toyota's warranty & DIY

[08 Hilux Surf]

I still have some warranty on my 08 4R, but I'm wondering if anyone knows if Toyota warranties may not be covered on some work that was done by yourself or even by a non-TOYOTA certifide mechanic/shop. Example, transmission oil change by yourself (or elsewhere) and later find some problems with your transmission? Thank you in advance.

 

[KB084RUNNER]

Depends on your dealer. I do all my own maintenance and keep a detailed notebook log with dates/mileage/receipts for parts. They did call me out on it once when I went in for a warranty claim. I brought in my log and went over it from the beginning 1000 mile oil change to the present. No problem.

The issue was a noisy differential and they replaced the whole unit. AFter that they never ask. When I sell or trade my cars I show the book to the buyer. It really makes a difference to be able to document all of your service.

If you do change the trans oil be sure to use Toyota WS fluid only and follow the factory service manual procedure for allowing the oil to reach 114F before pulling the oil level plug. Easy to do but very specific and most transmission shops won't know how to do it on a sealed trans. Amsoil or Redline Fluid will work but you may get a warranty denial by not using WS.

 

[08 Hilux Surf]

Thank you for your feedback. I agree, and I've been keeping a log as well and I guess it may be expensive for dealerships but likely come to your advantage on the long run...