Recommended Services

[Finchy63]

Hello All,

Newbie to the forum, been very helpful reading some of the posts today. I have a 2008 Yaris, 59K miles, purchased certified used with 44K, drive approx 30 miles a week.

I took the Yaris in for a 30,000 mile service on Saturday, and they recommended the following services:

1. Replace Engine Aux. Drive Belt: $189.95
2. Air Cabin Filter: $35
3. Replace Brake Shoes and Machine Drums: $289.99
4. Service Brake fluid: $169.99

From what I've read on the forum, that sounds like something of a rip-off, do you agree? The car's run fine since we got it, are these the kind of problems I need to take care of asap?

Car's are my blind-spot, so while I'd be open to trying to fix these issues DIY style, on a scale of 1 to 10 how difficult are they for a newcomer and is there the potential to make things worse?

If I do have to get a garage to take care of these issues, anyone who lives in Los Angeles know of a cheaper option than the numbers above?

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

[ciscobear]

Service brake fluid? Stay very far from that place. Those rates are high.

[TLyttle]

I'm a thousand miles from California, but I still think I smell BS. I sure hope that wasn't a Toyota dealer...... was it?

[clarenceie]

You can skip on replacing the shoes and drums. More than likely, it just needs a good cleaning with brake clean.
Cabin air filter should only cost $15 for the part if you get it off Amazon. The installation is super easy. Lots of DIY threads here. Look around.
Brake fluid change shouldnt cost that much. If your brakes don't feel spongy, (firm feel), or the brake fluid resevoir is not cloudy or dark brown, you don't need to service it. But it doesn't hurt to look around.

In general, rip off prices. Look around.

[eTiMaGo]

engine belt's also what, $25? Though it can be a bit fiddly to put back on properly and get the tension right...

[nookandcrannycar]

Service brake fluid? Stay very far from that place. Those rates are high.

This ^^^^^ Either they are misleading you or the car wasn't checked out properly by an unbiased person before you bought it and the previous owner trashed it like a rental car.

[CoryM]

I am going to assume this is at a dealership. I used to work flat-rate for a dealership (nissan) so I will give some insight.

1-drivebelts- I used to get paid 1hr+ to do belts. So say $120 in labour alone.
2-cab filter- I was paid 0.5hr to do these. Win some, lose some (mostly win though). I would guess for $35 they are not charging you labour and that is the cost of the filter alone from toyota. You can do this job yourself easily btw.
3-shoes and machine- I would guess they are charging 1-1.5h to replace shoes, then another $50 or so to machine. So ~$200 in labour. Add cost of shoes and you get around that price.
4-flush- this one they are definitely high on by about $50 (even for a dealership). Where I currently work, I think we charge ~$95 for brake flush. Brake flushes are a good maintenance service in that they do reduce how often calipers seize. Depending on the car, this can save you a lot of money. On the Yaris, it's not as critical but never a bad service. Honestly I never used to believe in brake flushes myself until I went to nissan. The cars that normal have seized calipers do not seize nearly as often if they are flushed. Where I am now, I continue to see less seized calipers than places that did not flush.

So all in, for a dealership it's not totally out to lunch. That being said..... I always recommend NOT to go to the dealership (or anywhere flat-rate). The only reason to go there is for warranty. You will pay more, and typically get lower quality work than a good independent shop. The dealer guys get paid by each job they do. The more the do in a day, the more money they make. You can imagine how easy it is to stop caring about quality, and just getting the job done faster in that scenario. Now that I am elsewhere, and paid by the hour, my main goal is making sure the customers get what is best for them, and will continue to come back! Success (and profits) are made by happy customers who return time and time again. The dealerships don't agree with this.

Shop around until you find a mechanic you like/trust. I know it can be hard but I hope you find one. If you want the services done by the book, show them the book and have them go by it. They should be happy to service your car as per toyota schedule.

Cheers.

[Finchy63]

Appreciate the feedback.

I think the car was a rental before we bought it, 44,000 miles in two years? We maybe rushed in to purchase, but its been a great car so far.

I've started shopping around for a cheaper place (it was a toyota dealership) and will take a go at the air filter with the DIY threads.

Again, very helpful insight.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Yeah, I just bought an HVAC reusable filter from Home Depot and cut it to size/fit in the cabin filter slot. Works great, washed it out when ever it's dirty, and actually made one for my friend's R18 Civic and had some left over. Way better than buying that paper crap filters.

[1.5]

Why do you need to replace brake parts after 30k miles? My drive belts went about 60k miles. And since when does retopping fluid cost $170?