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> In response to your first concern regarding the oil level on
> your dipstick when adding oil to your Corolla, it is important
> to remember that the amount listed in the Owner's Manual should
> be treated as a reference, and you should alwayd go by the
> dipstick level. When maintaining your oil, before putting
> last 1/2 quart we recommend that you start the engine so that
> the oil will also be circulating and filling the filter.
> You should then turn the engine of, measure the dipstick,
> and pour in the last 1/2 quart gradually.
>
> In response to your second concern regarding whether or not
> the 2003 Corolla requires a drain plug gasket, the Corolla
> did come equipped with a fibre plug from the factory,
> so if you can not find it we suggest you contact your
> local dealer and purchase another one.
About 3 qts, plus a little.
Started by putting in 3 qts.
Ran around a little, check dip after a little cool down.
Needed to add about a quarter quart max.
I usually do not add if it's in the upper third of the low and high markers.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
- undercoat
- paint
- seat covers
- rust
paint protection is a waste. wax the car and its the same thing!
HOWEVER, if you will most likely sell the car in ten years or less, and will at least somewhat regularly wash and wax it while you have it, then the only person you are benefitting with paint protection is the next owner, so then it might be a waste! :-)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Archaic low-rev V8 pushrods? One probably can use corn oil with them and they would still run. You guys are driving cars with engines working much harder. From another point of view, you probably do not use some little known 20W30 oil from the lube shop nearby, but high-quality semi-syntethic or synthetic oil ;-)
P.S. Hydraulic lifters cannot stand dirty oil, so good filter is probably more important.
Mobil 1 gear oil in differentials (non limited slip), transfer cases, and manual transmissions is changed when new, thereafter every 100,000 miles.
Automatic trans fluid is drained and refilled every motor oil change (10,000 miles) using the drain plug found on all Toyota trans pans. Since the torque converter is not drained, refill is only 25% to 40% of full trans fluid capacity. I drop the pan and clean it every 40,000 to 50,000 miles. I don't use synthetic trans fluid, but adhere to Toyota's recommendation for use of Type T-IV fluid in the tranmissions that require it.
Mobil 1 gear oil in differentials (non limited slip), transfer cases, and manual transmissions is changed when new, thereafter every 100,000 miles.
Automatic trans fluid is drained and refilled every motor oil change (10,000 miles) using the drain plug found on all Toyota trans pans. Since the torque converter is not drained, refill is only 25% to 40% of full trans fluid capacity. I drop the pan and clean it every 40,000 to 50,000 miles. I don't use synthetic trans fluid, but adhere to Toyota's recommendation for use of Type T-IV fluid in the tranmissions that require it.
I average 200,000 to 250,000 miles on a Toyota before replacing it. I never had a trans problem on a car I bought new. Never had any motor problems. After 200,000 miles, they burn 1 quart every 3,000 miles.
As to your tune-up schedule, your car should have come with a maintenance schedule that details when and what services are required. I have a matrix and it calls for a services every 7,500 miles. At 15,000 and 30,000 they do a few extra things.
Tune-ups are old school. Most new engines do not require a traditional tune up for 100,000 miles or more. Tune ups are different than regular services. A regular service replaces or checks wear items and lubricates needed areas. Tune-ups check things like ignition timing and valve clearance to make sure that an engine is operating within specifications. Newer cars with engine management computers basically keep the car in tune automatically.
Another question for oil changes. Is it not a good idea to use synthetic oil in a new car?
There is no "tune up" before 120,000 miles.
There are 5,000 or 7,500 mile service intervals.
5,000 mile service intervals are for people who:
-drive on dusty or unpaved roads
-tow trailers or use car-top carriers
-make repeated trips less than 5 miles in subfreezing temps.
everyone else uses 7,500 mile intervals.
At a service, they will change your oil and filter, rotate tires and inspect the chassis.
At 15,000 miles they'll do all that and inspect your air filter. At 22,500 they'll do all that and replace the airconditioning filter. At 30,000 miles they'll do all the normal stuff plus replace your engine coolant and air filter.
At each service they may find some things that need to be fixed, but that is not likely.
Synthetic Oil. Voodoo. There are wives tales about engines not breaking in properly if you use synthetic too soon. Synthetic oil manufacturers will tell you this is incorrect. Some manufacturers put synthetic in the car when it is built. There is a lot of info about synthetics on the net. Some of it is good and some is bad. There are competing brands all claiming to be the best. All have their own anecdotes of successes. I started to try to make sense of it all and gave up. I put mobil 1 in my trix at 3,000 miles. I will let it go 7,500 miles between changes.
