All: What would you recommend for the time when I should get the following repairs on my 1998 Toyota Avalon? Thank you.
New Struts Alignment -- between new struts Transmission Oil Change New Brakes Brake Fluid Changes -- line bleeding, etc
Keith Lee
The answer depends on which flat rate book the shop uses. Toyota's flat rate time will be less than the Mitchell or Motors book that most shops use.
My wild guesses...
2 new front struts - 3 hours Alignment - 1 hour additional with the new front struts Transmission fluid drain and refill - .8 hours Front brake pad replacement - 1.5 hours Rotor replacement with front brake pad replacement - 1 hour Machine front rotors with front brake pad replacement - 1.5 hours Rear brake pad replacement and adjust parking brake - 2 hours Machine rear rotors with rear brake pad replacement - 1.5 hours Brake fluid change - 1 hour
Maybe I am wrong, but I think he means service interval, not how long it takes the shop to perform the work.
Oops, my bad, I think you're right.
Revised answer: Replace struts when they fail. Get a 4 wheel alignment if the car drifts, pulls, has unusual tire wear, after the struts or rack are replaced, after a collision, or after hitting a big bump, pothole, or curb. Drain and refill the transmission fluid every 60,000 miles or 48 months Replace the brake pads when there is 2 mm of pad life remaining. Replace the brake fluid every other brake job.
Ray: Thanks. How does one know when the struts fail? I try the bounce test; ie move the front and back ends up and down by hand to see if they bounce back up properly, and they seem to be alright. The Toyota mechanic didn't find anything wrong a few months ago.
Keith Lee
It is not always obvious when the struts fail. Symptoms include stains on the outside of the strut from fluid leakage, physical damage to the struts, noise, and the loss of a strut's dampening effect. If the car passes the bounce test and there are no other symptoms, they are probably OK.
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