Advice')
Keep in mind, this was back in the days of points/condenser .. Setting yer own timing .. Knowing how to adjust carbs with a vacuum gauge/tach/timing light etc. .... Having to actually adjust valve lash every so often and learning to 'get the feel' with feeler gauges and getting it just right ...
Back when a 'tune-up' was actually a lot of different things/work and a whole afternoon in the garage.
I can still remember my 1st day (10th grade) in Auto Shop and the teacher saying 'I'm gonna piss a lot of you off.... All you kids want to learn What Makes It Go ... But because it's waaaay more important ... We're gonna start with What Makes you STOP ..'
We spent two weeks learning the braking system. And this was when drum brakes all the way around was pretty much The Norm. Disc brakes were pretty much at the time 'What IS this weird magic??!!' thing .. LOL!

 

That's a good attitude to have ....
Even if you don't plan of having a rig for 20-25+ years with the wheels falling off, there is zero reason to NOT treat it like you will.
Especially as ... The very first Brand New rig you ever buy? .... It will always hold a special place in yer heart. 'Corny' I know, but true.

 

Im guessing the new tundra will make the taco look silly. Size for offroading and for those who cannot handle parking will be the tacomas only advantage.

 

I spent a few hours last week going thru the owners manual on my 2.7

Basically just 10k oil and filter changes up to 120k. Then new plugs just because it's mandated by emission laws. The V6 requires plugs every 60k then an air pump at 120k. Of course this includes driveline maintenance every 10k, as required, depending on operating conditions. I don't remember seeing anything related to break-in period in the book. The 2.7 is as maintenance free as it gets.

I have never kept a car long enough to see the benefits of a proper break-in but I do know that my purchased new Subaru Outback was burning oil and occasionally emitting blue smoke at 59k miles. Due to the circumstances at the time I only able to put about 40 miles on it properly before taking it on a 18 hour drive across half the country. Maybe that's why it was burning oil 59k miles later, maybe it was normal Subaru, maybe it was the PCV, or maybe it was because 0W20 was too light for the hot southern heat. Who knows. I just know I'll probably sell my Taco before I see any negative effects of an improper break-in period. I might keep this thing for 10 years but probably won't see above 100k miles.

 

Planned on keeping my 2014 dcsb for a long time until a 17 year old with no driver’s license decided to rear end me at 50 mph. I love the 2017 that replaced it and have plans to drive it for many years, but I’m realistic and know that it’s a material thing that can be taken in the blink of an eye. Enjoy it while you have it and take nothing for granted!

 

Didnt watch the video yet, but I plan to keep mine for at least 10-15 years. I do all the fluids myself and use severe use service intervals.

 

He lost me a “ break in period”.

 

Modern tech trends toward increased complexity, though. A comprehensive auto shop class these days would have to involve some level of programming, no? I think the last vehicle I had that lacked a complex ECU was my ‘98 pickup. It’s likely in ten years most cars will be shifting heavily toward hybrids and electrics, and so auto shop will be either more of a retro/project/hacking sort of class, or be very engaged with computer-assisted diagnostics. Which is a sort of ‘wizardry’ too!

 

This toyota tech can say what he wants, but i've done consistent 20k yearly engine oil changes with mobil 1 synthetic for my 2001 tundra 4.7 v8 for 19 years. Truck is still running fine today with another owner with over 300k miles. Only thing i did different was my first oil change at 1000 miles. Everything else is spot on.

 

I loved the "auto shop" in highschool. Was my favorite class. Learned quite a few things. I bought my first vehicle in highschool which was 1990 mazda b2200 AC 5 spd, which i loved. Took that truck to class and learned how to do oil changes, and simple maintenance, was great fun. For the first time i saw what happens if you open the rad cap while its still hot, dude opened it and hot coolant went all over his face, he then ran and submerged his head inside the bucket that was near by. I felt bad for him.

The teacher was a veteran and drove 1990 manual escort wagon. That car is probably still on the road today, haha!

 

I’m sure you’re right. Being small enough take four-wheeling is one of the things I like about my Taco. Over New Year’s my GF and I did some four-wheeling in AZ with my Taco and we both agreed that neither of us would have felt comfortable taking a full-size to the same places.

 

define a long distance? My work is 30 miles away from home. The trip I am planning on taking (truck was delayed by months from the factory so I had no idea it was going to land the week after I get my truck) is 200 miles away up to the mountains. Or is it talking about a 1000 mile road trip. For something he stresses this much, this advice seems pretty vague.

 

My H.S. didn’t offer Auto Shop so I took two semesters of it when I went to college. It helped me learn a lot in a short-period of time.

My GF has a 15 year old who’s H.S. actually still offers Autoshop! I’m trying convince him that he should take a class, sort of a moot point right now though since his classes are all virtual right now.

 

tacomas are beauty for that indeed!

 

Nobody has ever, ever regretted doing too much maintenance. Ever.
But that's just me...

 

It's already in my Will.....