Maintenance Schedule (DavPak, Flipside, etc)

[TXSolaraSLE]

ok, so i've got 59700 miles on my baby and its time for a doctor's appointment. These are the services Toyota quoted me. Which ones should I take and which ones should i DIY or take to somewhere a little cheaper? Also, does anybody have comments on the differential fluid change?

Transmission flush (including torque converter) 69.95
Differential fluid 31.95
Fuel Injection cleaning 79.95
Fuel filter 74.95
Cooling system flush 55.00
Spark plugs and labor 180

I'm thinking to do the transmission, differential, and cooling system at Toyota. Jiffy Lube said 50 for the fuel filter. I guess I can do spark plugs myself, but i've heard the rear bank is tough. Is the fuel injection cleaning worth the 80 or should I just pour some techron in the tank?

Lots of questions, so I appreciate the help.

[DavPak]

Transmission flush (including torque converter) 69.95
Differential fluid 31.95
Fuel Injection cleaning 79.95
Fuel filter 74.95
Cooling system flush 55.00
Spark plugs and labor 180

I'm thinking to do the transmission, differential, and cooling system at Toyota. Jiffy Lube said 50 for the fuel filter. I guess I can do spark plugs myself, but i've heard the rear bank is tough. Is the fuel injection cleaning worth the 80 or should I just pour some techron in the tank?

Lots of questions, so I appreciate the help.

jump on the trans, fuel filter, and cooling service. those are good prices. the prices here at my dealership are 149.95, 99, and 89.95 respectively. don't bother with jiffylube. in my experience they cause more problems than fix them. do the plugs yourself and save ~$140.
differential is bogus. that's part of a trans service.
find out how much for a timing belt, you'll be due for that too.

[TXSolaraSLE]

is it possible the transmission is just a drain and fill and not a flush? I mean I asked if it included the torque converter and the guy kinda pulled an "uhhhh.....yeah" kinda thing, so I'll have to ask again when I actually take it in. What do i need to ask to call em out on the differential thing?

They also said timing and drive belts were cool until 90K.

Also , DavPak, what about the fuel injection cleaning?

[TXSolaraSLE]

thanks a lot for the quick reply, btw!

[DavPak]

is it possible the transmission is just a drain and fill and not a flush? I mean I asked if it included the torque converter and the guy kinda pulled an "uhhhh.....yeah" kinda thing, so I'll have to ask again when I actually take it in. What do i need to ask to call em out on the differential thing?

They also said timing and drive belts were cool until 90K.

Also , DavPak, what about the fuel injection cleaning?

to my knowledge, there is not separate drain for JUST the differential. therefore its impossible to drain the transmission (fully) without getting the diff too. that price shouldn't be just a drain and fill, D/F here is 49.95, besides, if it includes the torque converter, its a flush.
fuel injection service is up to you. not totally necessary, but that's also a good price. ours is 149.95.

[hari-bhari]

there is not separate drain for JUST the differential

hmm...actually, i think there is. i went in to get my transmission done today, just a drain and fill, and he said that there was a seal between the main transmission and the differential. he said that it was strange that toyota decided to do it like that because both the differential and tranmission take the same fluid. but anyways, there were two plugs to pull on the differential, one up top and one at the bottom, and the old fluid drains out of the bottom and new fluid is filled in the top. apparently the guy who serviced my tranny at 30k was too lazy or didnt know about the different plugs for the differential, so that fluid was really dirty cuz it hadnt been changed for 60k anyways, bottom line, as far as i understand, the differential and tranmission are separated by a seal and do need to be drained and filled separately, but you shouldnt pay 40 bucks for just the differential. the place i went, high-tech transmission (we've been going there for years, really good people), does the drain and fill on the tranmission and differential, including the gasket and new filter (toyotas dont need new filters since we have screen filters), and a test drive, for 50 bucks. not bad. also, BEWARE of a power flush, if they dont check the filter properly before flushing, all the debris can get clogged in there (this is more of a problem in domestic cars which use paper filters, toyotas have screen filters, so its not as big of a problem, but still potential for trouble) and cause the transmission to break down , which is about 2000 bucks to fix, so dont just take it to any old tire shop and have them do the flush, cuz most of the time those idiots dont know what theyre doing.

[DavPak]

just got more info:
the reason i thought it was the same is b/c my car is a manual, totally different. diff fluid in an automatic should be changed every 60K. a trans flush doesn't necessarily include the diff but does include the torque converter.

[TXSolaraSLE]

I went ahead and got the Transmission/Differential flush, fuel filter change, and fuel injectors cleaned. It set me back about 260, but man was it worth it! Everything just runs so much smoother. I have a lot more power through the 3-4000 RPM range and everything is quieter. Getting on the feeder road right out of the dealership, I shot up to 5200 RPM and hardly noticed it... no lag, no hesitation. I'm guessing the fuel injector cleaning must have helped a lot.

[solarafan]

How often do the transmission fluid and differential fluid need to be replaced? On this forum, people have recommended that they be replaced every 30 k miles. The Toyota maintenance guide that came with my Solara (2000 SLE) does not say when they should be replaced. I see them listed in the "Additional Maintenance Items for Special Operating Conditions", but that is it. The guide does mention that the coolant should be changed every 30 k. The Haynes guide mentions that the transmission and differential fluids should be changed every 30 k. I have also seen differences in dealers' 30 k service plans. One dealer included the trans and diff. fluid flushes, but another dealer did not.

I understand the value of maintenance, but I also do not want to fix things that are not broken either. I just flushed and refilled the coolant system today and I am just seeing what the next project should be.