My 2007 was totaled, I just got a 20019. Is still serviceable by me?

[Mr_Dobalina]

I had a 2007 4Runner that through time I did most of the maintenance on. Pretty straight forward stuff.

My new 2019 only has 12,000 miles on it at the moment, so I don't need to do anything- but in the future are basic maintenance items still serviceable by me?

Thanks-

 

[DarthYota]

Hi Bob,

I'm not sure I understand the question. Is there a specific task you are concerned with?

Unless you have a maintenance warranty/plan, anything you have the time, tools, and knowledge to do, you can do. I have a 2014 with ~107k miles on it. Every time it tells me it needs service I check the service guide and most if not all of it seems to be easily doable but I choose to take it to my local auto shop (non dealer).

Personally, as much as I like to work on my cars, I hate doing oil changes. Last time was a couple of months ago and I chose to have them change the tranny and diff fluid since it's just easier for me to have them do it.

 

[Mr_Dobalina]

Hi Bob,

I'm not sure I understand the question. Is there a specific task you are concerned with?

Unless you have a maintenance warranty/plan, anything you have the time, tools, and knowledge to do, you can do. I have a 2014 with ~107k miles on it. Every time it tells me it needs service I check the service guide and most if not all of it seems to be easily doable but I choose to take it to my local auto shop (non dealer).

Personally, as much as I like to work on my cars, I hate doing oil changes. Last time was a couple of months ago and I chose to have them change the tranny and diff fluid since it's just easier for me to have them do it.

Thanks - I guess I should have mentioned that a lot of manufactures are making things in a way these days that you have to take them back to a dealer to get serviced.

My wife's newer Volkswagon Golf Sport Wagon needs a new water pump. I could replace this on my 2007 4Runner- but on her car, it's out of the question. Way too tight in the engine bay and just super hard to do.

 

[02SE]

I had a 2007 4Runner that through time I did most of the maintenance on. Pretty straight forward stuff.

My new 2019 only has 12,000 miles on it at the moment, so I don't need to do anything- but in the future are basic maintenance items still serviceable by me?

Thanks-

There's not much difference as far as service difficulty between a 2007 and a 2019. The 2019 has a cartridge oil filter, but IMO it's not difficult to change. I actually like being able to see the filter element without having to cut open a canister.

If you were to take it to Toyota, you'll likely have some low-skilled lube-tech strip or crossthread fasteners for the skidplates, and over-torque the filter housing.

 

[JoshDub]

Thanks - I guess I should have mentioned that a lot of manufactures are making things in a way these days that you have to take them back to a dealer to get serviced.

My wife's newer Volkswagon Golf Sport Wagon needs a new water pump. I could replace this on my 2007 4Runner- but on her car, it's out of the question. Way too tight in the engine bay and just super hard to do.

Manufactures making it so that you cant repair you own car is largely a myth. Yes you'll need more diagnostic software than in the past but most things are still easily serviceable without access to software anyway.

As far as the water pump goes on a mk7+ golf, you just need to remove the intake manifold to get access. It really does not take much work at all.

 

[Charles Bronson]

These trucks are incredibly simple to work on assuming you have a good selection of more standard tools. These aren't like my BMW which requires "coding" to replace items like a battery and certain electrical and fuel injection components.

The 4Runner brake ECM does requiring cycling and coding if it's replaced. I only know this because it was replaced under warranty on our 2020 4Runner and the tech didn't allow for all the coding to take place and the braking system was absolutely frightening and extremely dangerous under threshold braking.

 

[Charles Bronson]

My wife's newer Volkswagon Golf Sport Wagon needs a new water pump. I could replace this on my 2007 4Runner- but on her car, it's out of the question. Way too tight in the engine bay and just super hard to do.

As a DIYer, I would never touch an out of warranty late model VW/Audi product or Porsche SUV/sedan (largely Audi parts and chassis) with a 10 foot pole. I have never seen a company that makes servicing a vehicle so woefully complex to access common failed parts. VW/Audi is the poster child of "shoehorned" drivetrains.

When it comes to moderate/serious engine work on a VW/Audi, the first step is to put the vehicle into "Service Mode". That means pulling the ENTIRE front clip to expose the front of the motor. That's drain the coolant and remove the the front wheels, various plastic panels, headlight assemblies, bumper cover, crash and cross bar assembles, all heat exchangers and assemblies, a bizzilion electrical sensors and harnesses, and fasteners of every type and size imaginable. It is a huge and complicated process.

Step 1 on a late model VW/Audi that is suffering from a common timing chain or tensioner issue is: Remove engine. I'm dead serious.

