Question About 15,000 Mile / 18 Month Maintenance

I paid $29.62 CDN (all taxes included) for the 15K miles service, but tire rotation is done at 10K and every 10K. My 10K service was $79.46 CDN that included the tire change etc. I have them use synthetic oil, but take my own for them to put in.

 

Hi Alan,

To keep the warranty in effect, you only need to have the engine oil/filter replaced and the coolant inspected. If you fail to have the other items inspected, that may impact future reliability - however your warranty should not be impacted.

Tire rotation is not required for warranty purposes since tire tread life is not a warranted item. To save money and time you may wish to move to 10K mile intervals between rotations.

 

Show the service writer that page of the book and ask them to estimate the cost. Somewhere around $50 - $80 for everything there is reasonable.

You don't actually have to rotate the tires on any schedule. It is safer to always have the less-worn tires at the rear, and the front tires naturally wear faster than the rear. When the front pair wear out, move the rear pair to the front and put two new tires on the rear. If any tires show uneven wear or cupping that indicates a mis-alignment or other problem which needs to be repaired; rotating the tires in that case only masks the problem.

 

my dealer charges $305 for it.

so basically i'm looking for another place to go from now on.

 

Wow, thats a bad dealer.

When I got in I get the xxxxx mile services. So far I haven't been charged for anymore than the tire rotation, due to free oil changes. Otherwise it would have been just the oil change and tire rotation cost.

 

Alan

At least they don't insist on greasing the zerks. I've looked four years now, and have yet to find a zerk on my Prius. Forum member Hobbit - our resident Babe Magnet - refers to zerks as "grease tits" if that helps

Most of the stuff mentioned is pure profit for the service department. Even when a service department is supposed to do something, odds are they don't

Eg I used to have a 2000 GMC Sierra 4wd. Front steering linkage had zerks on the idler arm, tie rods, etc. The ball joints also had zerks. I had the dealership take care of me the first 6 months, then decided to do things myself

I jacked it up, took the front wheels off, and the ball joint zerks had RUST on them. They had never been touched. The easy to reach zerks on the ball joints had been given a couple squirts of grease

You have to take this plastic shield off to get to the steering zerks on the Sierra. Lo and behold: rust on those zerks too!

If you really want to have some fun, play dumb and ask the dealership how often the fuel filter should be changed. Hint: it's built into the fuel tank and is not normally serviced

jay

 

Man am I glad I checked this thread; I was quoted $350 today for 30K service. Bridge Toyota Renton, WA. Said it's 3 hour service minimum, have to leave the car and they are booked up until Saturday.

What's strange is when I spoke to them last week a different person said no appointment needed, 1.5 hours maximum and that would include entering my snow tire TPMS codes in the computer for $210.

I know which one I want to believe...I think I'll shop this a bit.

Oh yeah, they gave me pretty much the same list as Kizzy got.

 

*You* give *them* the list, the list shown on the 30K miles page of the Scheduled Maintenance Guide that came with the car, and ask them what those items will cost. The dealer's list is the sum of everything that could possibly be performed on every car that might come through the door.

 

I just got back from a local dealer for my 15000 service and was quoted 349.00. They had already drove my car back to the shop and I told them I wanted what my maintenace coupon paid for and don't do anything else. I then informed them that I will find another Toyota dealer to service my car.

 

My local dealer just mailed me $9.99 special for an oil change. This includes the free check of all the requited items. Why would anyone pay $50-80 for an oil change and check? How much is a tire rotation worth? Some of the "super duper" additives may, in fact, void the Toyota warranty.

 

I used to rotate them myself. Didn't see much difference when it didn't get rotated. Then, I could replace two at a time instead of all four.

 

Exactly. It's safer to keep the two best tires at the rear, where they will help prevent dangerous oversteer ("fishtailing", when the rear wheels lose traction and the car starts to spin).

 

What a deal. Maybe I should drive up there for my service

 

Final cost for 30K at Bridge was $199, that included a nice car wash, and entering the snow tire TPMS codes in the ECU. Oh, and free broadband while I waited. Hang on, they repaired and reinstalled the torn off skid plate I brought in. I'm satisfied, good job Bridge Toyota in Renton!.

 

I am at 16K + now and the only type of maintenance I've done is to change my oil and oil filter. My oil has been changed 4 times now I do it myself. I have rotated my tires 2X and the tires still look great. In about a month, I may have to take a visual look underneathe just a precaution. If you can do all the basics at home, it will save you lots of $'s. I just bought a gallon of inverter coolant, so I may top that off in the near future.

 

Is that fluid depleting or just a precaution to have at home?

 

Uhh, say what? If it needs topping off it's disappearing somewhere, and that needs to be fixed promptly.