Whiplash Willy
New member
One thing about Toyota's Maintenance schedule, is that is very open to interpretation. Sure they do actually tell you to change the oil and some other stuff, but mostly they just say to "Inspect" the fluid, which basically translates into "Make Sure It Isn't Leaking and is at the proper level". Toyota's idea of Inspecting Your Transmission Fluid, is to just check for leaks....
Nowhere in the maintenance guide do they ever tell you to replace the PS fluid, or Bleed the Breaks, change diff fluid, change the PVC Valve, ect.
Sure you can "Inspect" your diff fluid, by making sure it is at the proper level, and not leaking, but since you can't really go by fluid color, how do you know when it is bad, unless you draw a sample and send it to a lab for fluid analysis? Toyota's Maintenance guide tells you to "Inspect" your F&R Diff Oil every 30k miles, but they never actually tell you to change it.
Alot of things you just kind of have to guess on/use your best judgment, and do what makes you feel comfortable.
I just follow the normal Maintenance plan listed in Toyota's Maintenance guide. I replace what they tell me to when they me to, and use my best judgment for the Inspection Piece.
I just performed my 30k myself, and have performed all previous maintenance. Here is what I have done so far, and I feel that if anything, I have errored on the side of caution:
5k - Pretend to Rotate tires (Like I really want to preserve the life of those crappy stockers...)
10k - Oil Change, Tire Rotation, Lubed Driveshafts, "Inspect and Adjust All Fluid Levels"
15k - Replaced Front & Rear Diff Fluid with Amsoil 75w-90 SVG (Rated for 50k mi service intervals), Inspected Transfer Case Fluid
*Front Diff Fluid looked ok, but rear was pretty nasty so I decided to change
20k - Oil Change, tire rotation, Lubed Driveshafts, "Inspect and Adjust All Fluid Levels"
25k - Nothing
30k - Oil Change, Tire Rotation, Lube Driveshafts, "Inspect and Adjust All Fluid Levels", Replaced Engine & Cabin Air Filter, Inspected F&R Diff Fluid (Looks new), Inspected Transfer Case Fluid (Looks New Still)
All of the maintenance tasks so are super easy to do at home, and if you can change your Engine Oil, you can do the others as well. Especially with all of the detailed DIY writeup on this site. No need to throw money at a dealership to half-ass perform maintenance, some of which you don't even need.
This early, not alot is needed, but it will be interesting down the road when you really need to "Guess" if your "Only inspected thus far" fluid/wear parts need to be replaced, since it is never specified in the maintenance guide, and dealership maintenance recommendations can't be trusted.
Seriously though, I would like to know how often you should replace your PS Fluid...
Nowhere in the maintenance guide do they ever tell you to replace the PS fluid, or Bleed the Breaks, change diff fluid, change the PVC Valve, ect.
Sure you can "Inspect" your diff fluid, by making sure it is at the proper level, and not leaking, but since you can't really go by fluid color, how do you know when it is bad, unless you draw a sample and send it to a lab for fluid analysis? Toyota's Maintenance guide tells you to "Inspect" your F&R Diff Oil every 30k miles, but they never actually tell you to change it.
Alot of things you just kind of have to guess on/use your best judgment, and do what makes you feel comfortable.
I just follow the normal Maintenance plan listed in Toyota's Maintenance guide. I replace what they tell me to when they me to, and use my best judgment for the Inspection Piece.
I just performed my 30k myself, and have performed all previous maintenance. Here is what I have done so far, and I feel that if anything, I have errored on the side of caution:
5k - Pretend to Rotate tires (Like I really want to preserve the life of those crappy stockers...)
10k - Oil Change, Tire Rotation, Lubed Driveshafts, "Inspect and Adjust All Fluid Levels"
15k - Replaced Front & Rear Diff Fluid with Amsoil 75w-90 SVG (Rated for 50k mi service intervals), Inspected Transfer Case Fluid
*Front Diff Fluid looked ok, but rear was pretty nasty so I decided to change
20k - Oil Change, tire rotation, Lubed Driveshafts, "Inspect and Adjust All Fluid Levels"
25k - Nothing
30k - Oil Change, Tire Rotation, Lube Driveshafts, "Inspect and Adjust All Fluid Levels", Replaced Engine & Cabin Air Filter, Inspected F&R Diff Fluid (Looks new), Inspected Transfer Case Fluid (Looks New Still)
All of the maintenance tasks so are super easy to do at home, and if you can change your Engine Oil, you can do the others as well. Especially with all of the detailed DIY writeup on this site. No need to throw money at a dealership to half-ass perform maintenance, some of which you don't even need.
This early, not alot is needed, but it will be interesting down the road when you really need to "Guess" if your "Only inspected thus far" fluid/wear parts need to be replaced, since it is never specified in the maintenance guide, and dealership maintenance recommendations can't be trusted.
Seriously though, I would like to know how often you should replace your PS Fluid...
