Newbie advice for taking care of car

shwazz714

shwazz714

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Okay I’ll admit this is my first real car purchase that I’m super excited about and have finally picked up some handy skills - nothing crazy but getting confident enough to try doing things myself knowing I won’t fully mess it up.

That said - I’d love to take control of maintenance for this Land Cruiser myself. My main question is - how do you know what to do when? I know there is lots of info on oil change frequency but how do I know about all the other things? Is there a generic timeline that should be followed or does it vary depending on car type??

Bonus question - going to buy at home car wash kit, what’s everyone’s favorite? For ease looking to just get a bundle like the ones chemical bros offer.
 
First see what maintenance comes included with the car. You will get 2 years or 25k scheduled maintenance with the purchase. After that, check the manual for both time and mileage driven maintenance. Follow it religiously and an LC will run forever. I think you will find that most of it will be difficult to do yourself. If you've looked under the hood of a modern car recently, you won't find things very accessible.

I hand wash my cars too but I just use a sponge and a bucket. You'll need something with an extension to wash the LC. Use any car wash solution you're comfortable with. I have never found a reason to spend a lot of money on these products. Also put a protective coating on it. Modern paint doesn't really need to be waxed but some of the products specially made for clear coat paint really look good. I've been using Turtle Wax Ice Wax for years on BMWs and they look like new.
 
I notice the LC has greaseable U-joints and drive shaft slip joints. I believe the recommendation is 15K miles, except 5K for severe use, such as in water. Do NOT neglect these, else the driveshafts will wear and develop play. For our 4Runner, did these every 5K concurrent with oil changes. Yes, probably overkill, but when we sold the 4Runner, it had ZERO driveshaft play. This said, sure hope the LC front driveshaft is a lot easier to access than the 4Runner. An access plate had to be removed, and being double-jointed would have helped. :) Contrary to what Toyota says, would also recommend the first oil change at less than 2K, and every 5K or 6 months thereafter. Cheap insurance...
 
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Nuke said:
I notice the LC has greaseable U-joints and drive shaft slip joints. I believe the recommendation is 15K miles, except 5K for severe use, such as in water. Do NOT neglect these, else the driveshafts will wear and develop play. For our 4Runner, did these every 5K concurrent with oil changes. Yes, probably overkill, but when we sold the 4Runner, it had ZERO driveshaft play. This said, sure hope the LC front driveshaft is a lot easier to access than the 4Runner. An access plate had to be removed, and being double-jointed would have helped. :) Contrary to what Toyota says, would also recommend the first oil change at less than 2K, and every 5K or 6 months thereafter. Cheap insurance...
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Definitely agree on the oil change - for all cars.
 
Oh, there is a special threaded funnel one can purchase to make adding the motor oil much easier, and less likely to make a mess. Presumably this applies the LC, as it has for all of our Toyotas in recent memory. Amazon.com
 
If you do these yourself at any point save your receipt and log ur mileage on it and keep in ur car- u would want to show maintenance done- either for a future buyer that’s wanting service records and they can’t find them, if u decide to sell or more importantly perhaps not voiding the warranty-
 
JoT. said:
If you do these yourself at any point save your receipt and log ur mileage on it and keep in ur car- u would want to show maintenance done- either for a future buyer that’s wanting service records and they can’t find them, if u decide to sell or more importantly perhaps not voiding the warranty-
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** obviously the reciept that shows ur oil and filter purchase
 
JoT. said:
If you do these yourself at any point save your receipt and log ur mileage on it and keep in ur car- u would want to show maintenance done- either for a future buyer that’s wanting service records and they can’t find them, if u decide to sell or more importantly perhaps not voiding the warranty-
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I keep all receipts, and a log book.. just in case it has to hold up in court someday. The Magnuson-Moss Act protects us.
 
Nuke said:
I keep all receipts, and a log book.. just in case it has to hold up in court someday. The Magnuson-Moss Act protects us.
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That’s rt, gotta keep the receipts and log to protect/prove ur car care
 

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I just got mine under a week ago. I’d say, keep away from softball tournaments with kids and dogs, (which I have what I did this weekend).
I did start applying a leather conditioner on the leather parts to keep them new as long as I could.
 
