Properly servicing a toyota after warranty

[canopy]

I have had a Vigo for 7 years. I thought the right thing to do was bring it in every 6 months for service which is what I have been doing. But here in Phetchabun each time they seem more confused than ever with what to do and ask me what I want. Or sometimes they recommend a service type for mileage I am years away from getting to which seems really wrong. One of the contributing factors is I put fewer KM on that is usual; maybe 3000 in 6 months.. I would have thought it would be pretty standard to at least change the oil and perform some basic checks every 6 months just like during the 3 year warranty. What is the right interval for servicing after warranty and what should I tell them to do? It has regular oil, not synthetic.

[stoneyboy]

Well I use Chevrolet in Phetchabun and they place a tag on the the key each time for another service,oil change in 5000 kms time.

They also check the car over and if they find anything they inform me and ask if I would like it replaced which I normally go for,given that minor parts,oil and filters etc as well as labour costs are relatively inexpensive here it's just as easy to do it this way.

My Colorado is also 7 years old but I clock up a few kms each year so I have no one else to blame other than myself for not servicing it on a regular basis.

Does the hand book not show when to service it ie 50,000, 60,000 kms etc.

Failing that just go for an oil and filter change every 5000 kms which should be fine imo.

[Isan Farang]

On my Pajero it does very low kms. I use fully synthetic Mobil 1 and change the oil and filter once a year. I bring it in to the Mitsu garage every 6 months to have them give it a general check over, they will also clean or replace the air filter. They have a record of the vehicle on the computer so sometimes they will change the fuel filter, coolant, diff oil, auto box oil depending on when it was last done.

As mentioned parts and labor are cheap here so your present 6 month oil and filter change is perfect. If the vehicle is rarely used, best to base the requirements by months rather than kms.

[Bredbury Blue]

Our Fortuner is out of it's warranty period so we now use Bqik for services.

[gerry123]

lol what makes you think they service it correctly even within the warranty period ??

[Junkyarddog]

I have a Toyota Hilux as well. Purchased new in 2005. When you take your truck for a oil change, they will tell you what other maintenance should be done according to Toyota. I always ask to check battery and air filter. Blow the filter out with air if dirty, if to dirty replace it. In my case only because its something I have done all my life, I change the oil and filter every 4,000 miles. I think Toyota recommends every 6,000 miles but at the price for an oil change here, I think its worth the money to do it every 4,000 miles. The timing belt needs to be replaced at 150,000 KMS. A light will come on on your dash board when its time. The rest I leave to Toyota. They have been very good at taking care of every thing else. They will even check brakes without being ask and advise how many millimeters of pad you have left so you know about when its time for new brake pads. I haven't let anyone but Toyota service my truck, have been 100% happy with their service. No one knows how to take better care of a Toyota than Toyota.

If your in Chiang Mai, I use the dealer on 107, not far from super highway as uour leaving town on the right side. I think that dealer is Lanna Toyota.

[northernphil]

I have a 7 yo Toyota Vios ( Viros, there are getting everywhere ) I bought it at a local garage and the car when last serviced had an oil change and new a/c filter, oh and a new belt, But it is due for another service at 100,000k and as I have no service history I am thinking of taking it to Toyota , Does it need a timing belt new brakes , I have no idea. The reason I say this is about 2 years ago I bought a PCX 150 new at a local bike dealer. There are 11 bike dealers in this town but I got a better price trading in my Phantom at one particular shop. I took into GreenWH a couple of months ago as it was starting to rattle and the boss there tightened up the head stock ,he also took the drive belt off and showed me how at 25000k that it was " No good ,cracks " He was right and the PCX has a new one. Soooo oil changes and radiator getting topped up are not enough.I would suggest taking a bike or car for a proper service once a year get everything checked . GWH charged me 40B for tightening the headstock, taking the drive belt off cleaning all the dust out. Then charged me 40B to fit a new one. Don't take chances .

[kkup]

I took my Isuzu in for the regular service at a new dealership and the guy offered to turn the odometer back so I didn't need the service....

[thailandforumaddict]

How much do you pay to change oil ?

[fitzcaraldo]

I am quite happy with bung sanphan toyota near petchabun but next time i will try to use a big local mechanic which ave a good reput for the next annual check up .

[edvinjo]

Do not have a handbook on the car?
It says everything about this. Same car also exported to Norway,
and I've even run these since 1982 until 2012.
Has worked in Toyota Workshop as Manager since 1982 until
pension in 2012.
It`s only a small service at 15000 km -45000-75000-105000 ++ or once a year
if you drive less than this.
Main Service comes so by 30000-60000-90000-120000 ++ or every other year.
Small dishes consist of only about 15 points incl. oil change / filter as well as all fluids Controlled, lights/w.wipers and tires + on a test run. The time this takes is 1.3 hours.
Outbred major then 60000 and 120000 the largest and time consumption can here vary from 3 to 6 hours + that timing belt should be replaced every 5 years or at max.150000 about this coming earlier. Hope this clears it away for you.

[The Deerhunter]

Try a different Toyota agent in a different town when you have an opportunity. Drink a coffee in their customer lounge while you wait. 1hr or 1.5hr absolute max unless they find something nasty and even then you will be glad you had it checked before it let you down. Give the money to someone who wants it.

