Are you guys doing the 15K, 30K etc service?

Any honest mechanics out there can shed some light on the service.

 

If you're asking if I will take it in for those intervals, then yes.

If you are asking if I am a mechanic and what I do during those intervals, then I can't answer you.

 

when i had my 06 prerunner, yes.....i was doing those intervals, along with every 5k miles changing oil and rototaing tires. as well as the 04 that i have now.....i will continue to do it as needed...........good insurance and peace of mind...........plus, i like working on stuff.

most of the stuff is really easy as pie, but the dealer ship charges you way too much to do it there, when its mostly basic stuff, and alot of it is just looking over things(which i highly doubt that they do in the first place!!). the biggie.........like 90k, where you need timing belt(where applicable), i'll be letting someone else do that for me......i have done timing belts, and they aint the funnest thing in the world to do, but the rest.............i'll do it all.

 

You do the tire rotation yourself? Is it as easy as switching from side to side and front to back? Or is it more complicated requiring some degree of competence at such a thing? I'm going to be doing the oil this weekend and need to have tires rotated.

 

yeah man, usually, i just go front to back, then maybe the next one, i'll criss cross the back to the front, and move the fronts straight back. its ok to just go from front to back though. and make sure you torque them to the right torque value......it makes a bit of a difference....well, to me anyway.

 

What is the right torque value?

 

im pretty sure for the lugs on your truck, its 87ft.lbs.

 

Cool, I'm off to get a torque wrench...

 

get one of the great neck 1/2 inch torque wrenches from autozone......$25 and they work great, plus they are reversible!! just a tip!!

 

I'll be doing all the service to my truck that it needs unless it is something very major like a repair is needed, it's under warranty. As far as oil changes and tire rotation, I do the oil myself and was having NTB do the rotation and balance but they can't balance my tires. Toyota recommends tire rotation every 5K but the dealer mechanics said to only balance them every 25K or so.

Marking the maintenance log sheet and Toyota log book as I go along saving the receipts where I purchased the oil and filter. All that is left on those intervals is making sure the propeller bolts are torqued down and that is easy enough to do. As far as ALL the other stuff listed for heavy use or dusty use, just look at the items listed and check them off as the Dealership would do.

Supposdely there are NO mandatory requirments that the truck be looked at by Toyota mechanics at these intervals that I know of. If I am wrong someone please correct me.

 

you are correct....toyota doesnt hae to service any of the truck to keep it in warranty.....just keep on keeping the receipts like you do and all is well.

 

I do everything myself and I will be doing the same all throughout my ownership of this truck.

 

1. tire rotation is explained in the manual with a nice intuitive picture.
2. Note that there are vast differences in quality of torque wrenches. the beam type aren't that great, the ones that have the twist handles are the ones I like, the electronic ones are for people with money to burn. If you are going so far as to get the ones that look like impact drills, you better be in nascar.
   Try craigslist for some good deals, I've seen some very nice Snap-on for sub-$100 prices.
   Note that these are just quick image examples. The one I'm used to using is a twist handle Craftsman back when they were all metal construction, but it finally broke after... 15 years? of service. Probably was out of calibration by that point anyway!
   Don't use your torque wrench for anything but the final touches. It is possible to overtighten even with a torque wrench, so don't push anymore than the torque needs to signal the correct ft/lbs. Make sure to reduce the tension when you are done - this keeps the tool from wearing out.
3. By God, make sure to block off your wheels, use jack stands, and be careful. Too many people have vehicles smash them. A friend of the family, a mechanic, died when a jack gave out on him when he was underneath.
4. test out your alignment when you are done

Really, it's one of the easiest things to do. The tool's a bit spendy, but get a good one and it will last for a very long time.

 

nice write up!! i dont like the beam type torque wrenches either.....they dont do that great of a job for accuracy. i have 2 of the twist handle type....one from napa,one from autozone....both pretty close to straight on accuracy, and both have reverse.

 

Does anybody have a list of the stuff that needs to get done on the 15k and 25k service?

 

hey klown.....basically, those are just oil and filter change, with the 15k, as far as the dealer is concerned, adjusting rear brakes, and top engine fuel cleaning.....which isnt really needed at 15k...maybe adj the rear brakes, but not throttle body cleaning....not yet anyway. the next biggie, and the dealer will charge alot is the 30k......that one is the normal, plus spark plugs(on the v6) and new diff oil.

 

Thanks dude! That's what I needed to know, I just repped you for this very informative post.

 

sweet!!

 

Did Sears replace it for free?