Home Servicing

[thom1983]

Hey all, just wondering if anyone has done their own servicing and if so how hard is it? I've serviced my own cars in the past and given we're probably going to hang on to the avensis until it dies I was thinking of saving a few quid and doing it myself?

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[Druid Boy]

I have been servicing my 2.2 D4D for years now, its really very simple and there isn't much to do - so much so that when I started doing it myself I wondered what I had been paying for.  The intermediate service is pretty much just oil & filter.  Getting the oil filter off can be a pain so it is worth investing in a good quality tool for that (something I keep forgetting to do).  Otherwise it is very simple.  Handbrake adjustment can be a bit fiddly but, hey, why not pay a professional a little cash to do it for you?  I tend to end up doing my service in batches due to lack of time, so, oil & filter one day, air filter & lubrication checks another, that sort of thing.

Not sure if the petrol engine is more of a pain due to the location of the spark plugs but I doubt it.

If you have the time and some decent tools give it a go.  Even if you get stuck you can get a professional to finish it off for you.

[Konrad C]

I did home servicing on my old Mk1. Very easy. When changing the oil, I had to get fibre washers for the oil sump plug.

My Mk3 is now 7 years old and the previous owner had it serviced by a Toyota specialist garage in West Malling, Kent. 

I am pondering whether to do it myself or take it to a garage and get the book stamped up. The car is on 54,800 miles. Last service was July at just under 48,000 miles. 

I have until July to decide. 

[gazza1286]

Konrad - it will have only a marginal effect on the trade-in value. I had my 58 valued by a main dealer when showing some interest in a 13 Auris. They offered  me so little I was in shock! The amount I've saved in servicing/repairing the car myself amounted to 50% of what they offered! 

[Konrad C]

Thanks Gary,

My previous experience plus having a good look at what needs to be done, means I will be changing the oil and checking other items. 

When I got the car last September, the first things I did was change the cabin and air filters. Then a couple of months later, discovered the plugs needed changing! They looked like the originals, and the insulators had scorch marks. 

The oil change will be easy, and I will check the coolant strength.

Konrad

[Owdjockey]

My 54 plate D4D has now reached 231,000 miles. I have religiously followed the Full and Intermediate service guidelines and intervals. I have performed all servicing on the car except for the Came belt change (every 60k). I am 9k miles away from the next cam belt change and will probably change it myself  this time. My tip in regards to Oil Filters is trust in the instructions on the filter itself re: tightening. I have not had to use my oil filter removal tool for years. 

I'm half expecting to have something go wrong, which could be fatal, but she keeps on going. My target is 250k. Preventative maintenace? You can't beat it.

[Harry Carri]

Hi Thom,

yes I would say have a go at home servicing. I change my oil, oil filter, air filter, plugs, leads and coolant. Once you have bought the drain pan and any tools and sundries like paper towels, cat litter ( to mop up any spills), brake cleaner / degreaser to clean up drain pan and disposable gloves you are set up. Getting rid of the waste oil is a journey to the recycling centre / tip but otherwise you can do a service on a driveway. IMO it is worth buying a workshop manual illustrated with plenty of diagrams and photos. After your first successful job I reckon you will gain confidence and you will be saving money and not taking your car off the road for work as often.

Go For it.

Matt

[Ian Harley]

Did oil, plugs and filters yesterday on the neighbours drive (mine is gravel). £70 for parts (Bosch and castrol),no labour. The most difficult bit was taking off the undertray.  The best bit was the satisfaction. 

[Druid Boy]

Result!

[thom1983]

Cheers guys, think I'll give it a go as Toyota want 350 for a full service and even my local mechanic wants £120 just for oil and filters!! I'll probably give it a blast this weekend and will let you know how I get on [emoji4]

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[Heidfirst]

under Toyota's fixed price servicing scheme a Full service for an Avensis should be £239 . A Full+ should be £349. These are max. prices - some dealers may offer lower. & your car may require additional maintenance options e.g. brake fluid.

https://www.toyota.co.uk/caring-for-your-toyota/service-and-maintenance/car-servicing.json

[thom1983]

Right service done and if the garage I bought it from had serviced it before I got it then I'm Father Christmas!

