Car Maintenance - Do we really need it?

[Pastamom]

We have a year old Toyota Highlander with 22,000 miles - DH called to schedule an oil change for next week. They told him we should get the tires rotated, fuel checked/flushed? (not sure exactly what) etc. The cost would be about $300.

My question is while I know we don't "have" to do this, should we? Will this really extend the life of the vehicle? We plan to keep it for a long time and money is tight right now.

Thanks

 

[hickchick]

Are you taking it in to the Toyota dealership shop? I have found that dealership shops are much more expensive than other independently owned shops. If you have never rotated your tires, that is something you should probably do. Not sure about the rest ??

I would recommend you call around and get quotes from other mechanics. Here in central WI, we can get an oil change and tire rotation for under $50.

Good luck!

 

[Skatermom23]

My opinion is that you don't have to have the regular scheduled checks as long as you do have the big checks done at 30K, 60K, 90k etc. You also need to change oil every 5,000 miles and rotate tires every 10,000. Also a must do is the timing belt at around 90,000-110,000 miles. Replace brake pads and align as needed. This has been my standard schedule and my cars hold up very well.

 

[Janet Hill]

Tire rotation can add a lot more miles to your tires. If you belong to Costco, you can get this done there for cheap.

We keep our cars forever, and we buy cheap cars. My husband for typical maintenance has the transmission flushed at between 24-20 thousand miles except for the cars with synthetic oil and these we have done 100. He has the radiator flushed about every two years and has never had an engine flushed on any of our cars.

We just got rid of our Ford Taurus and it had 280,000 miles on it. It was still running good, but the seats were so worn out (especially the driver's seat) it was very uncomfortable to ride in. His pickup truck is 16 years old with 325,000 on it and my Kia has about 125,000 on it and both of these are still running good.

I would shop around for a local independent shop with a good reputation, because most stuff is a lot cheaper there.

 

[Carl Fredricksen]

In a word, no. You do need to do the oil changes every 5000 miles as recommended, and the tires may need to be rotated, but the rest is a ripoff. Sounds like you called the Dealership based on the price. Get a good local mechanic (not a oil Quick Change shop) to do the tires and oil change and it should come in at less than $100 for both. You will also need to change the air filter every 30000 miles, so that can wait until the next oil change. Also have them change out the cabin air filter (a forgotten piece on many car maintenance schedules) and this will keep the interior smelling nice a fresh. The oil changes should be about $35 or less every 5000 after that, and have the tires rotated every other oil change or 10000 miles. The fuel system service is bunk. Today's gasolines have very good detergents that keep the system clean. You should think about the fuel filter at 60000 miles, and as mentioned check your owners manual for the timing belt, as they usually need changed every 60-90k. Traditionally you will get the water pump replaced at the same time with the timing belt also.

The transmission service will be specified in your owners manual also. Some need a fluid/filter change at 60k, some go the life of the car without any change. Your owners manual and mechanic should give you that answer.

Lastly, make sure you look in your owners manual to see if the engine in your car takes 5w30 or 5w20 oil, and specify that to the mechanic. That way your dealer warranty will stay intact. If they use the wrong grade of oil and something goes wrong, they won't honor the warranty. Make sure the mechanic specifies the grade used on the receipt, and keep that for your records. Quicky oil change shops are sometimes guilty of using an oil not specified for your car, so that's why I recommend spending a couple of extra bucks on a good mechanic instead.

This is not a complete list, but with the above listed maintenance your car should live a long an happy life.

 

[msmayor]

While it may be true that some dealers will recommend maintenance services that are not considered "necessary" by some, be VERY careful with what you choose to ignore while the vehicle is still under the manufacturer's warranty.

If you have a problem with a system/part that is supposed to be covered under warranty and you cannot prove that you did the maintenance they recommend, they may be able to deny your warranty claim because you did not hold up your end of the deal in maintaining the car.

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

Paraphrasing my husband, unless you have alignment issues, which, if that is the case you need to get fixed, all rotating the tires does is make sure all 4 tires wear out at once.

He never rotates his tires and when the (front? rear? I'm a girl) tires show too much wear, he'll buy 2. That way he's only ever buying 2 at a time.

Coming from a family of strict preventive maintenance, I want to argue with him, but he does have a point.

But don't even get me started about his opinions on oil changing . . .

 

[apnep]

We have a year old Toyota Highlander with 22,000 miles - DH called to schedule an oil change for next week. They told him we should get the tires rotated, fuel checked/flushed? (not sure exactly what) etc. The cost would be about $300.

My question is while I know we don't "have" to do this, should we? Will this really extend the life of the vehicle? We plan to keep it for a long time and money is tight right now.

