Quote:
Originally Posted by Tremendous_Slouch
I have 30 years of wrenching behind me, and i say forget the manual. Toyota is a good company but they are in the business of selling cars not making them last forever. So when in doubt, do more then they say to.
Every two to three years is a good interval. Bear in mind you are not getting all brake fluid out since the only way to do that is disassembly. Some brake fluid is left behind in the bottom of the caliper or cylinder if you have drums on the back. Nonetheless dont let this dissuade you from changing brake fluid if you want to try to keep your car forever, brake parts will wear out but there is no need to get anal about it.
Heres my advice since you asked, buy a turkey baster at the 99 cent store and use it to suck out the reservoir. Refill. Then start flushing. A friend is usefull to pump the brake pedal if someone is available otherwise you will be running back and forth. If no one is free, I suggest a stick, broom handle, board , or anything long enough to hold down the brake pedal.
Pump the brakes 3 times and hold. Start with the right rear. Crack the bleeder (usually 10 mm wrench) and let it spit the fluid. Tighten the bleeder. Repeat ad nauseum til the fluid comes out clean. Repeat for the other 3 wheels. If you do it right you wont have to bleed (air) from any of them.
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Hmmm. I don;t know if I agree with you 100%. I think it's more the other way around. They try to get you to service your car more often than necessary, if you ask me. Keep in mind, they make most of their money from Service and Parts, not so much from sales of new cars. The profit margin for new car is not actually that high relative to parts and service.
I use Toyota's service schedule as a guideline but dont follow it to the T. Having said that, there are certain components of the car I follow Toyota's guideline or better. For example, the automatic transmission fluid, I change it very very often. I want as little wear on the tranny as possible as it's a expensive, delicate, and complex part of the car. For brake fluid, I push it a bit and change it every 2.5 years or so, not the recommended 2 yrs. Coolant, same thing, not the 2 year interval, every 2.5 to 3 years.
