30,000 miles Service Cost... $996.00?

It's just me. My dealer, who has been really good with the ToyotaCare stuff, has online scheduling, but they are always filled up pretty well and I'd rather be at home after work instead of waiting an hour or so in the lounge. Of course, it takes me at least that long, but I'm home with the good stuff.

 

Eh. I drive a lot, almost 30k miles a year, and for me it’s still only 3 oil changes a year. I’m happy to let the dealer deal with the skid plate and cartridge filter and rotate the tires for $40-50 more than I can buy the parts and oil for.

I did my own gear oil change because I wanted to put Amsoil severe gear 75w90 in and my dealer wanted like $250 for the service.

As far as @colin_tacoma , the dealer is trying to get you to do a bunch of extra crap to make money. I’d consider the brake fluid flush though, since you have a 2016 that means the fluid is at least 3 years old and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get fresh fluid in.

 

Me too. I need to get full skids and sliders. I hit something hard the other day, right on the cross member.

 

I second this. They overtorqued the f out of my oil filter canister. im amazed it didnt strip out based on tight it was

 

I change out brake fluid every 2 years on all my cars. The heat causes the fluid to boil and fluid is compromised. It’s cheap insurance, DIY or $150 is fair price at dealership.

 

What's the best way? Just top it off and crack bleeder?

 

Good for you! Home is always best! I actually did not buy the truck at the dealership I use for service - since I travel, I shopped to find the best deal I could, but the service dealer I use is also fairly busy but they are very accommodating (if I'm in the area and have forgot to schedule an appointment . I have little free time, 3 teenagers and we have a horse farm...so if I'm doing anything at home it is usually on (or to) a tractor. Enjoy and good for on enjoying the home life.

 

You want to purge all the brake fluid. Open the bleeder and pump brakes until fluid empties. I then use a C clamp to compress each caliper. Then add fluid and have someone pumping brakes to eliminate any air trapped in the lines. It’s really easy, brake fluid is cheap, no reason not to do it. You will notice a firmer brake pedal. Think about how hot the brakes get, that heat is transferred into the fluid, gets boiled over time. $7.42 for genuine Toyota fluid. A Venti Starbucks latte cost the same.

 

Yeah. The dealer I bought mine from is not the closest, but I still used them for TC. I've heard a few stories about my local one, and they weren't too helpful when I was looking (tried to push something I didn't want).

I got two teenagers myself. We just got the oldest an old Mazda3 that I am learning about. The wife's Subaru will be off the dealer maint plan soon also. I am going to be busier and looking forward to it.

We don't have any animals for that reason, but damn, I have finally convince the rest of the fam that we need to get out of suburbia and get enough space to stretch out without seeing the neighbors. We both grew up enjoying lawntractors, had room to roam, and such.

 

Sorry, but that is literally the worst method of bleeding brakes, esp on ABS vehicles. You are right that the fluid gets cooked, but only in the calipers / drums and partially exposed to moist air in the reservoir. So, suck out the reservoir and replace with fresh. Then, work your way toward the master starting at the right rear and bleeding until clear, bubble free fluid flows.

If it works for you, that is great, but no matter how bad the fluid is, it will always be better and safer than air.

 

To those in the know....
Can they deny warranty on a reccomended maintenance item if you don't have it serviced?
Say you don't do the EFI service and 5,000 miles later the fuel rail shits out.

 

Either way will work. Im adding fluid as a second person pumps brakes. Fluid and any air leaves through the bleeder and I’m topping off brake fluid as I go. Eventually the air is flushed out with the initial fluid. Yes I start from the furthest brake from master cylinder

 

I'm older and need lots of space, though we actually live in a subdivision - but it is all (12 I think) property owners bordering a river...I can shoot all my guns (including Ar15s) in 3 directions of my home and not worry about hitting anything 9assuming I know where the horses are)...can't handle the suburbs (LOL).

 

That's my kind of neighborhood. We were at least happy with the current place for several years, but it closed in as our kids grew up. This is nice area ruined by too many people and bad planning / permitting.

In the end, it is our fault and we'll fix it.

 

Great for you - my wife always reminds us that "contentment is a choice'...we are so blessed to have a family to provide for and watch over.

 

Definitely. We forgot that for a while and realized that we were only trapping ourselves.

 

Holy crap, where do you live, those guys are fucking you.

 

My 30k service interval was free (yeah, prepaid actually), so why are they charging people twice??!

 

They always gonna try...........

 

I believe brake fluid is hydroscopic and will attract water which compromises its ability to handle heat. The heat cycles also degrades the fluid over time.

I change the fluid in our vehicles every other year. It's cheap insurance. I use a vacuum pump and can and pull all the old fluid out and new fluid through and into a catch can. You can by a mity-vac that has all the stuff to do it but it will wear your hand out. You can buy an electric vacuum pump or a air compressor driven one that will work much better. I have a compressed air vacuum pump from Harbor Freight that works great. I added a vacuum gauge to the vac side to see that it has pulled the line fully down before cracking the bleeder. I added a ball valve on the compressor side to control the action of the pump. Works great and I paid about $20.00 for the pump. I usually pull the reservoir fluid out with a suction bulb instead of pulling it all through the lines. I pull down the lines then begin refilling. If the reservoir has contamination in it, I'll pull it and clean it out. The way I do it means it can be done with only one person. Watch your fluid level so you don't pull air into the system. I also would normally do this in conjunction with a brake job. If you are not also doing a brake job, be mindful of your fluid level. For example, if your brakes are halfway through their service life and you change your fluid only and bring it to the top of the top of the fluid capacity level. Later, you change the brakes and while compressing the calipers or rear slave cylinders, the fluid you push back through the system will end up in the reservoir. That may result in spillage or a surprise when you open the master cylinder reservoir cap. Brake fluid eats paint, so there is that too.

It's an easy job to do, just be mindful of the whole system and what's going on throughout. Most automotive work, especially maintenance is not brain surgery and within the skill set of the average guy. I don't take our vehicles in to the dealer for anything other than a warranty issue. With the Toyota Care thing, this is the first car I've ever had that I haven't done all the maintenance/repair. Once that's done I'll take it over. If you want to find out what to service, look up the factory recommended service schedule. Dealers like to add on their own services to enhance the cost of a 30K or whatever service. Many times those add-ons are fluff or not necessary. Dealership overhead is high, add-ons are how they put more money in the register. I prefer to keep my money in my pocket and to know exactly how the work was done.