Throttle body service

You could save time and just mail the money to the dealer. Modern electronic throttle body systems are designed to compensate for carbon build-up in the throttle body. there is a 1% chance you will experience a drivability problem from a dirty throttle body during the next ten years.

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Good to know. At least i won’t lose sleep driving my car as is now without the TB service . I only have a 15 minute commute to work each way anyway

Which means nothing .

It is probably not a needed preventative maintenance. See your owners manual to check on that. If the car is running is OK, I would not spend time or money on it.

I did once clean the TB on my 1999 Honda Civic, with a soft toothbrush and cotton rag. I don’t remember what symptoms led me to look at the TB, but there was some dark buildup there. Some TBs can be damaged by some solvents, so be careful. I don’t remember what solvent I used.

I am talking about a professional FST kit from QMI, not sold in stores, and yes if not done correctly can cause damage, but I have seen thousands and thousands of vehicles benefit from it (and satisfied customers as well as my own vehicles) over the last 17 years that I have known about it… As long as it is done correctly there is no issues using it…

http://www.qmiitw.com/Product%20Information%20Sheet/QMI/EK10T_REV01_BSRO_Fact_Sheets.pdf

They will buy it then resell it wholesale. No new car dealer is going to sell a car this old with that many miles on his used car lot. His offer four your Corolla will be low enough that he can make money selling it wholesale.

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I bought one from a New Toyota Dealer used car lot in 2016 or 17 that was a 2002 Corolla with 190,000 miles on it… Great running and dependable 1st car for my daughter and see learned how to do brakes, struts (not quick struts, had to build them) and sway bar links, Fan assembly and motor mounts on it… lol… Drove it all the time until we traded it in on her 2017 Corolla 2 years ago… So yes they will…

In the past, this was probably true, but nowadays with new car inventory being scarce, I am seeing new car dealers attempting to sell cars which would have gone straight to the auction in years past. For example, this past summer, I recall seeing a 2001 Chevrolet Prizm offered for sale at the local Subaru dealer, it was gone after about 2 weeks, so I assume it sold for its $5995 asking price.

I think that it really depends on the dealership. One of the scamming Lexus dealers that I visited offered me $1,000 for my 11 year old Outback Limited 3.6 liter, and–of course–I walked away from that “deal”. They stated that they would “only place used Lexus or Toyota vehicles on their lot” and would have to wholesale it, even thought the presence of several other marques made it obvious that they were lying in order to try to justify the low-ball offer.

The Lexus dealer that got my business gave me $7,500 for my vehicle, and he sold it in less than one week for–I think–$11k. IIRC, it had ~130k miles on the odometer, and it looked like it had just rolled off of the assembly line.

Was your car comparable to a 2006 Corolla?

To that one scamming dealership, apparently it was comparable. Hence, the low-ball trade-in offer.

Many (most) of the new car dealers in my local NADA chapter wont put a car older than 8 years or with over 100,000 miles on their used car lot.

It take quite a bit of loot to properly maintain a car. Problem is, it takes even more loot to not do it, or at least not doing the necessary items. Suggest to focus on finding an independent shop that will help you identify the necessary items. That sort of shop will usually offer a “general inspection service” for a fee, the result of which is that very list. Ask Corolla-owning friends, coworkers which independent shops they use.

As far as the throttle body service, that part controls the amount of air flow into engine, & is responsible for maintaining good idle quality. If you don’t have any idling problems w/your Corolla, too fast, too slow, stalling, with none of those problems, that service can probably be deferred. The throttle body tends to get assaulted with dirt and grime over time, on the front from imperfectly cleaned intake air, on the backside from the PCV & EGR systems. But pro-active cleaning usually not necessary, only done when there is a symptom.

If you have lots of money to pay mechanics, or enjoy doing this sort of work yourself as a driveway diy’er, proactive cleaning can make sense. I proactively lubed the shift cable on my bicycle the other day, and it definitely shifts more smoothly now.

Nowadays im wondering if all bets are off as far as what they will put on the lot due to the new car shortage

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As one dealer said to me “I’d rather lose ten potential sales than piss off one actual customer by selling him a beater”.

Brake fluid, transmission fluid, and coolant, yes. These are routine maintenance items at least as often as specified in the owner’s manual.

Throttle body service, no, unless there is a problem. Throw a bottle of Techron into the gas tank and you may get a smoother idle, if you are concerned.

That doesn’t do anything for a dirty throttle body.

Tester

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No, but it can help with slightly dirty fuel injectors, which can cause rough idling. The OP hasn’t indicated a problem indicating a dirty throttle body. Or dirty fuel injectors, for that matter.

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The idle is pretty smooth right now

What if the owner’s manual doesn’t specify any recommended transmission fluid changes?