Maintenance Schedule (DavPak, Flipside, etc)

[JMSinMaryland]

My local Goodyear offers lifetime balance (and rotation) on tires for $16 per tire. That's $64 for the entire car and you figure if you get rotated and balanced every 6k on a 40k tire your getting rotated and balanced at least 7 times it's only costing you $9.00 per rotation and balance. Dealerships charge too much, ideally I would love to go to 1 place and have everything done but paying $80 for an alignment with mechanics who haven't even heard of TRD isn't very inspiring. Jon. p.s. Im paying $50 per alignment what about you guys? DavPak tell us your dealership prices on engine coolant flush and change, transmission oil flush andchange, clutch fluid flush and change, and brake fluid flush and change. Also fuel induction flush and change, tune up (V6 with S/C would you charge more for SC?), fuel filter, PCV, thermostat, timing belt and water pump. Just trying to get idea of prices for the future. Jon.

[DavPak]

whew, that's a long list! here goes:
coolant drain and fill: 39.95
coolant flush: 99.95
brake fluid drain and fill: 39.95
brake fluid flush: 89.95
trans drain and fill: 49.95 (just went up from 39.95)
trans flush: 149.95 (automatics only)
clutch fluid drain and fill: 60.00
fuel induction service (air/fuel): 149.95
V6 full tune up (lof, tire rotation, air filter, fuel filter, spark plugs, PCV valve clean and adjust brakes, trans drain and fill): 499.00
V6 minor tune up (platinum plugs, air filter): 99.95 (i don't think we'd charge more for the S/C, as long as we get to road test it )
fuel filter: 140.00
thermostat: 100.00
PCV valve: 35.00
timing belt: 275.00 (with water pump 459.00)

did i leave anything off?
i know these prices are high for all you DIY, but there are a couple of factors at play here: location determines labor rate (being in the NY area, prices and wages are higher (remember economics?!)), toyota parts are more expensive, and along with a lot of these services dealers give a lot of stuff away, free rental cars, free car washes, free oil changes stuff like that.

[JMSinMaryland]

Do the flushes include changing the fluids? I.e. does the coolant flush include a coolant drain and fill or is that extra? Jon.

[DavPak]

Do the flushes include changing the fluids? I.e. does the coolant flush include a coolant drain and fill or is that extra? Jon.

yes, replenishing the coolant after the flush is included in the flush price.

[Hsakuragi]

does anyone have instructions on how to change the PCV value?

[JMSinMaryland]

Any such thing as a clutch fluid flush and how much? Thanks Jon.

[DavPak]

Any such thing as a clutch fluid flush and how much? Thanks Jon.

nope, well not here at least.

[Flipside909]

Any such thing as a clutch fluid flush and how much? Thanks Jon.

LOL no, but there is a manual transmission drain and refill a la gear oil.

BTW, don't forget to drain and refill your blinker fluid.

[hari-bhari]

hey i was wondering about second opinions on the power steering fluid, does it really need to be done at 60k and how hard is it to do? also, is changing the fuel filter enough or do i need to do more in that area? finally, my dad said that draining and filling coolant was one of the easiest things to do and i could do it myself, any ideas? thanks

[DavPak]

hey i was wondering about second opinions on the power steering fluid, does it really need to be done at 60k and how hard is it to do? also, is changing the fuel filter enough or do i need to do more in that area? finally, my dad said that draining and filling coolant was one of the easiest things to do and i could do it myself, any ideas? thanks

power steering i wouldn't worry about. just make sure its topped off.
what do you mean by the fuel filter area?
coolant drain and fill is very easy. just make sure you use red coolant, not green.

[hari-bhari]

ok sounds good, thanks. by fuel area i mean that some people said you should perform maintenance on the whole 'fuel induction' system. what does this include? my plans were to change the filter and pour some of that injection cleaning solution in the tank and have it run through the system. any recommendation on brands?

[hari-bhari]

is it true that for transmission service, the drain and fill only replaces 3-4 quarts of the transmission fluid and leaves another 8-10 old quarts of fluid in the system? if that's the case, then u would only be getting 25-35% new fluid with a drain and fill. is this why people recommend a flush, so it replaces all 10-15 quarts the transmission fluid? the only reason im kind of iffy on getting a power flush is because ive heard horror stories about it being done incorrectly, leading to cracks and leaks in hoses, and clogged up filters, etc etc.

[DavPak]

ok sounds good, thanks. by fuel area i mean that some people said you should perform maintenance on the whole 'fuel induction' system. what does this include? my plans were to change the filter and pour some of that injection cleaning solution in the tank and have it run through the system. any recommendation on brands?

fuel induction not only includes the injectors and the fuel lines, but the throttle body and intake as well.
as far as brands, yanks posted a link once before on gas octanes and their research showed that "NOS" brand gave the most HP increase.

as far as the trans goes, yes, merely a drain and fill would not replace the fluid in the torque converter. but a full flush would get it all. expect to pay $125-$150 for one.

[hari-bhari]

i know its different for different cars, but as far as solaras go, how many quarts does the entire system hold, and how many of those can u replace in a drain and fill

[krzyray]

Fuel Filter should be done at 100k miles.

Davpak if you or any other members would like to help me compile a maintence schedule that would be great. We can either make it a sticky, or we'll add to to the FAQ. I'm thinking a few different programs for how much people wanna do maintences. Davpak, your schedule is very aggressive, and its probally because you get these services for cheaper. I know my transmission flush is about $70 from toyota

Sounds like a good idea... this is what I've compiled so far:

- Oil change, every 3,000 - 4,000 miles

- Tire Rotation and Balance, Clean K&N Air Filter, every 6,000 miles

- Fuel Filter, Engine Coolant, Transmission Oil, Clutch Fluid, Brake Fluid, every 30,000 miles

- PCV valve, engine timing belt, spark plugs, every 60,000 miles