midtowndesi

Did you change the trans fluid based on the age of it? I ask bc I keep thinking that my car is "old" (6 years) and I should be changing that fluid but the guide from the factory says I can wait until 100k miles to change it. So what made you decide to change it so "early" at only 58k miles?

XBroker

Oh.. I wasn't aware of that. Probably should have checked before I did it. I'm bored sometimes & probably over maintain things is my only excuse.. lolz. My Lexus ES 350 says lifetime,.. I think that's BS..

midtowndesi

Update: I am at 7 years and 3 months of ownership and just passed 49,000 miles.

i admit to not keeping the exterior of my car clean. in fact, in the 7 years i've owned it, i think i've gone to the carwash maybe 5 times in total and I've washed it once or twice myself. that's it. i know, im awful!

so yesterday, i treated my beloved box to a complete detail. for $175, they washed the exterior, went over it with a clay bar and waxed it. inside looks brand spanking new and they even cleaned the engine bay.

i have maybe 3k miles to go before my next oil change. during it, since the car is so old, i may have the trans or brake fluid flushed depending on what they suggest. i definitely have low miles on the car but my reasoning to change these fluids is bc i am sure they've served their life in terms of the number of years they've been used. i still havent decided yet but will decide in a few more months.

overall, my car feels new again on the inside and out and it still runs like new so i am a happy camper.

I hope everyone reading this is safe and sound given the current dumpster fire we call 2020.

midtowndesi

Update: I am at 7 years and 9 months of ownership and this car has been a dream. Currently at 52,000 miles.

Yesterday I went to the dealer and had the following completed:
-oil change and tire rotation
-replace transmission fluid
-replace brake fluid

I had the transmission and brake fluids replaced due to their age (almost 8 years now) and not necessarily due to high miles as I only have 52k miles on my car. Temps in my area get below zero and higher than 100 degrees so I thought it was a good preventative measure to take. This cost me a few hundred bucks at the dealer to complete but I'm fine with that because I have piece of mind knowing I dont have to replace those fluids for another 7-8 years as I plan on keeping the car for quite some time

As my brakes, tires and battery are new (being replaced in the last couple of years), I plan on now simply doing the oil changes/tire rotations for the next few years. Although the techs said the stock spark plugs that came with my car were in good shape, I will probably replace these in a couple of years due to their age. This car has been a joy to own and drive for the last almost 8 years and I'm looking forward to the next few years of great service.

Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays and wishing everyone a safe and improved 2021!!!! <3

midtowndesi

Hello everyone. I hope you and your families are all safe and well and you enjoyed your time off.

Update: I am at 8.5 years of ownership and currently at about 56,000 miles.

I’m currently at the dealer getting an oil change, tire rotation and I’m getting the spark plugs replaced.

My dealer also said that my rear rotors and pads needed replacement. I replaced all of my rotors and pads 3 years or 20,000 miles ago. Could it be possible that the rear rotors and pads need replacing after only 20k miles of city driving? They were replaced with non OEM parts but I recall buying a good brand for both rotors and pads so I’m surprised to hear they need to be replaced so fast.

I appreciate your guys expertise.

Aside from that, the car has been amazing as always.

XBroker

Um that's a big No. They're trying to rip you a new one. My xB has about 63k on it and I'm on the original rotors. I ran my 2001 Camry's front rotors for 217,000 miles until I sold it.
There were drums on the rear & they were original as well. Granted the xB's rotors aren't as stout.., you should RUN away from those people. .. actually drive b/c your rotors are fine.

I'm a former auto tech w/ a degree in auto technology.. Though I ended up in insurance for 25 years until I retired.

__________________

semscion

Highly unlikely with the recent replacement and being on the rear location. The brand could play a roll, if they were cheap aftermarket and driven real hard?
If your rotors are warped you'll feel it in your pedal (pulsation) If your rotors are worn, you'll see the grooves. Ask them to show you. Highly unlikely, but possible. Very hard to be certain from my house.

Century

Trying to rip you off. Had a 2010 with rotors over 65k until I sold it. Just bought a "new" xB 2011 with 78k and the rotors are just fine.

Don't get scammed.

tanakasan

Hey midtowndesi!

How did I miss your epic 2013 RS10 thread?! Read it from start to current. Heres to another Scionlife OG!

Saw your 9/10/2021, 8 year update post. Congrats!

I just acquired a 2013 RS10, #2020 of 2100. New to me on 9/11/2021. Loving it! My trusty ‘06 was giving me fits so I upgraded.

Nice to be back on here!

Robert

midtowndesi

Thanks XBroker, I appreciate your reply and added info. I have not checked the brakes/rotors yet but will definitely bring it to someone else. The reason why I think they might be shot is because driving in NY sucks and I am braking all the time. I also get maybe 18mpg out of my car, never any more than that due to the constant stop and go.

And interested to hear you go from auto tech to insurance! must have been quite the change would love to pick your brain sometime on that transition.