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[thom1983]

Air filter was filthy and oil was very thin! With the oil, filters and axle stands did the whole lot for less than £60 and an hour of my Saturday morning [emoji3]

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[Harry Carri]

Hi Thom,

Good call, nicely done. That is one filthy air filter.

[marty_c83]

I may have to do this with my new acquisition... Bearing in mind a full service in an average garage would cost more than the car has!

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[+robster+]

service stamps are only worth anything during warranty period I reckon

most garages don't even stamp the book, I'm sick of leaving the service book on dashboard for company vehicles to be ignored. I go back in to get them stamped but I suppose they are on their computer system to some degree and still traceable if warranty needed

[+robster+]

my air filter was the same as the one in above picture

mines was that colour on the CLEAN side of the filter

 

[thom1983]

I may have to do this with my new acquisition... Bearing in mind a full service in an average garage would cost more than the car has!

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It's worth it , at least you know it's been done to a standard you're happy with!

[marty_c83]

The car's been owned by my dad for 12 years and it's wanted for nothing really but I'd like to keep it going for a bit longer to take some of the wear off my Impreza (and to save a few quid on petrol!)

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[thom1983]

The car's been owned by my dad for 12 years and it's wanted for nothing really but I'd like to keep it going for a bit longer to take some of the wear off my Impreza (and to save a few quid on petrol!)

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Go for it; really easy to do, hardest bit was getting the sump plug out; there's even flaps in the under tray to access sump and oil filter

[Owdjockey]

Hi Thom1983, apologies for stating the obvious and apologies if you have already done this, but Home Servicing is a lot more than plugs, oil and filters. I have prepared a spreadsheet with all the Intermediate and Full servicable requirements, which include measuring disc thickness ( I use a digital micrometer), pad thickness, tyre thread depth etc... including the longer term checks and and replacements e.g Gearbox oil, coolant, brake fluid, atf etc.. I used my service schedule from the Owners Manual.

With my spreadhsheet I can see when I last replaced items and when others are next due.

[Konrad C]

13 hours ago, Owdjockey said:

Hi Thom1983, apologies for stating the obvious and apologies if you have already done this, but Home Servicing is a lot more than plugs, oil and filters. I have prepared a spreadsheet with all the Intermediate and Full serviceable requirements, which include measuring disc thickness ( I use a digital micrometer), pad thickness, tyre thread depth etc... including the longer term checks and and replacements e.g Gearbox oil, coolant, brake fluid, atf etc.. I used my service schedule from the Owners Manual.

With my spreadhsheet I can see when I last replaced items and when others are next due.

That is a great idea. I keep receipts of everything changed/bought for the car. The spreadsheet makes this easier to track and when you sell the car on, you can tell the next owner what and when things have been done. 

I found out that the current owner of my old car changed the new Battery I put in the car, as they did not check paper work and forgot about me telling them. The Battery has 3 year guaranty. I retrieved the Battery and the paper work. They paid £61 pounds for the Halfords battery and that drained again. They had not used the car to give sufficient charge!

I doubt the printed spreadsheet would have change anything, since they did not look through the paper work provided. Other people may have checked. It depends on the individual.

In between servicing there are the regular checks - coolant, oil, brake fluid, windscreen washers and tyres. Again a lot of owners neglect to do these checks, like the owner of the Mk2 1.8, a neighbour. His engine very was low on oil when I asked him to checking it:     

 

 May be those of us who do are own servicing, also do the basic checks?

[Ian Harley]

I'm using My Cars and aCar apps to keep track of purchases, service and inspection schedules and fuel.  Trying them both out to see which I prefer.

[Harry Carri]

Hi to you all,

I have just bought my oil and filter for my next oil change.

Should anyone be shopping for oil Euro car parts currentlyhas a 20 % off voucher that can be used on an already discounted item so at the moment 5L of Shell helix 10 /40 and other grades Helix are discounted  plus the 20% voucher can be used.

That makes 5 L of Shell Helix 10/40 cost 17.99 using the voucher.

Happy servicing folks

Matt

[thom1983]

Hi guys, yes checking all fluids etc, pretty easy motor to look after these I find.

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