Service every 10K kms or 6 months

[tiwana Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close tiwana]

Hello all,
Prado 2015 120 automatic. Have just came back from 70K service. I have two questions:
1 - Looking at the news - i requested the service staff to look into the DPF issue. They advised that there isnt any DPF related issue and that they have "fixed" the issue during the service back in January. I do not know much about DPF issue and have not experienced any issue that i can relate to. WHat do i need to look for and how will i know if they have fixed the issue?
2 - The service staff insist i must get it serviced every 10K kms or six months which ever is earlier. Just did my 70K service but because we do not use it that often the clock reads 45K kms. I am keen to know if service is indeed required every 6 months.

Regards

[JohnLynn Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JohnLynn]

Point 1 the DPF issue:
There is plenty of information on this forum about the DPF, yes Toyota claim to have fixed it with the latest software update which you had earlier this year. As far as I can find out this makes the burn hotter and possibly more frequent but attempts to get it over with faster. At least this is my understanding of the issue, which may well be wrong. Many people dispute whether this actually is the answer, some say a redesign is necessary particularly around the fifth injector which can both block and also leak. Have you read the threads about the class action being taken against Toyota about this problem?

Point 2 serving intervals:

I am glad that you have brought this up as it gives my the opportunity to have a moan about another "bee in my bonnet" that I have about Toyota.
I have a 2.8 2015 GXL and thought that when I bought it new the so called capped servicing was a good idea, I soon changed my mind though. I spend more time in the UK than in WA and so my Prado is stood up for a large part of the year.
I had the issue during the warranty that I would have the car serviced, drive it 5Kms home from the dealer then put it on axle stands with battery disconnected for six months. On my return the dealer insisted that it needed another service despite it not being used. Complaining to Toyota was a waste of time, they claimed that "oils deteriorate" and needed to be changed every six months.
Many people disagree with me but I think this is complete and utter bollocks. Do Toyota change a vehicle's oils if it stands in their showroom? I have never managed to get an answer!
My wife has an Audi (diesel) in the UK, this needs an oil change every 12,000 miles (not Kms) regardless of time so why would a Toyota be any different?
I service agricultural machinery and marine engines all of which are serviced by distance covered or hours run, absolutely nothing to do with time elapsed between services. I have never had a problem and now that the warranty has expired on my Prado this will be serviced (by me) at the distance intervals only.

I will be interested to hear what you decide, I am sure that the service people will pressure you to continue six month servicing as that is how they make their money. I have heard that they will fill in the book as a missed service if you don't present within the time.

Finally I have just thought of another point while I am having this rant, my vehicle had covered just over 20,000 Km but had all the servicing so the next one was listed as being due at 60,000 Km or 6 months.
This meant they would presumably be happy for me to drive around for almost 40,000 Kms providing I did it in 6 months regardless of the fact that the oil should be changed every 10,000 Kms how idiotic is that?

[kizbot Member Find all posts View Profile Close kizbot]

Maybe every 12 months would have been a more sensible idea but then again they are out there to make money.

['Dan' Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 'Dan']

When the car is in warranty you do as you are told if you want to keep the warranty really. There's no harm in asking if you can skip the service, but I think you'd have better luck asking if you can bring the car in for check (as per 6mths service schedule) but skip the oil change (if that will save money) as the car doesn't need it.

When the car is out of warranty do as you like, oils do not degrade over "reasonable" time frames. Oil doesn't "go off" or magically degrade over time when not in use.

The guys on SAU were doing used oil anaylsis for track cars and finding they could quite easily push intervals out on engines being used at their max, meaning for a car doing nothing the oil is not a concern.

Back when my missus was living close to work, I only changed the oil in that car when it was due, it could easily go 18mths+ before it clocked up 10ks. That's not to say I didn't check the car over/check the oil every 6mths, which is just good practice, but I certainly was not changing the oil until it as "due".

We've had that car almost 8yrs, done 70ks in it, just clocked 140, and never had an issue.

My V6 Prado will be no different, but we now live out of town so 6mths lines up with 10k's closely enough.

[RPP Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close RPP]

Looks to me like the Dealers work off of Toyota's planned maintenance schedules as they have nothing else official & comprehensive to go by.
If the vehicle is out of warranty and you know what you are doing just specify what you want done and when.

Years ago I maintained my own cars and after the warranty ran on on one car I went to a 12month/20K km comprehensive service routine.
After a few years that turned out to be a disaster as the spark pug gaps opened up too much during those intervals and burnt holes in 3 of the 6 pistons.

['Dan' Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 'Dan']

Looks to me like the Dealers work off of Toyota's planned maintenance schedules as they have nothing else official & comprehensive to go by.
If the vehicle is out of warranty and you know what you are doing just specify what you want done and when.

Years ago I maintained my own cars and after the warranty ran on on one car I went to a 12month/20K km comprehensive service routine.
After a few years that turned out to be a disaster as the spark pug gaps opened up too much during those intervals and burnt holes in 3 of the 6 pistons.

