Should I go by the schedule maintenance by toyota which includes oil, filter change and others stuff as well? See I can change the engine air filter which is easy and the cabin air filter as well my self. The basic service every 5k cost $89 which sounds a lot and more like a rip off. Other things they do is just check. http://lustinescion.com/displayServicePricing.asp

I can get my own toyota oil filter and my own oil and have it done else where.
The only one thing I see important in the intermediate service is the "Clean and adjust rear brakes."
I'm thinking of doing the intermediate service and the major one but not the basic.
I need opinions and good guidance here. I just bought my car 3 weeks ago. I the sales man told me that you will have 2 free oil change which is my basic service. 5k and 10k. Also I get 2 years free VA state inspection there.

If I take my car for service at other toyota dealer or else where the auto 4 life power train warranty will be void. Which is life time for my engine and tranny. Tho I don't really care since maybe I might move else where one day. Not sure this is worth it as well.

 

Yeah, big rip-off to tell you the truth.

Our cars need very little in terms of maintenance. What most of us do is take advantage of the two free services, then do our own maintenance afterwards.

I did my two services at 3500 and 7000 miles then did my own change at 10,000 miles and now do every 5k miles (10, 15, 20, etc...). I did my services early just because wear metals in the engine can be higher during the break-in period (0-15,000 miles roughly). Although not needed, I just feel more comfortable changing out a bit sooner to put some fresh oil in during this period.

Honestly, there is very little to do on our cars other then oil changes every 5k or so and tire rotation.

Oil changes you can do yourself for 1/3 of the price. Easy to do especially on our cars! Can get filters from the dealer for $4 or online from trdsparks.com for a good price. Then just get 4.5 quarts of oil and you are set. Usually costs me $28 or so per change myself, using synthetic oil. At a dealer, synthetics would prob cost $50+. Very smart (if you can) to do yourself and ensure it is done right! But if you just use conventional oil, you can do an oil change for $15-20 with filter and oil!

Brakes you can inspect yourself every rotation. Should last a solid 30,000-60,000 depending how hard you are on them. If you want to, you can do a brake "cleaning", just use a brake cleaner and just clean the rotors. Simple as that!

You *can* drain and refill your coolant at 60k/75k miles (they do say it is lifetime fluid). But it is good to do a simple drain and fill with toyota fluids if you can.

If your a manual, I believe you have to change your tranny fluid every 30k, automatics are probably good to drain and fill around 60k/75k. Just keep an eye on the color and smell of the tranny fluid to determine when you need to change it.

Spark plugs are NKG iridium's, good for 100k+ miles.

The air filter can easily do 30k. Just change yourself when the time comes! Buy the filter offline.

The cabin filters you can make yourself. It's very easily to access the cabin filter box to do the service. Just pop off the glove box (DIY's somewhere here) and there is a tray to open up. Just open and replace the filter inside. Can easily make your own from Filtrate AC Filters you buy at Home Depot. Comes in a big sheet and you can cut to size 6 filters or so for what, 15$? The dealer I have seen can charge 50$ for one. I would do this every 10k-15k miles or so as they get dirty and for so cheap you can ensure your air is clean and fresh! haha. Takes maybe two minutes to do it from start to finish, it's that easy!

You can easily check and top off brake fluid, windshield washer fluids, coolant when needed. Although rare (except washer fluid), good to inspect anytime your under the hood.

Lubricate hinges once a year and just do a general inspecting under the car when you do your changes.

Car is very low maintenance! Just stay away from pricey dealer inspections.

Hope this helps! If you have any questions just ask!

 

Thanks for the response, yea I will do it my self after the free oil change. I got one more question. My car has 950 miles on it, should I just change the oil that came with the car and start to use synthetic oil now. I'm planning on getting TRD oil filter so I can keep my oil up to 6000 miles.

 

I would do a change, but you might not want to switch to synthetics just yet. Some people believe you should leave conventional in until the major break-in period is completed. But really, it is all speculation. I would just use conventional at say 1,500 and 3,500 miles then switch to syn. at 5,000 and do every 5k after that.

Also, you don't need the TRD filter to go that long. Just use a standard toyota filter and you'll be fine. But also remember, for warranty purposes, don't go over 5k per change.

 

Let me add by saying: document every DIY maintenance you do on your car. Keep the receipts and log everything neatly in a book, or even on the Maintenance booklet that came with our cars. It serves as a handy reminder too.

With that, you will have no problem with proving how well you maintained it to Toyota/Scion (for warranty and such). Plus, it'll give you a bump up on the $$$ when you're ready to sell your car in the future.

 

I went to toyota today and found out they use mobile 1 for synthetic oil. I made up my mind at 4000 miles I will be changing my oil for the first time and I'm planning on using fully synthetic oil. I do have the free oil change. Here is the tricky question, what if I ask I want to use synthetic oil instead of regular oil. Will I have to pay for the difference? I still want to take advantage of the free oil change here
I say 6000-7000 miles is good for any synthetic oil. I know you can go longer with it. But the regular toyota oil can do 5000 according to toyota. If I want to use synthetic and go to 6000 miles or so

I wonder if the regular toyota filter "like the one that came with the car when it was built" can hold it this long with out breaking donw? Should I use the mobile 1 filter or the TRD if I'm going over 5000 miles? I will get a folder and keep all my paper receipts from all the services.

Now here is the other thing, I washed my car through the machine car wash for the first time the past satruday. Then I dry and clean it real good and apply turtle wax.
How long does this wax last? Also when I wash my car through the machine wash will it move the left over wax if there is still any? Does the old wax must be fully remove before applying new wax as well?

 

They will charge you to use synthetic over conventional oil, even for a free service. Not sure how much though.

Run 5,000 regardless of what oil you will use until your warranty is up. Afterwards, you can run whatever you want. But some synthetic oil can easily go 7-10k on a change, but it's best if you run UOA (oil anaylsis tests) to determine how your engine reacts to longer drains. 5-7k will be fine, if not 8k, but anything over that you run risk of running out of additives in the oil which will lower its efficiency to lubricate.
The standard filter should be plenty fine. How long do you plan to run this oil? People who run really long drains (10-12k) will often change out a filter half way through (just not the oil) if they go that long.

Wax will last 2-3 months on average, longer depending what conditions it will encounter. Just be aware, car washes will destroy your car's paint almost instantly unless touchless. All the dirt and mud in those brushes put swirls and scratches all over in your paint. Better to do it yourself right and avoid it destroying your paint. But if you NEED to use car washes (better hope you have a super white!) waxing every 2-3 months should be best.