 

[DarthYota]

As a DIYer, I would never touch an out of warranty late model VW/Audi product or Porsche SUV/sedan (largely Audi parts and chassis) with a 10 foot pole. I have never seen a company that makes servicing a vehicle so woefully complex to access common failed parts. VW/Audi is the poster child of "shoehorned" drivetrains.

When it comes to moderate/serious engine work on a VW/Audi, the first step is to put the vehicle into "Service Mode". That means pulling the ENTIRE front clip to expose the front of the motor. That's drain the coolant and remove the the front wheels, various plastic panels, headlight assemblies, bumper cover, crash and cross bar assembles, all heat exchangers and assemblies, a bizzilion electrical sensors and harnesses, and fasteners of every type and size imaginable. It is a huge and complicated process.

Step 1 on a late model VW/Audi that is suffering from a common timing chain or tensioner issue is: Remove engine. I'm dead serious.

Thats when I ditched my A6. $4k to change the timing chain on an interference engine because the entire front end had to be removed to do and oh while that's all off lets just change the water pump. And if you don't do it you risk blowing the whole top end of the engine. No thank you.

 

[Whippersnapper02]

You can do most everything at home on the 5th gen. It's the same as the 4th gen.

 

[jhmoore]

I'm very excited to hear what a 20019 4Runner is like! Do cars fly by the year 20019? Do they just matter transmit around the galaxy? Please do share whatever intel you have!

 

[Grug556]

As a DIYer, I would never touch an out of warranty late model VW/Audi product or Porsche SUV/sedan (largely Audi parts and chassis) with a 10 foot pole. I have never seen a company that makes servicing a vehicle so woefully complex to access common failed parts. VW/Audi is the poster child of "shoehorned" drivetrains.

When it comes to moderate/serious engine work on a VW/Audi, the first step is to put the vehicle into "Service Mode". That means pulling the ENTIRE front clip to expose the front of the motor. That's drain the coolant and remove the the front wheels, various plastic panels, headlight assemblies, bumper cover, crash and cross bar assembles, all heat exchangers and assemblies, a bizzilion electrical sensors and harnesses, and fasteners of every type and size imaginable. It is a huge and complicated process.

Step 1 on a late model VW/Audi that is suffering from a common timing chain or tensioner issue is: Remove engine. I'm dead serious.

My Audi had something like 20 odd fasteners to just get off the undertray skirt.. I had no idea that 1lb piece of plastic needed so many fasteners.

 

[Horsethief]

Thats when I ditched my A6. $4k to change the timing chain on an interference engine because the entire front end had to be removed to do and oh while that's all off lets just change the water pump. And if you don't do it you risk blowing the whole top end of the engine. No thank you.

I have a co-worker that had an Audi wagon, I forget the model number, but it was a V8. Really cool car. He ditched it when the timing chain service came around, because to do that on that particular engine is an engine out service, because the timing chain is located on the BACK of the engine, right near the firewall. Pretty crazy design, and he didn't want anything to do with the repair bill associated with that.

 

[IslandJim]

I'm very excited to hear what a 20019 4Runner is like! Do cars fly by the year 20019? Do they just matter transmit around the galaxy? Please do share whatever intel you have!

The most important thing you'll want to make note of is that the 2019 T4R does not have the TSS system controlling your car on the road. The 2020 n up does.

 

[TheNicestGuy24]

If you were to take it to Toyota, you'll likely have some low-skilled lube-tech strip or crossthread fasteners for the skidplates, and over-torque the filter housing.

This, unfortunately, is so so so so so so true.

 

[Charles Bronson]

I have a co-worker that had an Audi wagon, I forget the model number, but it was a V8. Really cool car. He ditched it when the timing chain service came around, because to do that on that particular engine is an engine out service, because the timing chain is located on the BACK of the engine, right near the firewall. Pretty crazy design, and he didn't want anything to do with the repair bill associated with that.

Yep. So common for the plastic timing chain guides to break on those motors. The timing chain arrangement on an Audi V6 and V8 is both beautiful and needlessly complex. It's as if they want to use the maximum number of chains as possible on the V8s. LOL

https://auditimingchainproblem.com/...blemSteps/step0301DiagnosticPart3DSC0854.webp

 

[1jzgte]

haha is that why I always see VW's on the side of the road? I always only ever see VW's stranded. Yet my wife still insists on getting one because theyre cute with tinted windows. Jesus man just shoot me.

But 4runners have sooooooo much room to wrench its ridiculous.