Thanks

I agree with most of the postings here. I suggest you read your car manual on the maintenance and keep in mind that it is "SUGGESTED" maintenance. At 22K miles, chances are your car doesn't need to have the fuel filter flushed out. If it were me, I would just get the oil change and be done with it. You can then take your car to a Discount Tire store and have them check the tires and see if they need to be rotated. Rotating the tires does help them to wear evenly and last longer. Plus, Discount will do that for free if you just pull up and ask them to check the air pressure in the tires.

Good luck!

Ang

 

[PaulaSue]

I would call around on prices and suggestions. Regular maintance will help extend the life of the car.

 

[AmberHeartsDisney]

Id rotate the tires but at 22k miles you dont need that other stuff!!!! You only need like spark plugs and id maybe be the one at 100k but that depends.

 

[JB2K]

There are many different schools of thought on maintenance...

For OP, I would stick with the basics - oil change/tire rotation (if they are coming due), change wiper blades, air filters -- that sort of stuff...

For those of us with older cars, the magic number you need to look-out for is 90,000 -- by that time, you should do a complete fluids flush/change, plus all the stuff I just mentioned.

90K is also a good time to have all your hoses/belts checked for any sort of dry-rot.

And, at around 100K other big things to budget for are spark plug replacement (unfortunately, with today's cars, it's not as easy as it once was) and replace the timing belt (something that is very mechanic-specific).

Of course, the initial investment isn't going to be cheap, but it sure beats having to buy a new car and make monthly payments because the routine maintenance was ignored...

 

[Magix]

Paraphrasing my husband, unless you have alignment issues, which, if that is the case you need to get fixed, all rotating the tires does is make sure all 4 tires wear out at once.

He never rotates his tires and when the (front? rear? I'm a girl) tires show too much wear, he'll buy 2. That way he's only ever buying 2 at a time.

Coming from a family of strict preventive maintenance, I want to argue with him, but he does have a point.

But don't even get me started about his opinions on oil changing . . .

I'd wager he's buying 2 tires at a time more often than he'd have to buy 4 tires at a time if he rotated them.

 

[deerhart]

We don't rotate tires here. Used to when my dad did it (he still only did it like once or twice a year). We get new tires roughly around the mileage they are supposed to last. In fact, the tires I have on my car now (came with the vehicle) supposed to be 40k, I am pushing 53k on it now.

As for oil changes, we usually do our own and get the oil that is designed to last for longer mileage (8-10k). If I changed my oil every 3-5k miles, I would be changing it every 6 weeks!

Yes belts should be looked at around 100k, but not automatically changed just because that is how many miles you have on your car. I have taken numerous vehicles over 100k (and so have my parents) and only 1 time have we ever had to change a timing belt (to the tune of $750 bucks). Tire rotation around here costs $30, can get oil and rotation done for about $40, they will check fluids and such for free with the services. On the other hand, my 79 vw rabbit had to have most of the hoses changed every winter (since the froze and broke so frequently)

 

[cassandrap83]

My husband used to work at Firestone.... that "fuel flush" is what they call a "fuel tune" And NO, nobody practically ever needs that. That's just one of those things they add on to the ticket to try to get you to buy more stuff.

My '09 Honda Civic has 11k miles on it, and when I took in to get an oil change, they recommended I change my CABIN AIR FILTER. It took all I had to not bust out laughing.

Change your oil & rotate your tires. Most places run specials that combine the two for like $30.

 

[findmewdw]

I have a Toyota Highlander that has over 25,000 miles on it. I love me car, don't you? I agree with everyone else; we only get oil/tires. I set it on my car maintenance reminder alarm so I won't forget when it's due. I do it before 5000 miles. Never heard of the fuel thing. . .
I don't take mine to Toyota, but a local mechanic does mine.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

The best place to determine what you really need to do is by reading the owner's manual. If there is something that the manufacturer wants you to do, they will declare it there. They will ask that you do certain things and this will serve 2 purposes--it will keep their warranty costs down, and it will keep the vehicle running reliably.

Having said that, there are other things that a facility may suggest. Some suggestions are legitimate, and others provide big profits.

Being a little "proactive" makes sense when you plan on keeping the car a long time. Frequent tire maintenance, oil changes, coolant service, and transmission service are examples where you might have these procedures done a little more frequently than the factory suggests.

Sometimes the suggestion really helps their profits. No manufacturer that I know of actually requires a fuel injector cleaning service. Also-- a trans flush is NOT what the factory calls for. They usually call out a fillter and fluid change.......there is a difference.

At 22,000 miles your car should be just like new and should not need much.

Many times the "extra" services they offer are because they have a relationship with a aftermarket chemical company and everybody profits by "selling" the service. Sometimes the technician gets a cash bonus for each service that is sold................and that is on top of the bonus that is paid out to the service manager.

We have 2 vehicles that have 165k and 105k, so by some other posters standards, our vehicles are barely broken in!

Do a little research and stick with the factory program.