To add to what the others stated......... Don't skimp on quality parts! Use genuine Toyota Oil filters, Air Filters, and lubricants. Most of the time they aren't that much more expensive than the box store ones and I know they are of the highest quality.
Many box store brands tout this and that about their QC and back in the day it was true, they were equal or higher quality than OEM. With so many knock-offs companies shipping parts and box store franchise owners may or may not have ethics, I just don't trust them for things like filters.

Oils are different, a formula is a formula, I personally use Toyota 0w20. I keep an eye out for Dealer sales events and purchase cases at a time. Some love Amsoil and swear by it, some Mobile One etc......... as long as whatever oil brand you decide, meets the min specs, they'll be ok as long as you actually change it!.

Concerning the interior, leather is a different animal than vinyl or cloth. For the first few years a damp cloth is probably all you need. I use Meguire's "Leather Conditioner" for my annual wipe down conditioning (NOT to be confused with Armor All plastic stuff). If and when leather seats get scratched or start to crack, I use "Doc Bailey's Black Leather detail kit" Hands down the best I have EVER used! It'll take a hard dry leather seat, hide the cracks and make the leather supple again.
 
Good advice EOD Guy! Recently viewed a video re oils, and their tests indicated the Toyota oil was up there with the other quality synthetics. However, the price drives me to something like Mobil One from Walmart. Toyota oil filters, made in China, are OK I suppose, especially if one sticks to 5K oil changes.

Regarding leather treatment, this is an area I have very little expertise. Currently using Leather Protectant Serum by the Chemical Guys. This said, not a big fan of Toyota leather, especially when comparing it to, say a Lexus. As I understand it, Toyota leather is a laminate, and the actual leather is very thin. Do you agree? Animal skins, Toyota can do better, and it seems they are migrating that direction with synthetic leathers.
 
Nuke said:
Good advice EOD Guy! Recently viewed a video re oils, and their tests indicated the Toyota oil was up there with the other quality synthetics. However, the price drives me to something like Mobil One from Walmart. Toyota oil filters, made in China, are OK I suppose, especially if one sticks to 5K oil changes.

Regarding leather treatment, this is an area I have very little expertise. Currently using Leather Protectant Serum by the Chemical Guys. This said, not a big fan of Toyota leather, especially when comparing it to, say a Lexus. As I understand it, Toyota leather is a laminate, and the actual leather is very thin. Do you agree? Animal skins, Toyota can do better, and it seems they are migrating that direction with synthetic leathers.
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I can attest the leather on my Tacoma is not laminated and seemed to be of a nominal thickness when I had the rear seat out.

The three different Toyota oil filters I currently use are all made in Thailand. My thought process..... it's a high qty filter that was sold to me by Toyota parts counter, if it fails and there's any chance of compensation, shouldn't be any questions.

I was a "Fram" filter and "Pennzoil" guy since I was a kid. One trashed engine due to oil filter failure, and when torn down was so gunked up from the inferior oil........... I'll pay the money and get OEM. Now in my F250 I run a Ford filter and Rotella T5 oil, when the head studs got replaced (under extended warranty thank goodness), the mechanic said almost zero wear in the bores at 60K on the meter.

(edit) I just picked up a couple of cases of Toyota oil @ $6.00 per bottle or $72 total.
 
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You are correct, the last Toyota oil filter I purchased was made in Thailand. Better than China, not so sure...
 
I wish I could purchase a 15 gal drum of Toy 0w20 like in the old days......... I change oil religiously and really don't need to pay for individual plastic bottles and a cardboard box everytime.....

(edit) I have one of the funnels that screws into the hole, game changer! But I did see where someone figured out the bottom cut off an oil bottle will also serve as a funnel and also screw into the oil hole.
 
EOD Guy said:
I wish I could purchase a 15 gal drum of Toy 0w20 like in the old days......... I change oil religiously and really don't need to pay for individual plastic bottles and a cardboard box everytime.....
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What do they use at the dealerships? 55-Gal drums? Why do I not have any faith in them using OEM oil?
 
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