Greetings folks ...I just came into a '05 Avalon with about 50K miles. I'm a pretty low milage driver - figure on 4 to 5K miles a year, so I'm wondering about maintenance, oil changes. etc. Previous owner has been using synthetic 5W-40. Wondering if i must change out the oil after 6 months as the service schedule recommends even if that's after only 2K miles driven. If I stay with synthetic, the oil ought to hold up for much longer than standard oil, right?
I also have the same question regarding other routine maintenance items...should I stick to the recommended time frames on things or is that just unnecessary given how far below average my miles driven will be?
Also, just on the off chance there are any Chicago readers, if anyone knows of a good indy mechanic that you recommend to do standard services for less than the dealer, I'd love to hear.
We are low mileage drivers and just change every 5K with 5w30 M1 Synthetic. Usually works out to once a year or so. Also, we just rotate every oil change, too. With the synthetic, even at the 5K it tests out as still viable; however, I won't leave it in longer than 1 year.
What's typically recommended on oil changes is, for example, 5,000 miles OR 5 months. That's pretty much been an industry standard for as far back as I can remember - miles or months, whichever comes first.
The major services are at the 30k mile marks (30, 60, 90...). They're primarily inspections that go in deeper than your typical oil change. The biggy is the 90k/100k mile service that includes transmission service as well as coolant system service and an alignment check.
Thanks, that's very helpful. May I ask what do you about major services like the ones that are 15K, 30K, etc.?
Cheers,
-steve
Our Service Manager said to just do the major services as per mileage. Don't forget that things like the air or cabin filter, etc. may need changing earlier than a mileage change. Also, if you are going to a reliable shop or dealership (ours is great), they will check things like trans,plugs, etc. at the earlier service and make recommendations based on what they see. I will probably end up changing plugs, trans, and coolant earlier than the book says mileage wise; however, with modern fluids, etc., you never know.
Our Service Manager said to just do the major services as per mileage. Don't forget that things like the air or cabin filter, etc. may need changing earlier than a mileage change. Also, if you are going to a reliable shop or dealership (ours is great), they will check things like trans,plugs, etc. at the earlier service and make recommendations based on what they see. I will probably end up changing plugs, trans, and coolant earlier than the book says mileage wise; however, with modern fluids, etc., you never know.
That seems sensible. And now the search is on for a good shop. Thanks again.
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