I have read my manual. However, I got confused because I've heard others say that newer cars don't need to be taken in for tune ups at all. So, I just wanted to hear what others on here had to say.
I will have to pull out the maintenance guide for my 'trix one of these days, but I don't think this engine even has periodic valve adjustment, does it?
I would change the coolant and air filter every 30K though. And keep changing that oil!
Funny: two different dealerships now have balked at my instruction to them NOT to change the A/T fluid (per Toyota's maintenance guide, you NEVER change it for the life of the car unless you operate under one of those three conditions capitano posted above). They all want to change it every 15K just like cars of 10-15 years ago needed. This has saved a lot of money. At the 15K the dealer I was at charged $229 for their 15K service...when I insisted on NO A/T fluid change, the guy scratched his head and said "well, we strongly recommend it, but if you really want to skip it, then the rest is just a 'minor service', which is $59.95"!!!!!
Dealers will just have to get used to the truly low maintenance requirements of modern cars. They will have to find another way to boost profits in the service department. As it is, they are already losing the profit boon of the 90s: periodic timing belt replacement, at $200+ a pop.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
There is no periodic valve adjustment on the trix. The clearance only gets checked at 120k and presumably adjusted if out of spec at that time.
I have just passed 22.5K - I will have to remember to get them to change that cabin air filter when I do the 30K service.
Like this car a lot, am thinking I should have got the XRS though. I am sort of playing with the idea of trading for one next summer, when this car turns two...lot of wasted money inherent in that transaction, so I will probably convince myself to hold off trading.
One of the great things about this car is the extraordinarily low amount of maintenance needed! The dealer charges $500 now for the 30K service, so I may go to an indy shop instead and save $150 or so.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
because they always telling me i should have some other services for my car, and my car is only 1 year old/12k miles
dont know if it is worth it.
by the way, what kind of fuel do you use for your cars? 87,89,or 91? the manuel says 87, but i use 89. some people even use 91! do you guys prefer chevron fuel?
thanks a lot!
One of the great things about the current corolla is the extremely low maintenance. Basically coolant flush and new air filter every 30K, plugs at 105K, and regular oil changes and tire rotations is just about it. For the normal scheduled maintenance of course. If you have a good way to recycle coolant, you can do it all yourself - it is easy on this car.
Oh yeah, and there's a cabin air filter to change every 22,5 (per the manual) if you care.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
i appreciate it ^_^
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Oh, and later I noticed they had put their own little jiffy lube sticker in the window that said my next oil change was due on March 18 or at 10,981 miles. Everyone has latched onto the 3k mile oil change thing. Their own brochure touts a 5k mile service. It kinda bugs me that they ignore what the manuals call for, but they were quicker than jiffy lube and they didn't call me out to the car and show me my air filter.....
YMMV, I guess.
$43 oil changes are definitely a loss leader given that they check the tires and the fluids as well...at both dealers I mentioned it is $29.95.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
___As for fuel economy, I have been averaging ~ 42.5 mpg over the last 9 months I use the cheapest 87 Regular Unleaded I can find as well. I paid $1.39 the other night at a local Marathon which isn’t too bad. It was just $1.37 earlier this week however.
___As for oil changes and such, a local Walmart provides a steal of a deal. That includes a full Mobil1 5W-30 synthetic oil change w/ a SuperTech filter for just $27.00 including a tread depth measurement. I also run 12,500 miles between changes because I drive almost 5,000 miles/month in the Corolla. When I do my own, Sam’s Club has a 6 pack of Mobil1 5W-30 synthetic for just $23.00 and the SuperTech is < $2.00.
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
1. Routine "brake adjustments" for the rear drums. Confirmed with Toyota national that the brakes are self adjusting.
2. Wheel alignments/tire balance at every 15K. I used to run a gas station. You normally only need to balance tires once, when you install them. Alignment should not be routinely done. Only if abnormal tire wear or steering drift are noticed.
3. Cabin filter changes at $50 a pop. Part can be bought from discount dealer for under $20. Installs in about 2 minutes and instructions are in your owner's manual.
Can't trust most dealer recommendations. Even the Toyota manual urges you to question recommended services that are not listed in your factory maintenance schedule.
Is using Mobil 1 synthetic a good idea in a Corolla?
I was thinking at 1k miles.
Maybe I should get transmission fluid changed at 70K. I had it changed at 15, 30 and 45K (new owner). What do you guys suggest?
For the 60K service they just do oil and lube and inspect brakes (i have them new). I think it is not worth it, since car is out of warranty as well.
Please advice.
Why type of oil does Midas offer in their $15 oil change?