As far as preventative maintenance goes, what else

Status
Not open for further replies.
X

xBa380

Joined
Feb 12, 2008
Messages
1,228
Location
Cleveland
Can I do for my car at this time?

I have a 2008 Scion xB... Got it in August of 2007, currently has 70K miles. I have done all of the basic maintenance myself which has included:

Oil
Tires
Brakes / Fluid Change / Lubrication
ATF Fluid Changes
Air/Cabin Filters
Spark Plugs


Is there something else I can be doing, or need to do shortly? I know the coolant is good up to 100K and I may drain/fill that by the end of summer while I have the time off from school/work. No power steering fluid in this car or any other fluid I have not mentioned above.

Suspension is good... Got some surface rust on the springs and sway bar which is a given due to salt and stuff.

Not loosing any coolant or leaking anything. The serpentine belt appears to look good. No issues I see there. Car has a timing chain, so that won't need replaced.

I just want to make sure I am not missing something that would be good to take a look at and keep up with. Or if I seem to have done what I could with a modern vehicle.

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: bepperb
If you have Toyota style high beam half strength DRL's your high beam bulbs are probably clouded over and need replacement.


My Subaru is designed similarly, and while the high-beams aren't nearly as bright as they used to be, they're still very bright, so I plan to get as many miles out of them as possible.
 
No DRL on my car. High beam bulbs work as bright as ever. Low beams were converted to HID's when I bought the car long ago, so no problem there with output!
 
Last edited:
Might want to check the fluid level of the battery if it has removable caps. Even some of the maintenance-free ones have them. Make sure the plates are all submerged in water. If not top them off with distilled(not tap) water. Don't fill to the top of the hole, just enough so the plates are submerged.
 
I checked the battery about a month ago when I took it out to access my air filter for cleaning. All looked good. Cleaned terminals and greased them up. Still starts as good as it did brand new.

Brake fluid was flushed about a month ago!
 
Intake maintnenance.
Spray the MAF sensor with a good electrical contact cleaner. Its in the intake airstream and gets dirty over time. Don't touch it, just use the spray cleaner. CRC cleaner is usually widely available.
I assume it has a throttle body? Pull the intake tube and use a throttle body spray cleaner to clean the blade and interior of the TB. Put a rag inside to soak up gunk from getting into the engine but remember to remove it.
Personally I would install a new Gatorback belt on it and keep the original as a spare and I would flush the coolant as well. It may "hold up" for 100k miles but I don't see it performing as well as fresh fluid.
When you listed fluid change next to brakes I assume you meant flush the brake fluid system.
 
I wondered about the MAF sensor... That is easy enough to do! Was not sure if that was needed unless giving issues though. Thanks for the suggestion the throttle body as well!
 
Like Mud says, the MAF is easy to clean, and is great maintenance. But please use real dedicated MAF cleaner, not carb or electrical cleaner.
I'd check the brakes at this point. Even if the pads are good, a lubing of the sliders/pins is a good idea.
Any rust starting underneath that you can wire brush and paint to seal it?
Clean the throttle body bore and plate dinner plate clean, and also the IAC motor. This is good maintenance and is often overlooked until there is too much build up and problems.

Well, you WANTED work!
 
I forgot about that... I replaced the PCV valve like 15K miles ago! So that is good to go as well.

Looks like I will get the MAF cleaned (with the proper CRC cleaner, of course). As well as the throttle body.
 
I do not own a Toyota, the following is what I did for our 2001 Impala with 70 K miles.

PS fluid, empty with a simple siphon squeeze bottle you can get a Wall-mart for about a buck, put a thin wall brass tube in the top or some thin hose so you can reach into the fill area of the pump. Put in new fluid, start and turn the wheel all the way to each side twice, stop engine and repeat empty and fill. Do this several times to use up at least one big bottle of fluid, I used two big bottles when I last did it. Be sure you have enough fluid to fill when you do the last empty.

Do the same with the break fluid but be sure to use a different bottle, do not cross contaminate the fluids. You will not require as much break fluid, and you will not be able to flush it as quickly as the PS. You have to drive it for a day or so to circulate the break fluid enough so that when you again empty it it will have enough old fluid.

Pull the alternator and replace the bearings and brushes.

Pull the starter and clean the main shaft and the holes it goes into, add a small amount of grease to those holes, clean down into the commutator segments, put on new brushes, and a new bendix.

While the spark plugs are probably good for 100 K miles some people would pull them and put them back in with anti-seze so they are easy to replace in the future, some people would just put the new plugs in now with the anti-seze.

Serpentine bell and idler.

I do not know if it is time to flush the cooling system on your vehicle but if it is do it.
 
Timing belt. Even if you aren't at the recommended mileage, it's now 5 years old. I do the mileage or 5 years, whatever comes first on my Geo.

Also, you say tires, but I check my tire pressues at each oil change. Not sure if you are including that but I'm throwing that out there.

Washer fluid!
 
Last edited:
highly recommend a turkey baster power steering flush. just did that on both my acura and honda, much smoother/lighter steering and requires a lot less correction in high speed corners. I used OEM fluid when doing so.
 
That's probably as much as you should be doing for a 70kM car that's 2008, probably more than necessary actually (i.e. spark plug if it is precious metal).

If you want to do more, either wax or sealant the paint to protect it against element.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

J
2005 Pontiac Sunfire Preventative Maintenance
Replies
5
Views
662
nickaluch
raaizin
2024 Honda CRV Hybrid Maintenance Schedule
Replies
13
Views
1K
Virtuoso
C
Changing drain plug gaskets
2
Replies
21
Views
788
slybunda
R
2019 Accord battery ... maintenance advice needed!
2
Replies
24
Views
788
50yr Street Mech
newoilguy1
  • Question Question
2001 RAV4 108,000 miles; maintenance priorities?
Replies
3
Views
336
Leo99
Back
Top Bottom