I just had my fuel injectors cleaned as recommended by Toyota (30,000 miles) on my 2008 RAV-4. The cost to clean the injectors was $155 !! Toyota recommends a fuel injector additive to the gasoline to keep the injectors clean. Are fuel additives worth the money? If so, what brand do you recommend? Toyota had a small can selling for $28 !!
I use Techron once a year (owned Toyotas a few years ago and had no injector issues), about $8 at the parts store/Walmart. Are you sure Toyota (not the dealer) recommended the fuel injector service? My feeling is injectors at 30K miles should need no $155 service.
You use the term “Toyota” but I think you mean a Toyota Dealer’s service department. Did the can they showed you say BG 44K ?? I don’t think you will find any requirement in your owners manual to clean the injectors…Dealerships can “recommend” anything they want…
Gasoline at the pump already has plenty of cleaners in them. I’ve got over 206,000 miles on my Ford Explorer and 356,000 miles on my Toyota Celica and have not used either Ford’s or Toyota’s ‘recommended’ cleaners. They both still have the factory-installed fuel injectors in them. About once a year, sometimes, I’ll run a bottle of Techron (for $10) through the Ford, but I skipped the last couple of years. There are other cleaners to help different problems. But, if your not having any problems, cleaners are not necessary.
Yes, it was 44K. And, from the replies I received, it seems that the fuel injector cleaner additive recommendation is indeed a dealer not a Toyota recommendaiton
The 30K fuel injection cleaning and the additive are profit generators for the dealership. I seriously doubt you’ll ever find a recommendation to use them in the owners manual written by Toyota.
If you ever have a specific problem that a cleaning or additive might help with, then that’s the time to consider using one of them. However, you will not cause any problems by not getting your injectors cleaned or by not adding additives.
While you won’t find advice to use these products or services in the cars manual you stand a very good chance of finding a Technical Service Bulletin having something to say.
I just had my fuel injectors cleaned as recommended by Toyota
Are you sure that was Toyota’s recommendation or was it the dealer’s recommendation. If it was not in the owner’s manual or a TSB it is nothing more than a profit gimmick from the dealer.
If you want to use an additive, go ahead. Using a brand name should be fine. Then again not using any additive and relying on the additives the oil companies add, will likely be just as good.
A couple folks have recommended using a bottle of Techron once a year. Or you just gas up at Chevron or Texaco every time you get gas, like I do.