10k Service. Dealer or no Deal?

2023 TRD OR V6 Auto

Purchased 2/23 and only now getting to 10K miles (yes, I drive the truck very little - I have a small DD for wear and tear). So I'm out of the 2 year Toyota Care window.

Q: Do I need to take to a dealer to preserve the powertrain warranty? Reason I ask is because I was very unhappy with the local dealer for the 5K check (Keyes Toyota in Van Nuys). Faceless Tech was sloppy and I hate sloppy mechanics.

If there were a Los Angeles area (SFV) Toyota dealer service dept that's trusted, I'd have no issue taking it there.

If I don't have to take to dealer, I'll take to an independent so I have the maintenance schedule receipt.

Rear axle recall was done at 5K service

FWIW, I've done 4 oil changes in this time, myself, using TGMO and Toyo filter.

TIA for any insights.

 

You can create a MyToyota account and add a service record.

https://support.toyota.com/s/article/How-do-I-add-a-servic-7558?language=en_US

 

10k miles with 4 oil changes already?

 

Change your oil and call it a day. You don't have to let the dealer do your maintenance to preserve warranty!

 

You should be changing your oil no matter what the mileage at least once a year. I do twice yearly on my vehicles, which usually works out to 5-6k miles per oil change.

 

10k? You're over thinking this, the truck is not a delicate flower. Skipping a cabin air filter change and tire rotation isnt going to void the warranty

If you're really worried save your oil change receipts

 

Open the Toyota account and add in all the work. Changing engine and cabin filters is always a good idea. Look at the maintenance schedule that others have posted.

 

One of the things you have to remember is you will very rarely have a “Toyota technician”, as in a mechanic, do the simple free oil changes or even one you are paying for. Some, including the one near me, have “oil change techs” or “lube techs” that do those and tire rotations like an assembly line to get them out the door.

I potentially could have gotten into a major accident at the hands of one of these guys after a “free” oil change and rotation and my truck as a result has never seen the dealer again to this day. After getting home I noticed one of my lug nuts missing and all of the rest of them on my left front barely tightened. Could have easily lost that tire and killed myself or someone else because the lube tech simply forgot to tighten the lug nuts after rotating the tires.

There is absolute no requirement that a dealer has to maintain your truck to keep your warranty. Do it yourself if you can, nobody will put the attention to detail that its done right on your truck as much as you will.

 

If you don't like dealer service departments and don't want to do the work yourself you can schedule work here,

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/superdaves-lift-installs-mechanic-service.682299/

 

For your main question concerning the powertrain warranty the answer is no, you do not need dealer service to maintain that warranty.

I do all my own stuff and don't document a single thing. Just got warranty work approved this morning with 2 months and 5k miles left on the powertrain warranty.

 

No

 

You should have a "Maintenance Schedule booklet" with your owner's manual If you don't you can request one from Toyota, or just download it from the Toyota website. But this forum has what you may need in here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-maintenance-maps-get-300k-miles.789809/

As other posters have said, register your truck by VIN number at the Toyota website. Once you do that you should be able to find the first maintenance history done by the dealership when they sold the truck to you. Also, you can create your own maintenance history or register any maintenance you or any other shop performs. Just make sure that you or the shop's mechanic uses Toyota engine oil filters, and at least Toyota recommended oil blends. I only use Toyota engine oil and filters for your wife's 2023 Tacoma that's still under Toyota Care.

The Toyota engine oil filters are inexpensive, while the

$52 0W-20 oil Toyota/ exxon mobil Case of 6 Quarts Full Synthetic TGMO SN 0W-20 Oil

0W-20 oil is more expensive since it is sold by the "quart" instead of 5-quart jugs. In this case, I pay around $8.00 a quart x 7 quarts in Fairbanks. The book shows 6.20 quarts of oil for an oil and filter change, so I buy 7 quarters for the first oil & filter change, and save the remaining oil in the 7th quart, for the next oil & filter change.

I forgot to mention the following: I know of at least one shop in Fairbanks, Alaska that performs the Toyota recommended maintenance, and follow the Toyota guidelines for parts and service. I just save the paperwork and register all the maintenance not performed at the dealership.

 

Costco currently has $8 dollars off 6 quarts of Mobil 1 0w-20 through 6/8/2025.

https://www.costco.com/mobil-1-adva...l-0w-20,-1-quart6-pack.product.100169812.html

 

Terrific advice. Thanks, everyone!