Just curious, Was that the official diagnosis and who told you that? I have never heard of a car burning a hole in a piston, let alone 3, because the spark plug gap was too wide.

Too wide would mean weak spark/no spark which would be misfiring or running rich. Yes, you can increase EGTs by running rich, very rich, but a gap that wide would miss/carry on quite often and noticably. That sounds far more like a fuel delivery issue, as in poorly mainteained fuel system, leaning out, and burning out pistons.

How do you do 20,000ks and not have any other symptoms until the piston has holes in it with a car that rich on 3 cylinders? The factory toyota plugs are long life and can stay in for much longer than 20ks, gaps are not checked as part of regular servicing when using OEM or OEM compatible plugs.

[RPP Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close RPP]

That car was a 1998 Torana with a 3.3l straight six, and it was the mid-90s.
The spark plug gaps were very much wide open, and points heavily pitted at each end of year service.
I used to clean and re-adjust the plugs at 10K km but got tight and chose to do a big service at the end of every year instead, which equated to over 20K kms. Replaced various items with new. In its later years (300K-400K km) of city driving the car got harder to start. No other issues when driving around Sydney. Ran a compression test to find the compression on 2 cylinders more or less useless with the compression on a third one down a little.
Took the head off and found the root cause.

['Dan' Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 'Dan']

That car was a 1998 Torana with a 3.3l straight six, and it was the mid-90s.
The spark plug gaps were very much wide open, and points heavily pitted at each end of year service.
I used to clean and re-adjust the plugs at 10K km but got tight and chose to do a big service at the end of every year instead, which equated to over 20K kms. Replaced various items with new. In its later years (300K-400K km) of city driving the car got harder to start. No other issues when driving around Sydney. Ran a compression test to find the compression on 2 cylinders more or less useless with the compression on a third one down a little.
Took the head off and found the root cause.

They didn't make a Torana in 1998, but assuming that's a typo and it was still a 202 in a Torana, it's not very relevant compared to what we're discussing here.

1GR use iridium long life plugs that come pre-gapped. You should not try and change the gap as it will damage the plug.

You might be the only person I've ever heard claim a wide spark plug gap melted a piston. You either need very lean conditions or very rich conditions, still with ignition either way, and the root cause of either is a fuel delivery issue. Especially relevant on a carby 202, unless you somehow had an 85 model 202 with the shitful mechanical injection, which would again imply bad fuel control.

Never mind the fact that the ignition system in a 202 has barely enough power for stock gap and will very easily misfire with too wide a gap, they just don't have the grunt to bridge a big gap

Other than that, too much timing advance can be the culprit, but again it should show symptoms (knock).

Anyway, 10k service intervals are fine for a 1GR.

[RPP Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close RPP]

My typo, it was a 1978, the last of the UCs, no Iridium plugs then.
The moral of the story isn't about the plugs - be aware when you stretch the manufacturers planned maintenance periods.

['Dan' Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 'Dan']

My typo, it was a 1978, the last of the UCs, no Iridium plugs then.
The moral of the story isn't about the plugs - be aware when you stretch the manufacturers planned maintenance periods.

Can agree to disagree, for me, 10ks is fine for an oil change, even if it takes you 12mths or more to get there.

[ijl123 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ijl123]

My approach to frequency of service for a low km 3.0L Diesel Prado 150 has been - whilst in warranty I had it serviced as per the Toyota recommended intervals (i.e. 6 months even though I hadn't done 10,000kms) so that there was no argument if a warranty issue arose. Since warranty finished I have still been getting it serviced every 6 months but every second service I only go with a minor service.

I tend to agree that the idea that oils deteriorate significantly over months with minimal use is BS.

[Splatter Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Splatter]

Hi Im just new here, and on the hunt for a 2012 Kakadu, but the service interval does bother me. I have just looked on the UK web for toyota Prado and the interval is 10,000 miles or 12 months. Go Figure!!!

[StanleyAckies6 Moderated member Find all posts View Profile Close StanleyAckies6]

Any machine requires the replacement of consumables and spare parts from time to time, as well as checking and adjusting its components. Automakers collect all these works in the maintenance regulations, which must be followed so that the car remains serviceable.

[Toyotatuff Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Toyotatuff]

Every 5000kms i change oil.

[krypto Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close krypto]

10000km is fine provided the engines doesn't do lots of short runs. The majority of the oil degradation and engine wear occurs when you start an engine and while it is cold. There's lot's of oil analysis based research hat shows that excessive oil changes can actually be detrimental. The oil filter actually takes a little while to slightly 'clog' to work better, and often changing oil actually introduces mild contamination. But lots of people just like to change every 5000km, whatever floats your boat.

If you don't do 10000km in 12 months, then it's a good idea to change the oil anyway due to potential for moisture and other contamination.