Hello, I am new to the forum and just curious. Lexus told me that "by the book" is not good. The reasoning is the driver in the middle of nowhere and the driver in the heart of LA expierence different driving conditions. It makes sense that the guy that drives at 45 miles a hour on country roads and never sits in traffic should have less service requirements than a guy who commutes 10 miles in traffic that takes 1 hour (driver in traffic just seems like more wear and tear). Obviously, the book can only cater to 1 driving condition, and according to my manual the tires NEVER require balancing! Just does not seem right? I am new to the forum and wanted to get some ideas of this being right or wrong?!?!

=PS, I really like the look of this forum and am glad I found Club Lexus!

 

"By the Book" = the minimum allowable service frequency intervals that you must follow to maintain the factory powertrain warranty, but they are not the best intervals to follow for maximum drivetrain component life. For very long durability (over 200,000 miles) the service intervals should be cut approximately 25-50%. Example: change motor oil every 3000 miles instead of 5000. Change spark plugs every 60,000 instead of 105,000 or 120,000 And follow the service intervals for towing (e.g. change the transmission fluid and rear differential at the interval recommended for towing even if you don't tow)
And there are some services the car may need from time to time that aren't even mentioned in the scheduled maintenance guide such a cleaning the throttle plate of deposits.

 

I entirely agree with that statement, however everyone will have different requirements...

for instance - coolant - it's requirements for fluid exchange do not change, and should be replaced every 5 years or 100,000 miles for toyota long life fluid (standard green is 2 years / 30,000 miles, but chevy's dexcool claims 5 years / 150,000 miles, but I wouldn't trust it past 2 years)

other things, it just depends on how you drive, not necessarily where you drive, although where you drive does impact how you drive...

things like wheel balancing you do when it needs it - when it shakes...

basic guidelines -
change oil every 3000-5000 miles, preferably use synthetics for better protection
rotate tires every other oil change
coolant as listed above, or, if upon inspection, it is discolored, or "dirty"
trans fluid - when it smells burnt or is brown in color - it should be red or dark red
brake fluid - when it becomes contaminated (there are test strips that show you), or, every 2 years (more often if you brake really hard, often)
spark plugs - depends on plugs - OE plugs claim 105-120k miles, but I use copper plugs that are significantly cheaper, but only last 15-30k miles - my experience, even the super long life plugs should be replaced every 60-90k miles
rear diff fluid - every 30k miles, irregardless of driving
timing belt - if so equipped - every 90k miles, again, irregardless of driving
(change the water pump, pulleys and serpentine belt with the t-belt)

everything else really is on an as needed basis...