Should I listen to the dealership about regular service?

You can go to your dealership's website and often will find service coupons. I would follow your owners manual, it will list your service schedule based on your driving conditions.

From the looks of it, you are averaging less than 10k a year, probably be safe to just do annual oil changes, regardless of mileage (if you're under 10k) Most people on here will tell you to change your oil between 5k - 7k. But it really is based on your daily driving conditions.

 

I would do annual or every 10k, whichever comes first. Dealer tells you every 5k miles to inspect, but actual maintenance schedule (including oil and tire rotation) is only called for every 10k miles.

 

i have never paid a dealer for an inspection. it's just an excuse to 'find other work' that needs to be done.
follow the maint. schedule and you'll be fine.

 

Where are you on the 3 year warranty? Have you trusted the dealership up to this point? If so, why are you doubting them now?
Most folks on this site seem to either fail to understand or are unaware of how oil additives degrade over time and shorter trips. Additionally, the oil does a lot more than just lubricate parts on these engines. Due to those reasons, I would error on the side of caution and have it changed and have the dealer inspect the car.

 

We have a 2020 AWD xl-e, with 4,600 miles. I’ve been doing the 6 month services up to this point because they’re free.

otherwise, I’m going to move to a once a year service, playing it by the book with what Toyota recommends.

 

I'm a low milage driver here in California. Work form home really changed how much I drive. I still change the oil once a year and I rotaote tires every 5k miles. From your description, it looks like the dealership is charging you for tire rotation and an MPI (multi point Inspection), for $100 thats a very expensive tire rotation. I would see if a tire shop can rotate it for you for cheaper. Skip the MPI and do it the next 5k when you get the oil change.

 

Dealership does not do chemical analysis on oil to see TBN or traces of metals in the oil. The dealership inspections are visual inspections, nothing leaking brakes have meat.. etc.

 

The multi-point inspections are pretty much pointless.

Topping up fluids? The only one you’ll likely need to top up is windshield washer fluid. Brake fluid should NEVER need top up, unless there’s something drastically wrong with system. It’s normal for the level to drop as pads wear. The two coolant reservoirs should be very stable: from brand new to around 40k kms both dropped to low line, then haven’t budged since. So, you’re basically paying a guy $100 to top up washer fluid, and maybe overfill brake fluid.

 

I don't trust dealerships as far as I can throw them. I'm going to have my personal mechanic do the first oil change at 5K miles. Then the first free one from Toyota at 10K. Then I'm going to take it in for the second dealership service at like 14'ish K.... Then to the dealer for the third service with oil change at 17'ish K, 18K if they make me wait...
Then back to my personal mechanic every 7K for as long as I own it.

 

I wouldn’t bother. Oil does not all of a sudden go bad after a year and it’s a Toyota, you could fill that engine with hog piss and it would probably run fine. Engineers tend to over-spec things. Anyone doing changes at intervals less than 10k is just wasting time and money.

 

Just editorial OCD: you’ve kinda deflated the expression. What you’re trying to get across, presumably, is that you don’t trust them much, if at all. So take out the “don’t”, add an “about”, and you have:

I trust dealerships about as far as I can throw them.

Even just one hefty service manager, you probably couldn’t get his shoes off the ground. So a good description, of very limited trust.