50,000 mile service

Dealer is telling me to change the front and rear differentials, transfer case and check the tranny fluid and possibly flush if needed. I do 95% highway miles with 50K on the vehicle now, do you guys think its necessary to change my differentials and transfer case, I have only used 4x4 at short intervals. Also, I asked the service manager a while back if there was a transmission dipstick and he said no, it was some sort of lifetime long lasting tranny fluid, why would at 50K miles they need to change the fluid and how do they even check it without a dipstick?? Service is $450 and $160 for a tranny flush if needed, seems a little steep to me. This in Cental Maine on an 07 tacoma 4x4. They are also telling me to do this kind of servicing at every 30K miles. I do 45K miles a year. Its been a great truck so far without this service done. Seems to me you need to babysit these newer vehicles like 2 year olds, always going in for check ups... What do you guys think... Thanks

 

I have an 06 with 36,000 miles and was thinking the same thing, sounds like you have a 6 speed ? Which has no "fluid" but kind of like a gear oil. This is what I am thinking ; Brand gears with sharp edges, they wear off and put particles in the suspended oils, hence causing aggressive wear on the main body of parts, once they are removed, you should have relatively particle-free oil and life long happiness, on the other hand I have spoke to many owners of these trucks with hundreds of thousands of miles and have never done anything but basic maintenance. They have never cracked a diff case, more or less changed the oil on a regular schedule. These trucks are "abused" from recommendations from any service bay, yet they tool along as if right from the showroom. I have never done this to any of the trucks I've owned, I broke rear ends, but it wasn't because I didn't change the fluid. Knowing that nothing is as good as once before, major industry must cut corners, quality always suffers, but to what degree ? I am thinking of having it done just this once, and never looking back, it is a lot of money.

 

Toyota Recommended 50,000 mile service

You can look up the recommended services for any mileage on that site.

I would go ahead and do the differentials because if you have not changed the oil in them you still have the break in wear particles in there. But, like phantom, I am an old fogey and would err on the side of caution.

These new transmissions with the extended life fluid do not have much history to go on. If it was under warranty for 100,000 miles I would say let it go, but they seal it and tell you it can go 100,000 and the factory warranty is 36,000. You be the judge.

 

Looks like on my 09 they put this service off to 60,000 miles.

 

i did mine my self at 50,000......new oils in pigs amsoil severe gear and in transfer too........new air filter new denso plugs new radiator fluid greased all the joints......i had toyota do the transmissioon fluid tho i forgot

 

I paid $340 for my 30K service. It was done late at 42K right after I bought the truck. I saw the plugs that came out of it, and they definitely needed changed. They also drained and filled the trans, transfercase, and both diffs lubed the driveshafts, and changed engine oil and filter. I didn't see the gear oil that came out but I was told it all looked good still, no major wear particles in the oil. Pretty sure it was all original fluids. My old Toyota truck was an 86 and it had magnetic plugs on the trans and transfercase and I think the diffs as well.

Yes, it was a lot of money. Yes, it might not have needed to be done. But if the OP did this once a year, every 45K, I think it would be money well spent. Just from reading this board, a rear axle seems to cost 1000 bucks, transmission I am just guessing, but probably 3,000 plus. One guy on here that has needed a new engine spent over 2,000 for a USED engine that he put in himself. I was taught that "oil is cheap, metal is expensive". That's not quite as true as it used to be, but I think the saying still works well.