kamlung

iTrader: (8)

when i bought my 09 GX last year, it came with a 3rd party lifetime warranty on the drivetrain... in order to keep the warranty valid, the insurance company requires that the scheduled maintenance needs to be done and recorded at an authorized location (read that as 'Stealership')

my dilemma is that i normally do all regular maintenance on my cars... (the only thing i usually send out is for the timing belt)... from what i've read across the forums, the cars are pretty solid aside from maybe a gas cap gasket or intake vacuum... but those are all things i think i can deal with with the great write-ups we have... is there anything else that is big ticket that i should be considering maybe with the trans or differential???

the truck is primarily used as a baby hauler/commuter for my wife (few miles round trip a day) and for when we go on family road trips... we won't hit 10k miles a year... so i figure if i'm getting it serviced once a year by the dealership, maybe i just suck it up to keep the warranty... or do i continue sticking it to the man and service it myself... the truck is so tall, i don't even need to jack up the front to do the oil...

thoughts?

new2012jee

The one I bought said it needed maintenance records, OR to keep a maintenance log, with receipts on parts, oil used, etc... Does yours not have that in writing?

kamlung

iTrader: (8)

in writing, the contract i received says that the maintenance must be performed by an authorized ASE certified location... so i can't get away with doing the service myself and just keeping the receipts of the oil etc...

kamlung

iTrader: (8)

here is the warranty company

http://www.mywarrantyforever.com/Home.aspx

new2012jee

I think mine is Extended Total Car Care

chiph9

I don't think you'll save all that much by doing it yourself

7 bottles of Mobil One: $63
1 Toyota filter: $7-9

My dealer charges $80, and I don't have to return the used oil + filter for recycling myself. Only hassle is dealing with them trying to up-sell me on stuff, and it's easy to say no to them.

Chip H.

kamlung

iTrader: (8)

wow it's a 7 quart system?

new2012jee

This is a good point too. I had the dealer do first oil change, and it was $44, with synth blend.

chiph9

6.5 with a filter change. For a V8, I'm surprised it isn't more.

The old air-cooled Porsche flat-sixes held an enormous amount of oil. 10 quarts or more (turbo, non-turbo, etc). There's a good argument that it's actually an oil-cooled motor...

Chip H.

Ali SC3

iTrader: (10)

a drivetrain warranty sounds like it covers all the things that usually do not fail on this car.
I doubt they cover things like the smog pump going out, suspension etc. etc.. unless they cover some of the known problem of this vehicle (which are pretty minor compared to most) I wouldn't bother but it really depends on if you can maintain it yourself.
I do see they cover cracked exhaust manifolds which does happen eventually on this engine (200k+ miles), but it might not be worth it just for that.

about the only thing you need to do drivetrain wise is change the timing belt w/ waterpump every 90k. o2 sensors and plugs is a good idea at the same time.
make sure your transfer case actuator is not leaking and if it is replace the o-ring, usually doesn't happen on the newer ones as much.
the 5 speed transmission is pretty solid along with the engine regular service and they go for a long time, replace the filter and flush it when its getting up there in mileage.

if it was an RX series where the transmissions go all the time I would say don't drive it without one, but on a GX its a much different story, if you have basic DIY skills these are easy to work on.

swfla

iTrader: (1)

An authorized ASE location means by a repair shop that's certified by ASE. That would be many independent shops and not necessarily a dealership. If you build a good relationship with a shop owner, they will often allow you to provide the parts (keep the receipts). No reason to pay $75 for a cabin air filter
I'd definitely make sure the mechanic's receipts spell out all work done. These third party insurance companies are notorious for looking for loopholes.

kamlung

iTrader: (8)

so i'm sitting at the dealership i bought the car from for one of my complimentary first year oil changes... i spoke to the service advisor and they charge 39.99 for an oil change with Toyota synth blend... for that price i may just let them do it... i also asked about timing belt service and it's $850 plus a free loaner for the day... the only problem is this dealership is ~1.5hrs drive from my house near Philly... so i guess i'll just plan a road trip twice a year and bring the car down for them to do...

i'm used to my GS430 with a ~5 qt system, i didn't think an additional .4L on the motor was another qt and half more of oil...

chiph9

There isn't a direct correlation between displacement and oil capacity. The Porsche 911 I mentioned was in the 3-liter range (I want to say around 3.2 liters) yet used over 10 liters of oil, because the oil was used to manage heat build-up in parts of the engine. Porsche installed jets to squirt cooling oil on the bottom of the pistons and in other areas like the heads.

Chip H.