45,000 mile checkup

Gents, I just had my 45K mile "service" and I'm curious to know if you guys have gotten the same responses that I did:

Change Power Steering Fluid
Change Brake Fluid
Battery Cable Corrosion - Need replacement

I declined all these, but I'm just curious if this is an actual thing that was recommended because of my truck, or a typical Toyota 45K "recommendation".

The corroded cables are legit, but I will handle that myself. I'd likely handle the others myself too, but I've never replaced PS fluid or Brake Fluid at what seems like such an early interval.

Your responses are appreciated!

Thanks

 

Tire rotation is all i belive. Im at 52k but do my own maint. Theres a maint book in your glove box that gives you a full run down of what toyota recomends.

Now the dealership will try to upsell you on everything they feel they can make money on. Ive got 10years in as an auto tech so trust me on that.

Ps flush is only when its filthy around 150k usually is a good time.

Trans is 100k (yes it will need flushed).

Brake fluid they are full of shit. Brake flushes are only needed if you blow a line, to remove any moisture that might get in there. Now this is only my opinion and there are other factors that can equate into this.

 

You should be okay letting it go longer but up to you. You can find tons of videos on YouTube to find out how to change the other fluids. Not as bad as you would think to do.

 

Does someone have a link/pdf to what every maintenance is supposed to do?

 

My opinion is that this would be mostly wasted money at 45K unless you have some really severe duty going on. These are 4-5year and 100K service items. That is when I would do them, anyway.

 

Heres what my dealer wanted me to do at 30K:

4 Hrs Labor
Basic Service 30k ($286.95)

check drivers mat
rotate tires
replace oil and filter
replace air filter
replace cabin filter
inspect coolant
inspect rack and pinon
inspect radiator
inspect brake lining and drums
inspect rotors and pads
inspect all fluid and replace
inspect wiper blades
multi-point inspection

Value Service 30k ($521.95)

all the above plus:

perform air refresh service
service battery and run midtronics test
install washer solvent (thought this was part of replenish all fluids, but no)
pressure wash engine compartment
check alignment specs

Premium Service 30k ($1107.95)

all of the above plus:

torque nuts and bolts
run health check and provide print out
preform brake fluid exchange
preform throttle body service
clean induction system
preform alignment

Now get this.....the service advisor “advised” that I needed the following at 30K in order to insure things worked correctly

brake fluid exchange....$189.95
alignment......$149.95
EFI check......$197.95
Throttle body service......189.95

I dont think so.......i’m sure i can do things myself with help from this forum and youtube......just do it yourself and keep records with receipts in case something happens......my 36month/36,000 mile warranty is coming up in august or earlier......wondering if I shroud look at extended warranty.....anybody know if I can get one at 31k and how much is will cost

 

Jeez, thats superrr expensive.

 

stealership rip-off to be sure

 

Costs me $50 in oil and filter and an hour out of my day to change oil and rotate the tires JS

 

yep....i got oil from Sam’s ($28).......filter from Toyota (19)........rotated tires myself and checked all fluids......only need the windshield washer fluid. have tried Toyota and others to include Rainex.......I like the Toyota better for some reason....seems to clean better and leave less residue.....air is free.....i can change all filters and check my own mat.....even if i have to replace all filters (cabin and air), that cost is still only about $45......i am saving lots of money and its easy to do.....like i said if i need help i just look here or to youtube

Edit: bought 5 OEM filters from E-Bay....$27 for 5 filters.....~$5 each...not bad

 

Ahh the "Notes" page. Missing those gaming days where they not only still came with "how to play" manuals, but also added a notes section in the back.

 

Ask them “what does the manual say?”

 

Brake fluid is hygroscopic. It will absorb water through rubber seals and hoses at average rate of about 2% per year. It is good practice to flush the brake system at least once every 5 years/50,000 miles to keep the moisture content down. Some cars with high tech anti-lock/traction control/stability control are recommending replacing the brake fluid every 2 years. If you keep the brake fluid clean you'll likely never have any hydraulic brake system problems for hundreds of thousands of miles.

I've rebuild some brake systems on cars that have never had the brake fluid changed for 10+ years and it always resulted in severe corrosion and pitting in the bores of the master cylinder and calipers/wheel cylinders.

 

"Most brake fluid is made of alcohol and absorbs moisture from the atmosphere. Moisture content will lower the boiling point of the fluid and increase corrosion to the system. This occurs 24 hours a day and whether the vehicle is driven or not. For this reason, time is a better indicator of when to change rather than miles.

Color is not a reliable indicator of moisture content. Some fluids that are clear may be contaminated and others that are dark may be okay. Brake fluid can be tested with a refractometer, to reveal it’s moisture content. Without such an instrument a good rule of thumb would be every two to three years and before any brake service."

Source: https://bit.ly/2Vao7fV

Ed

 

LOL I love the insanity of this "suggested" work. This is how I felt, though significantly less insulted since they only tried the fluids on me. I just have a hard time believing that a truck in California has water in the brake fluid after 45K miles, and the power steering fluid needs to be replaced. I'm actually interested in doing the PS fluid myself (never done that before), but the fact that they wanted $200 for it is comical.

They also want $840 labor to replace my shocks.

 

Seems like you would agree then, that it's a good time to change the brake fluid. 45k miles, truck is almost 3 years old.

 

Moral of the story: Strictly follow the owners manual recommendations and not the stealership. Also learn from basic write-ups here on TacomaWorld. Most of these services can be done in a driveway with minimal tools or experience. These trucks are extremely easy to maintain compared to a lot of other modern vehicles.

 

Yeah I made the mistake at my 3 year maintenance to just let the dealer do everything that that was recommended. When I saw the bill upon pickup, I almost blacked out. haha

It's absurd, you get charged for HOURS of labor, when the only thing that takes more than like 30 seconds to a minutes to complete is the oil change (which takes like 20-30 minutes) and maybe brake inspection.

 

I have a 2017 Tacoma off road 4x4. I also have 20s with 33s I’m have about 31k miles I wanted to know if I should change my transmission fluid? And what oils are we using out there I heard the Toyota oil is crappie.