Just taking a quick poll from everyone to see how much preventative maintenance above and beyond what is stated in our owners manual do you do.... specifically, has anyone proactively replaced any of the coolant hoses or the plug wires before a mishap has occurred? Our 2000 RX with approx. 120k is still running on original hoses and wires. If you've changed these, at what mileage did you do it? How long are these supposed to last? Back in the day, I remember changing coolant hoses with my dad every few years because they always leaked.....

Thanks for the feedback.

 

I have less years and less miles on mine, so I'll keep it short.

- We don't have high-voltage ignition wires since there is a coil sitting right above each spark plug. so that's one set of parts that's not needed.

- I do a transmission fluid drain and refill every 15,000 miles or so. That's not in the service manual.

- I replace the car battery every five years, whether it needs it or not.

 

You will find the hoses of today are much better quality than the hoses of yesterday...Also the coolents prolong this life....As for plug wires there are none. Those have been replaced with coil on plugs which are fired by a computer. I changed my hoses last year with 160k miles and they were just fine. As for the spark plugs they should go an easy 125k miles. Main thing is change that oil, and drain and fill the transmission fluid (do not do a flush) I suggest tranny fluid every 15k miles. other than the usual brake pads, change radiator fluid every 5 years and use TOyota Coolent, there is just the normal wear and tear maintenance. We have 177k miles and still rolling well. I plan to possibly investigate the drive shaft bearings (AWD) for a resonance noise but other than that so far so good. Best of the morning to you.

 

I plan to very shortly inspect areas on my RX where grease needs to be applied. That's probably one of the areas I've been negligent on.

I haven't had issues with any of the hoses. One I idea I had (and saw on Solaraguy) was to use transparent/clear hosing (aesthetics) for the fluids. I've seen it done on other vehicles, too.

BTW, we have a new vehicle in the family and I'll be overseeing most of the maintenance of this vehicle. For my girlfriend, we picked up yesterday a gray 2006 Toyota 4Runner V8 2WD, only 19,000 miles on the clock and oddly enough that's the price we paid for it, $19K. Even had Navigation with it. Had an overkill on maintenance by the previous owners (took it to Toyota for every oil change, inspection, etc.) who were in their early 70s. We looked at the GX470 (2003) but the prices were way out of bounds and the mileage was always 100K+.

 

Lexmex, you'll love the 4Runner, congrats. You got a rock solid truck at an awesome price. Our other car is a '03 4Runner that is closing in on 100k and has been solid since day one.

 

It is basically various fluids and lots of checks and inspection.

Here is my list :

Every time I start:
Check proper operation of all warning lights before turning the key to start.
Check brakes twice and throttle at least once.
Turn down the stereo and listen to any abnormal sound, vibration etc.
Drive keeping rpm below 3k till engine reaches optimum temperature.

Weekly:
Quick visual of the engine compartment.
Inspect fluid levels and air pressure, belts pulleys, look for drips etc.

Bi Weekly: (adjusted for weather and appearance of RX)
Wash and clean. Really wash the wheel wells till all dirt is removed.
Run A/C for at least 10 min if it has not been used. <= winter time.

Monthly:
Do an overnight battery charge.

Every 5K
Engine Oil and filter. [I use synthetic]
Cabin air filter, clean and replace if needed.
Wipe down the inside of the RX.

Every10k
Jack each wheel and spin it to see smooth operation.
Rotate tires and inspect brake pads. Check suspension and brake hoses. Check air pressure and condition of the spare.
Bounce at each end to see proper operation of shocks.
Check smooth operation of seat belts.
Wax the outside. Leather treat the inside [some what adjusted for the right time of the year]

Every 15k
Transmission fluid drain/fill (drop pan for adventurers, and filter service.
Clean, lube, clean, wax the antenna.

Every 20k
Drain-fill brake fluid.
Inspect coolant filler cap.
Gas cap is checked at state inspection (yearly).

Every 25K
Suck-fill steering pump fluid.
Air filter. If good go another 10k.

Extensive inspection. [50k]
Crawl under and check for abnormalities.
Fuel line, brake lines.
Rubber boots.
Suspension play.
Use flash light and look for shiny metal around moving parts ... some thing is rubbing which should not and or a movable part has lost a cover and will wear out very quickly.
Check transmission and engine mounts.
Check exhaust suspension and condition.
Examine all hoses in the engine compartment.
Open and inspect all fuse boxes.
Rear Diff fluid (if equipped).
Inspect all cables and mechanisms, Parking brake, hood release, throttle cable.
Check operation of all door locks. Lube hinges.


Every 75k
Accessory belts and coolant drain-fill.


Every 90K
Timing belt and idlers <water pump not needed>

Every 110k
Spark Plugs


When under warranty, I would let the dealer do the maintenance.

Most important of all, attend to any abnormality as soon as possible. My view is, one bad thing will lead to another (it is a system) and nothing gets cheaper as time goes bye. I am sure lots of you will say all this is overkill and so does my wife. She thinks the vehicles are my other wives. [, I beg forgiveness from folks who are not aware of other cultures].

Salim