2003 Camry. Maintenence Costs

Maybe you shouldn't flash the ol' Platinum Mastercard in front of the dealer -- sounds like they marked you as a sheep in need of fleecing.

Agreed -- 3 years old & 27K miles shouldn't be due for any fluid changes other than oil (well, maybe coolant, but even that's pushing it). If the brakes are working fine (stopping OK, no pulsing or vibration), then machining the rotors would be silly. And the battery service...pardon me while I wipe the Coke off the monitor -- that's just hilarious.

Try to find a decent independent mechanic -- your dealer gives me the heebies.

Unless you are feeling pulsing or some other weird feeling on braking, skip the rotors.

I don't know about Canada, but 30,000 miles is the magic number for a variety of "warranty required" items to be taken care of here in the states. One of them being some sort of tranny service, I believe (sorry my '03 is at 48K and and remembering back to 30K is beyond me...).

So, while I believe you were correct in your failure to take advantage of the dealer's kind offer, check your manual and be prepared for some $200+USD in service in about 3K (or 4828 kilometers), unless the Canadian requirements are different..

t.

If you run your fingernail along the radius of the rotors, does it catch on deep-ish grooves?

I think you're being reasonable about not paying for the PS flush at this time.

The issue with the battery is that if there's too much of a voltage drop across the crud on the positive terminal, the starter will draw more current than it's designed for. In a pathological case, the windings will actually fuse. However, the starter is only on for a second or two under normal operation so there's not enough time for a large heat build up. You can't do any harm cleaning the posts with a wire brush or sandpaper every couple of years, and it only takes about 5 minutes.

As you probably know, changing the oil is very easy (even easier if you buy a valve from fumotovalve.com) - there's no reason to pay someone else to do this unless you're disabled, lazy or you consider it beneath you. Toyota lubes all the locks and door hinges as part of the service, which is kinda nice but you can do that yourself too.

Well they have to pay for those free donughts so what did you expect. Rotors need nothing done till pads are replaced unless you brakes pulse-grab. Power stering flush 90$, it isnt even listed in the manual as to even change the fluid, you can easily use a meat baister to remove fluid. 38$ to clean battery terminals, gee they charge as much as my lawyer per hour. Find a local mechanic, drop the dealer.

Sounds like you need a better lawyer ;?)

The warranty book for my wife's 2003 Camry says that at 30,000 miles, to change transmission fluid if the car is run under "special operating conditions". Otherwise, it says to inspect the transmission fluid.

Oil change is always a good idea. I also do regular tire rotations to equalize wear. Machining four rotors sounds odd. This is not a maintenance item. Machining the rotors removes material. Try visually checking the rotors. You'd be looking for uneven wear - primarily grooves in the surface. Generally, rotors only require attention when brake pads are replaced since the pads will wear out first. You can also visually inspect the power steering fluid for discoloration - see if it looks worn and old, or fairly fresh and serviceable. I like the idea of flushing the power steering fluid to extend the life of the steering rack which is quite expensive to replace and there is evidence that clean fluid allows the seals to last longer. There's a lot of hydraulic pressure required during operation, IIRC something like 1200 psi. First see how the fluid looks to you. If you have "white crumbly stuff" on the battery, you should probably remove the connections at the terminals and clean the posts thoroughly. Seems like some batteries never do this and others always do. One theory says that there may be a tiny leak in the seal between the plastic case and the battery post so you could try applying a light film of the battery grease you get at auto parts stores at the base of the post, also lightly coating the battery post, then install some of those inexpensive felt washers (red and green) before reattaching the battery cables. Regarding cost. Seems to me, the dealer prices are always high. Just seems to be the way it is. That's one reason I do my own mechanical work. They are entitled to a profit and to cover the cost of equipment, training, etc., but like I say, it always sounds high to me. I had the power steering flushed once, then have regularly sucked the fluid out of the reservoir with a battery bulb ($3) to avoid having to pay for the service again. Motive products brake bleeder around $50 allows you to also flush the brake fluid professionally. There's a lot you can do in the home garage with the right knowledge and tools, and of course, the online groups can be invaluable.

My original rotors lasted 100,000 miles, do not machine them now. You can flush the power steering with a battery filler bulb and buy a quart of Toyota ATF fluid. Just did mine yesterday. Clean the battery terminal yourself. Dealer is trying to screw you.

Just a 2-center:

I don't think dealers are trying to "screw" folks; that's just what they (pretty much all of them) charge for the various services.

Personally, I think it's nuts. The last time I was there, I saw they wanted $35 to "install" the cabin air filter. Sheesh, that's one screw!

But whatever floats your boat....

It's just a choice: if you don't want to do it yourself, pay someone else to do it and that's their price. Simple.

Rob wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@v46g2000cwv.googlegroups.com:

Gentlemen, Thankyou for all your responses. I can see I can learn a lot from this forum. I have emailed Toyota to inform them that I will no longer be using that dealership for maintenence. I realize they do not make much profit on the vehical sale and mostly depend in customer loyalty for repeat maintenence. However, like anybody else I do not like being screwed. I'll be following the advice you guys have passed along and start doing more of my own car work. Much appreciated!!! FC

did you say 'screw' or "screwing"?

Either that or the next payment is due on his boat or vacation home.

Unless I'm forced into it, I never deal with a dealer's service department. I've had a 1997 Camry for nine years, and have never done the 30, 60, 90 k services. None of them. They include such vital things as tightening the door hinges....etc. I had my brakes done at about 105k miles, along with replacement of the timing belt (which still looked fine at that mileage, and recently had to replace one transaxle boot which had torn. Have I been abusing my car? I don't think so....and proof of that is that when I've driven brand new Camrys, I don't feel that I'd be upgrading my automobile, since the '97 still drives and rides like a new one. BTW, I now have 132k miles on it, and would not hesitate to take it across the country tomorrow.

they are charging u too much

do the batt yourself. do not worry about the machaning of rotors. check the power steering fluid. if it looks dirty, then do the flush. if not, u should be fine

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