Yikes. You've asked enough questions for several postings. Here's my opinion. If you service and maintain the car properly, it should last 300,000 miles or more. I have a 1977 Toyota truck that still runs great, and the Camry with
136,000 miles is mechanically excellent. Plus, I enjoy keeping up on the mechanical aspects because the car is so well designed and engineered down to the tiniest aspect. First, I generally do not trust mechanics. See:
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my first advice, would be run from Midas.Try to use only genuine Toyota parts. (my opinion)Why? Because they're designed for your vehicle. They fit and operatecorrectly, and if you start substituting aftermarket parts it could besome time before the damage becomes apparent. For example, if you use adifferent type of coolant, and it affects the radiator and coolingjacket passages, or you don't use distilled water, it will be some timebefore you notice any difference.Same with brake pads. Aftermarket pads often squeal. Toyota has gonethrough numerous formulations seeking the best blend (compromise)between rotor life, quiet operation, long life and effectiveness.To eliminate the brake noise, try switching to genuine Toyota brakepads. Cold start problem: Loosen the single 10mm bolt at the hose clamp and remove the large black air intake hose at the throttle body. With the engine idling rough, cold, spray a small amount of TriFlow (from bike shop or hardware store) into the rectangular hole at the bottom of the TB (IAC air intake) (for more information search "IAC" on this group). If the idle air control valve has been replaced, it is probably just sticking slightly. After I replaced mine, the problem resurfaced after a while and this seems to have completely cured it. Platinum plugs are scheduled to change at 60,000 miles. It may be overkill but I also change the plug wires, cap, rotor and "packing" (cover gasket), as inexpensive insurance because my wires were shorting out slightly inside the spark plug tube. Coolant. Use only Toyota red and distilled water. If you look with a shop light or flashlight you can see the drain valve at the bottom of the radiator from above. I use a plastic tub from a home improvement store for mixing concrete to catch the drained coolant. Just let it all drain out and then re fill. I tried removing the drain plug on the block and only a tiny amount extra came out, so I'm not doing that again. If you drain regularly, the fluid will stay clean and no flushing is required. IMHO changing transmission fluid at 115k is waiting too long. Yes, it should be changed at 30k. Drain and refill should suffice. But you'll need to do this several times because you only get about half this way. If you buy the 10mm Allen head socket (hex wrench) and some aluminum gaskets, and drain the transmission with each oil change for the next three or four times, that should clean it up. If you want to keep your transmission alive, keep the fluid clean. An extra step would be removing the pan, cleaning the inside including the magnets and replacing the gasket but that is optional - Toyota does not list this service beyond drain and refill. If you remove the pan, use the correct torque when reinstalling the bolts. I found two of mine stripped by a prior mechanic. (you're talking inch pounds here, not foot pounds - they need to be firmly snugged down with repetitive passes) Tip: if you change your own fluid, drain it hot, then let it stand over night. (make sure no one else tries to drive the car!) That way you'll get an extra quart to drain out. Here's another tip. If you get the oil with graduated markings on the side, and using a funnel, carefully pour the old fluid into those, you can measure the amount you need to add back. Especially for the first time though, add in the last amount slowly after having driven the car at least ten miles to fully bring the fluid to operating temperature before the final level check. Here's another tip. If you use a plastic drain pan, you don't have to worry about holding the hot drain plug. Just let it fall into the pan, and the next morning use an inexpensive telescoping magnet to retrieve it. Brake fluid should be flushed every two years. I change mine when it no longer appears amber in color. I bought the brake bleeder kit here:
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they're racers who bleed the brakes after every race, but youcan also search the web and buy from the manufacturer.Fuel filter according to Toyota is "lifetime" although to the best ofmy knowledge they don't specify maintenance schedules for partsanticipated to last over 100,000 miles.Doesn't do much for you apart from adding some peace of mind.I did change it at 120,000 miles. I recommend using a "crow foot" flarenut wrench (17mm I think) and Kroil penetrating lubricant on the lowerfitting which can be very tight. With this procedure mine came off veryeasily. Check your car to see if you have a separate differential fill plug. If so, then the differential fluid is separate. The Haynes repair manual has a picture. I use Mobil 1 fully synthetic ATF. The differential and transmission both use the same Dexron type fluid. I'm not sure about how often. Except for the first time when it came out brown in color instead of red, every subsequent time it looks brand new. I'm guessing every 60,000 miles might be about right.