'00 Solara SLE V6...just got it... need tips

[korr2221]

I just got an '00 Solara SLE V6. First car. I need any tip that you can give. What type of oil do I use to change the oil? (Guides if available would be nice) What kind of gas do I use? Regular? Pre? Eh? ... Anything I should keep an eye on? It's currently running on 65k miles, and I'm going to drive it a lot to commute to school and maybe drive in the city of Philadephia... :-/ I've had mixed gpm between 17 and 19 for the city... when researching about this car.. can anyone confirm how bad is it for the city? But yeah... any tips would be nice!

- Korr

[littlebookworm]

I've got 82K on my 05 SLE V6. I use regular gas and average 19-20MPG local driving and up to 28MPG on the highway, driving on Long Island NY. I use reular oil and have it changed every 4K miles. You could use synthetic if you want. It would give you slightly better gas mileage and is a little better on keeping your engine clean. A quick question for you. There is a slight modification to the air intake system which will improve you acceleration response. It takes 5 minutes. If you want, I can post the details If you find a time delay when you "kick into passing gear," you need the update on the computer, which was done, for free, as part of the 80K air pollution warrenty. Other than that, it's a fun car to drive. What brand of tires are on your car? Good luck with your car. Hy

[eyeball96]

Congrats....Suspension mods!...thats ur best bang for the buck, and thats all I have to say.

[98CamryLE]

97-01 Camrys and 99-03 Solaras are tanks that are extremely reliable.

91 octane is recommended, but regular fuel will work fine.
Look in your owners manual for the recommended oil. 5w20 or 10w20 should be fine. (5w20 would probably be better)

The only thing that I would watch out for is water-pump failure. Other than that, the only other common problem I know of is the oil sludge issue- but if you (and the previous owner) changed/changes the oil on a regular basis you'll be fine. Like I said, these cars are tanks and really last forever with regular maintenance.

The only other issue I know of in Solaras is that the paint on the bumpers don't age or wear the same as the rest of the car- especially on silver, gold, and white cars. You really can't do anything about this other than repainting.

[Gadgetjq]

Tip #1: Read Your Owners Manual. It will have all the specs you'll need for oil, tire pressures, fuel recommendations (probably premium for the 6 cylinder, regular for the 4) and general maintenance.

Tip #2: Log onto Toyota Information Services (http://techinfo.toyota.com) and pay the ten bucks for 24 hours. You'll be able to download the entire factory service manual, every technical service bulletin and a whole lot more from the site.

Tip #3: Get a Chilton or Haynes (your preference) service manual for your car. Sometimes they're better than the factory manual because they tend to include more pictures and less technical explanations.

Tip #4: Once you have all the information sources you need, go over the entire car, stem to stern and check absolutely everything. If you're not sure when the last oil change was done, do it. Same with all the other fluids from coolant to hydraulics. Change them so 'you' know everything is fresh. Check tire pressures (don't forget the spare).

Below is a copy/paste of the 60,000 and 65,000 mile maintenance schedule for the Gen II cars. Yours is probably the same. Enjoy!

60,000 Miles - 72 Months

Replace engine oil and oil filter 1 Rotate tires Replace cabin air filter (if equipped) Replace engine air filterInspect the following: Ball joints and dust covers Brake lines and hoses Brake linings/drums and brake pads/discs 3 Differential oil Drive belts 4 Drive shaft boots Engine coolant Engine valve clearance Exhaust pipes and mountings Fuel lines and connections, fuel tank band and fuel tank vapor vent system hoses Fuel tank cap gasket Radiator core and condenser Steering gear box Steering linkage and boots Transmission fluid or oil
Additional Maintenance Items for Special Operating Conditions:

Driving While Towing Replace differential oil (models with integrated manual transmission) Replace transmission fluid or oil Tighten nuts and bolts on chassisDriving in Desert or On Dirt Roads Tighten nuts and bolts on chassis Applicable Footnotes:1) Reset the oil replacement reminder (“MAINT REQD”) light after replacing engine oil, if vehicle is equipped with this light.
3) Inspect thickness measurement and disc runout.
4) Initial inspection at 60,000 miles/72 months. Inspect every 15,000 miles/18 months thereafter.
2004 Solara
65,000 Miles - 78 Months

Replace engine oil and oil filter 1 Rotate tires Visually inspect brake linings/drums and brake pads/discs
Additional Maintenance Items for Special Operating Conditions:

Driving While Towing Tighten nuts and bolts on chassisDriving in Desert or On Dirt Roads Inspect ball joints and dust covers Inspect drive shaft boots Inspect engine air filter Inspect steering linkage and boots Tighten nuts and bolts on chassis Applicable Footnotes:1) Reset the oil replacement reminder (“MAINT REQD”) light after replacing engine oil, if vehicle is equipped with this light.

[Jakecallun20]

Hi, I've got the same car. 99 SLE V6 with 148k miles on the clock. You need to run 5W-30 Oil, Thats what the cap says, and the manual. Idk where your located at but running at a 5w cold and a 30w hot, is pretty good insurance IMO. As far as fuel....My car was run on 87 octane from 0 to 142k I run 89 ocatane just for the bit of oomph from the car, and it seems to be getting slightly better milage. Hope I could help

-Jake

[riceqx2]

ALWAYS use a Toyota oil filter and Toyota air filter.
I always used 92 or 93 octane gas from Shell, or Mobil stations and the car always had the pep that it did when it was new. My 99 V6 has 230K on it now. The issues that this car is famous for is suspension issues. The maddening problem specifically is the strut mounts. Consumer Reports even confirms it. My sister has had it since 200k and uses the conventional oil from Jiffy Lube with whatever oil filters they supply and she uses cheap gas and this car is now sluggish.

[average_guy]

Originally Posted by korr2221

I just got an '00 Solara SLE V6. First car. I need any tip that you can give. What type of oil do I use to change the oil? (Guides if available would be nice) What kind of gas do I use? Regular? Pre? Eh? ... Anything I should keep an eye on? It's currently running on 65k miles, and I'm going to drive it a lot to commute to school and maybe drive in the city of Philadephia... :-/ I've had mixed gpm between 17 and 19 for the city... when researching about this car.. can anyone confirm how bad is it for the city? But yeah... any tips would be nice!

- Korr

That's pretty nice mileage for a 2000.

One thing no one has mentioned is a timing belt every 100,000 miles. This is applicable across the board for 'yotas.