Edited April 24, 2015 by The Deerhunter

[fredob43]

To the OP there is no regular service at 3,000km or 6 months on Vigo, so they Will ask you what you want. Just tell them 10th service and let them get on with it.

The brakes will be ok with such short mileage they will check for oil leaks on same so everything should be fine.

Tip stand with the car during the service, "If they wont let you do that go somewhere else" Then point out any other bits you want done.

For one grease the prop shaft I will lay odds it's never been done from new Reason it's not on any service list, should be greased every 6th. Less if taken through lots of water.

If they are using the correct Toyota oil it will be semi synthetic. But knowing Toyota P/Bun they will put anything in that's the cheapest and charge you for the right stuff.

[transam]

OP, you have purchased one of the most reliable pickups available in LOS. Basic oil change stuff is all thats needed which you can get done anywhere using well known outlets. Personally I use Shell garages to do oil and filter stuff. You can watch the bloke unseal a can of Shell oil. On a Vigo it is important to "pressure" grease the drive shaft UJ's which my Shell garage does on request, I watch..........

[Jessi]

I had my 1996 Toyota corolla serviced three weeks ago @ a local repair shop not a dealership.

Engine oil change + new filter.

New air cleaner element.

Transmission oil change.

4 new spark plugs.

4 new wheel bearings.

1 new brake cylinder kit.

plus a general safety check on front end.

Cost, 7,400B for parts + 900B for labor.

Then to get a wheel alignment and wheels rotated. Cost 300B

Air con re- gas. Cost 400B.

Total 9,000B

I watched all work being done & I was very impressed with the general mechanic.

Edited April 26, 2015 by Jessi

[thailandforumaddict]

I had my 1996 Toyota corolla serviced three weeks ago @ a local repair shop not a dealership.

Engine oil change + new filter.

New air cleaner element.

Transmission oil change.

4 new spark plugs.

4 new wheel bearings.

1 new brake cylinder kit.

plus a general safety check on front end.

Cost, 7,400B for parts + 900B for labor.

Then to get a wheel alignment and wheels rotated. Cost 300B

Air con re- gas. Cost 400B.

Total 9,000B

I watched all work being done & I was very impressed with the general mechanic.

Hello,

Where is your local repair man ?

Did you buy the parts yourself at the real price ? You could have spent less.

Thanks.

[canopy]

I am surprised to confirm Toyota hasn't a clue what to do with people who accrue mileage at a slower rate than average. I read the owners manual and there are numerous checks that should be performed at maximum 6 month intervals. I guess I need to bring the book to the counter and go through line by line and show them what it says to do, how frustrating. And the recommendation to take it to another shop as a stop gap measure seems less than ideal. First, Toyota will no longer be able to track what's been done and what hasn't. Second, useful checks could be skipped.

This is just one more reason I've lost a lot of confidence in Toyota service. Let me give another example. I use breaks gently and often prefer gear braking. One service interval Toyota Phetchabun told me I used brakes very sparingly. The next time they said I'd still be fine. The next time the brakes had worn through and cost me a lot of money to rectify. I was very concerned this had happened as I had accrued very few thousand km since the last service and as they said, I use brakes gently. What if I had put on a "normal" amount of km the last 6 months? What if I didn't use breaks so gently? I let them know I was not satisfied with this outcome. To appease me, they had a nice girl call and claim the problem was because I live in the mountains which uses a lot of brakes and so wasn't their fault this happened. I asked if what she was trying to say is their policy is to put everyone in the mountains in danger of losing their brakes. They still didn't get it and did nothing to appease me or change their policy. The machine is solid, but the service hasn't met my expectations. Glad others have had better experiences.

[Ace of Pop]

I am a bit lost here. Sevice Books read Service at so many KMs or so many Months dont they. Cant see a prob there unless U cant read a Calendar, or the trips bust. .

[canopy]

Exactly right, so why are you lost? I bring the toyota in after 6 months expire. The book lists things that should be done at least that frequently. But they don't know what to do and ask me what I want. They are confused as to why I am even there and sometimes suggest things that don't make sense. This thread confirms one may need to take a more active role instead of relying on Toyota to properly service the vehicle.

[Ace of Pop]

Must Be Toyota Dumb. Normal dealers look at last service entry, then Calendar and jump to todays date, do the work and give U nice Bill .

[WhiteCadillac]

You don't need to do service every 6 months, unless you hate wasting your time and money. 3000 km is nothing.

You can check the color of the oil if it needs changing by yourself. With your low mileage per year I would go every 2 years unless something acute comes up.

[Ace of Pop]

I keep My Book correct for the sake of a few bucks,up to You. Everyone different.

[WhiteCadillac]

Who cares about a book when new cars don't even come with books, and the mileage has not been reached.

Dealers are very aggressive in targeting customers with maintainance, even if the yearly mileage is very low. In reality the parts are in total working condition, and not about to go bad any time soon. Changing parts that do not require to be changed is a big business. You don't need to do that if your mileage is low.

[Ace of Pop]

When did Books become obsolete.???.

[WhiteCadillac]

Probably about the same time when proper spelling and grammar became obsolete.

[Ace of Pop]

Bout same time as Question Avoidance. Answer the Question or go away.