# Frequency of car maintence **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [June 13, 2009, 2:09am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/frequency-of-car-maintence/31808 "2009-06-13T02:09:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HarrietC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3d9bf3/32.png) [@HarrietC](https://community.cartalk.com/u/HarrietC)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 2:09am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/frequency-of-car-maintence/31808/1 "2009-06-13T02:09:48Z")
I have a 2005 Prius, The manuel states it should be brought in every 5000 miles, dealer insists the manual was written for people living in californa, but because I live in Buffalo, I need to have it serviced every 2500 miles. ---
**Author:** ![FoDaddy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/fodaddy/32/717_2.png) [@FoDaddy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/FoDaddy)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 2:41am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/frequency-of-car-maintence/31808/2 "2009-06-13T02:41:31Z")
I _really_ doubt if the dealer’s claim about a car in Buffalo needing twice as much servicing as a car in California. Go by what your owners manual says and consider taking the car to another dealership. Out of morbid curiosity I would ask the dealer what the rational was behind the 100% increase in service requirements…Then I would call him a crook. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 2:54am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/frequency-of-car-maintence/31808/3 "2009-06-13T02:54:16Z")
That is a bald-faced lie. Find another dealer. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 4:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/frequency-of-car-maintence/31808/4 "2009-06-13T04:38:16Z")
If a critter in a white shirt that goes by the name of a “service writer” told you this, then you should keep in mind that very few of these guys actually know anything about cars. It could be he is trying to drum up business by being unethical or honestly believes his ignorance is the truth. ---
**Author:** ![Jeffmw05](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@Jeffmw05](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jeffmw05)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 5:25am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/frequency-of-car-maintence/31808/5 "2009-06-13T05:25:18Z")
Tell them to go to hell and find a good mom & pop mechanic. ---
**Author:** ![andrew\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@andrew\_j](https://community.cartalk.com/u/andrew_j)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 10:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/frequency-of-car-maintence/31808/6 "2009-06-13T10:39:08Z")
Just find an independent to service the car under the severe schedule (likely 5000 miles). There are few real maintenance items on modern Toyota’s until close till 100k, it is mostly checks and fluid changes anyone can perform. ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 11:35am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/frequency-of-car-maintence/31808/7 "2009-06-13T11:35:08Z")
``` I would like to get that in writing from him and then send it to the manufacturer. ``` ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 12:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/frequency-of-car-maintence/31808/8 "2009-06-13T12:03:11Z")
Tell he’s wrong…you have the special manual for Buffalo cars. Tell him the California manuals recomend every 10,000 miles. Then openly laugh at him hysterically in front of the other customers, belittle him for not knowing the difference between California and Buffalo manuals, walk away shaking your head and chuckling, and go elsewhere. He’s flat out bald-faced lying. He deserves to be humiliated. The truth is that your owner’s manual will have a schedule for “severe use” as well as “normal use”, but there is no “california” manual. Follow your manual’s schedule. ---
**Author:** ![JoeMario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@JoeMario](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoeMario)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 12:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/frequency-of-car-maintence/31808/9 "2009-06-13T12:26:21Z")
The service writer is trained to get you to come through that service door as often as possible and to spend as much money as he/she can get out of you. Your motivation is to get only the needed service and repairs done at a fair price. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 12:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/frequency-of-car-maintence/31808/10 "2009-06-13T12:35:12Z")
The answer is in the Owner’s Manual, no matter what the cretin at the dealership claims. Use either the “normal” maintenance schedule or the “severe” maintenance schedule, depending on your typical driving situations. Note that most driving patterns do fit the definition of “severe” operating conditions, but even the “severe” schedule does not normally call for servicing a car every 2,500 miles. And, no matter what Manuel states, I would suggest that you ignore him. Juan and Jose are much more credible than Manuel. ;-)) ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/frequency-of-car-maintence/31808/11 "2009-06-13T18:26:06Z")
I don’t think public humiliation is ever an appropriate thing to do but a polite email to the dealer telling him you know this is BS and its hurting his reputation might be more effective. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/frequency-of-car-maintence/31808/12 "2009-06-13T18:30:53Z")
Bing makes a good point. If you can get the name of the owner of the dealership, it would be a good idea to let him/her know (by e-mail or “snail mail”) that the type of nonsense spouted by the “service advisor” is likely to result in fewer service customers. In this day and age, no car dealer can afford to lose any customers, be it for sales or for service. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 7:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/frequency-of-car-maintence/31808/13 "2009-06-13T19:06:50Z")
I agree with the follow up, but if anyone over the counter whose honesty is being relied upon who tells me a bald-faced lie like that one is, essentially, insulting me. That deserves payback. You make me look like a fool with a line like that one and you’d best beware… I feel quite justified in humiliating someone who knowingly insults my intelligence like that. That line is no mistake, it’s playing the customer for a fool. ---
**Author:** ![bscar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bscar/32/34_2.png) [@bscar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bscar)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 10:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/frequency-of-car-maintence/31808/14 "2009-06-13T22:07:08Z")
Don’t feel bad, I had the local Honda service service writer ask me if my car even HAD a fuel filter when I asked for it to be changed with my oil. I really miss the guys that were there a couple visits prior. They knew me and what car I had, but couldn’t quite remember my last name. ---
**Author:** ![Docnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Docnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Docnick)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 4:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/frequency-of-car-maintence/31808/15 "2009-06-14T04:28:08Z")
Agree VDC; my wife’s Nissan calls for 3750 mile intervals for severe and 7500 for “normal” driving.