i have ~54k on my tC and it has been more than 3900 miles since i last got it serviced. i have been going to the dealership so far but have now decided to get all the parts myself and go to my local mechanic instead.

-i recently had all 4 brake pads/rotors replaced so that should be good.
-Engine Oil/BG44K®:
i have been using conventional oil so far but am planning to switch to synthetic (Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5W-30 Motor Oil). i am assuming it is not too late to switch ??? :--) Before getting the oil change done, i am going to use BG44K as per the following directions:
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Directions – How to Use BG44K®?
Add a full can of BG44K® to the fuel tank using the pouring funnel provided (its best to do this at a filling station.) Then fill the tank full with petrol immediately afterwards.

Drive your vehicle normally but try to make the tank last for at least a week or 2-3 weeks if possible. Short journeys will help ensure 44K has the chance to clean the fuel system thoroughly. When your vehicle is left with approximately ¼ tank of fuel remaining, fill up again. This will give you a very potent dose for ¾ of a tank and a less potent dose (but still strong when compared to other cleaners) for another full tank of fuel.
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is there anything else i need to do ?

-Use OEM Oil Filter and Drain Plug Gasket.
-Replace Tranny Oil: Amsoil-Synthetic Manual Transmission and Transaxle Gear Lube 75W-90 API GL-4 (MTG)
-Replace spark plugs: NGK part no 4589 (Laser Iridium). i should be able to change them myself.
-Replace air filter with OEM
-Drain and fill coolant with OEM. i am thinking of having the shop do this.

let me know if you guys have any comments or suggestions. thx.

 

adding the following to the list:

-clean MAF sensor
-change PCV valve (http://trdsparks.com/displayparts.ph...&parts_id=3500)

 

If you are going to run Mobil 1 extended performance, max sure you get your money's out of it. You could easily get 10k miles out of that oil.

The plugs are good for 100k miles, seems a little early to swap them out imo.

 

you can definitely see some wear after 54k. worth the $39.56 change.

 

Damn, wish I was still in the Chicago area, I'd definitely lend you a hand and hook you up with Amsoil at dealer pricing.

I personally wouldn't pay a shop to do anything. No one does it better than yourself. Do it yourself and have the satisfaction of it.

How does the coolant look? I usually don't change the coolant until close to 100k miles.

How is the brake fluid? If you can swing it, go with synthetic brake fluid. I only have 23k miles on my tC so I still have the factory brake fluid in there. I'll change it over to synthetic when I get the motivation to put some speed bleeders and stainless brake lines in there. But the brake fluid is still too clean for me to think about changing it.

$40 for those plugs, why not?

 

^Thanks. I ended up changing engine and tranny oil myself. It was really easy.

 

A few pics:

My old and new transmission oil:

 

Draining...






I used the fill plug for refilling:

 

so i have done all the things i mentioned in my initial posts except the coolant change......i will work on that next....it feels good to do all this yourself.