Hope you and the family are well and thanks for the details / guidance.

midtowndesi

semscion, thanks for the reply. I drive the car hard but unintentionally - hard in the sense that driving here in ny, i have to brake all the time and this is why my car gets poor gas mileage too - around 18mpg only. I will certainly have a second opinion done but a recent state car inspection didnt reveal anything that needed immediate addressing so, to your point, maybe they're just looking to make $ from me. I take my car to the dealer for lots of things but the brakes are not one of them. I always buy the brakes myself and pay a mechanic around $200 to replace all rotors and pads. it comes out like $1,000 cheaper than having the dealer do it!

the brakes don't pulse and theres no squeal so to your point, they're probably not as bad as the dealer says they are. and i know its tough to check on my brakes from your house haha. I'll definitely get a 2nd opinion but for now the car has been driving (and stopping) fine, no squeels/noises/pulsating when braking.

midtowndesi

Congrats on your new RS! My car actually isn't an RS - i was looking to buy one but the 2013 model year RS wasn't anything i was interested in so i saved ~$3k and bought a regular ol' 2013 xb.

I had a 06 xb brand spanking new and traded in for a mercedes which was one of the worst decision's i've made in my life lol. but you live and you learn.

I love scions so much and only see myself driving the later year xb's. my '13 now has maybe ~58k miles on it so its still "low mileage." i plan on getting this baby to 300k miles regardless of how long that takes so i probably have another decade or so of good driving in this thing.

Enjoy your new ride. would love to see pictures of it!

midtowndesi

Thanks for the reply, Century. I am def. going in for a second opinion but im wondering if the hard driving conditions of NY are causing the fast brake wear. I brake A LOT - like all the time due to stop and go traffic, and often at high speeds (eg. 65 down to 30mph during regular driving/commute). I'll certainly post what my own mechanic comes back with.

midtowndesi

Hi all. Just a quick update.

I still have not gotten a second opinion on my brakes from another mechanic but I did wind up getting new front and rear rotors as well as front and rear brake pads (all OEM) from Sparks Toyota which had a Black Friday sale. I wound up paying about $350 for everything which it thought was a fair price for OEM stuff.

Next up is to find another mechanic that can take a look at the brakes on the car. Like I said, I replaced all rotors and brake pads 3 years ago and, after 20k miles, the dealer (where I go to for cheap oil changes) said the rear rotors need to be replaced. Thanks to the good replies above from some great forum members, I may be getting ripped off so I am seeking a second opinion from a local mechanic.

My brakes feel fine, no noise or pulsating or anything like that so, as you all said, I suspect everything is fine. But after 3 years, I'd like piece of mind from a mechanic saying either they're fine for another xxxxx miles or "holy crap, change them now!"

___

midtowndesi

Hi everyone,

Hope everyone is doing well. I am at 9 years of ownership and my lovely xb has only ~59,600 miles on it. Shy of 60K!!

Thanks to remote work, I really don't drive much anymore. I have put less than 7K miles on this thing in the last 14 months or so. I wasn't driving this thing much pre covid and even less post covid! This thing is going to last me my entire life at this rate ;) hahaha

Just a quick update that I finally got my brakes done and, the dealer was actually right - the brakes had gone to hell. pads were worn down and the rotors were rusted.

For my new brakes, I wound up paying $350 in total for 4 rotors and new pads front and rear. I had a local mechanic / friend install them for $240 for a total of $590. Dealer wanted ~$1,700 for this same!

other than that, the car has been riding perfectly. I love being on a highway, on smooth roads, and having cruise set to about 63. the car just purrs so beautifully, its really satisfying to hear.

Although it's 9 years old, I'm (for some reason or another!) thinking about ordering the TRD front strut bar and rear sway bars. It's curvy where I live and I never really thought about getting them until now. Any thoughts on how well these may improve handling?

Hope everyone is doing well.

LULU

I have these from factory when I bought the car (strut and rear sway bar). If they can be had cheap I'd say get them. I've never driven without them so I don't know what stock feels like but my Xa is a fun drive. Pick them up, they couldn't hurt. Only problem with them is that it's a pain in the butt to change stuff that's right under the strut bar. IE air filters in an 06. Good luck and nice ride.

XBroker

On rock auto those parts are half what you paid. Did you at least get ceramic pads? lolz Rusted rotors can be turned.. Whatever.. not my $$$.. Glad you're still likin' the xB.. At about 25 a pop, it is almost as cheap to buy new rotors..

MileHightC

But, in all likelihood, not OEM parts, either. Brakes are something I wouldn't choose to used the lowest priced parts on but that's me.

$350 for OEM front and rear brakes and pads isn't outrageous at all in my opinion.

midtowndesi

I had gone with aftermarket brake pads + rotors but those only lasted like 20k miles or so (see my last post on them). AND they cost like $275 or so to begin with. So this time around, I said forget it, im sticking to OEM. Didn't think $350 was a lot PLUS I saved over a grand by having the brakes done by a mechanic friend so I am happy.

midtowndesi

I appreciate you sharing your experience with them. honestly, the cost is a bit too high - like 400 for parts, 100 for shipping and like 150 for install. I round that up to $700 all in. I think that's too steep to pay right now so I am now probably not going to do it lol. I paid $19k for the car brand spanking new after taxes, I find it hard to spend anything over a couple hundred dollars on mods for it.

I remember when I bought it, the dealer was asking something like $2,100 to have navigation installed...... $2,100!!!!! that's more than 10% of the price I paid for the car. that was a hard no for me and have since just been using google maps on my phone without issue