2001 Corolla, 160k miles looking for advice on maintenance suggestions.
So my car just hit 160k miles.
I change the oil frequently but I have been slacking on the other maintenance's.
Not sure what I should be doing, I have never touched the tranny fluid, spark plugs, belt, wires, thermostat, hoses or coolant in this car.
Also the shocks and struts are stock and they feel like they need to be replaced to me, any suggestions on which shocks/struts to buy and where to buy them?
Autopart stores charge an awful lot.
Did you buy the car new? How many miles has it been since the thing you listed were done? If its been over 30k miles it would hurt to service the trans, maybe change the plugs, check the belt if it is glazed or cracking i would replace it.
Did you buy the car new? How many miles has it been since the thing you listed were done? If its been over 30k miles it would hurt to service the trans, maybe change the plugs, check the belt if it is glazed or cracking i would replace it.
Yea I have owned it since new, I havent done any of those maintenance items listed..
My concern is the transmission fluid and filter, I have heard that changing the filter and fluid with this many miles can be detrimental.
Not sure what I should be doing, I have never touched the tranny fluid, spark plugs, belt, wires, thermostat, hoses or coolant in this car.
Also the shocks and struts are stock and they feel like they need to be replaced to me, any suggestions on which shocks/struts to buy and where to buy them?
Autopart stores charge an awful lot.
I would do all those things you listed. I would change all the coolant and heater hoses. plus, pcv valve, airfilter, clean tb, clean maf, clean iacv.put Lockease in all the locks. if you are worried about the tranny flush, you could do a drain and fill every time you change the oil.for the next 4 or 5 changes. I would only use the recommend toyota tranny fluid.
I know people change the stuts but I dont unless they are broken.....I would do all the maintance becasue that is what keeps you from getting stranded........the best serp belt is the goodyear gatorback...
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2006 Vibe, White, 1zzfe, auto ( Toyota type IV), AWD, PW, PL, CC, AC, 161,000(5/12/2012)
1998 Camry LE, 4 door, Puke Green, I4(5S-FE), CA Emissions, Auto(A140E), 122k(3/22/2012), AC,CC, ABS, Built in Japan 04/98. Grandmas old car(acquired 7/22/2011), work= precat Denso A/F sensor, NGK wires.
........My concern is the transmission fluid and filter, I have heard that changing the filter and fluid with this many miles can be detrimental.
There is no filter on the 01, just a internal screen inside the pan. It's better to just replace the screen with a new one since it is hard to take out to clean it without tearing it and it would not screen the oil as well that way.
Make sure to change the brake fluid too. It's performance deteriorates after time and people's brakes have failed because of that since they did not change it in 4-5yrs. It's best to change it at least every 3yrs which is what I do, some people change it every 2yrs. Check your brake pads for wear and replace if necessary.
Don't overlook the power steering fluid. I change mine every 3yrs with the brake fluid.
.............the shocks and struts are stock and they feel like they need to be replaced to me, any suggestions on which shocks/struts to buy and where to buy them?............
Btw Koni Yellow and Tokico HP are common options for stiffer struts. Bilstein TC and KYB GR-2 are common OEM replacements. I don't know where to get a good deal on them, maybe someone else here does. Look in the 8th gen sticky faq thread up on top for more info. I believe struts were mentioned there.
Are your tires good? Does the car steer to one side at speed? If not then I would not worry about getting an alignment, but if it does steer to one side then check for tire pull first before getting an alignment. Swap the tires to the opposite side, the front first then the back. If it steers to the other side then you know it's a tire that needs to be fixed instead of the alignment.
There is no filter on the 01, just a internal screen inside the pan. It's better to just replace the screen with a new one since it is hard to take out to clean it without tearing it and it would not screen the oil as well that way.
Make sure to change the brake fluid too. It's performance deteriorates after time and people's brakes have failed because of that since they did not change it in 4-5yrs. It's best to change it at least every 3yrs which is what I do, some people change it every 2yrs. Check your brake pads for wear and replace if necessary.
Don't overlook the power steering fluid. I change mine every 3yrs with the brake fluid.
So is it safe to change the tranny oil after this long? People have told me the tranny would slip worse if I changed it
no it wont hurt to change the fluid, it's kind of a wives tale about changinng fluid after x number of miles, the big thing is color, metal shavings, and consistency. ie think, thining, milky...
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