2004 Corolla with 133,xxx kms - advice on maiteinance (no manual) -timing belt..etc..

[edkate]

Good morning all!

I will get straight to the point: we dont have a manual for our car - purchased it off the auction w/out it.
We've been doing oil and filter change every 5k on our car and decided to extend it a bit to every 6-7K for oil change. I think it should do it right?

We will be rustproofing our car with Krown in Newmarket (anybody has good or bad things to say about them?).

We've done rotors and brake pads in the beginning of the summer, also purchased new all season and winter tires.

Do you have any other suggestions for our car?

Regards,
Kate

[Pete_Coach]

Have a look here. It is American (I don't know why Canadian dealers don't do this but) and it should give you an idea of what Toyota suggests.
http://smg.toyotapartsandservice.com/guides.php?v=6&y=2004&int_id=64
here is another one
http://www.mayfieldtoyota.com/downloads/pdf/service/2004-05%20Schedule%20E.pdf

Krown has been around for a long time so, longevity says something about a business and they seem to still have their share of the rustproofing pie.

The best advise I used to give car owners is to listen to your car. Get to know what is sounds like when you drive. This means you don't always crank up the volume when you drive. Listen to how it starts, listen to how it stops, listen to how it shuts down, listen to when it shifts gears (automatic) and so on and....when you know what it sounds like,.....if the sound changes, there is a reason for that change, sometimes it is explainable, sometimes not so, then you need to find out why the sound changed.

[edkate]

Thank you for the quick reply!
at least we will have the idea what we need to do with our "baby":D

[manteiv]

The Corolla 1998 and later uses the timing chain as opposed to a timing belt

timing chain is good for the lifetime of the car so no need to change it normally

oil change every 6000 km is good

if you intend to keep the car beyond 10 years, rust proofing is a good investment. Make sure to have them rust proof the brake hydraulic lines and the fuel lines. If not protected, these lines will rust. The brake lines can blow when you apply the brake pressure and this is a very serious safety issue. A busted fuel line will leak gas and could leave you stranded. Replacing these lines altogether is a 10-hour job ($100 in parts and $900 labor)

I have a 1996 corolla, it is running strong mechanically but the underneath is so rusted, I regret not having rust proofed it since day 1. That car will die due to rust before anything else. My brake lines and fuel lines busted. The parts are only $100 worth but the labor is very expensive. Good thing I was able to do it myself.

[edkate]

Manteiv, thank you about clarifying about timing belt vs timing chain, that's a big relief.

[ThePointblank]

You can also talk to your local Toyota dealer and see if you can get the manual for you car off of them.

[meecha]

i have an 04 corolla, and the recommended interval for oil changes is 8000 km

[win-star]

2004 Corolla Maintenance chart @ 134K km (http://xws.xtime.com/xmmmenu/?variant=TCI&username=null&is_advisor=0&locale=en_CA&rendering_option=2&print_menu_report=/XTIME1/REPORTS/PrintMenu/PCN&make=TOYOTA&model=COROLLA&year=2004&trim=UNKNOWN&engine_type=4&engine_size=UNKNOWN&drive_type=FWD&transmission_type=Automatic&mileage=134000&units=km&estimate=false)

Next time go here:
http://www.toyota.ca/cgi-bin/WebObjects/WWW.woa/4/wo/Home.Owners.MaintenanceMenu-zrZg6N5G37OPKp6BlBrIpg/0.5.0.1?fmg%2fown%2fo110000e.html

[edkate]

Thank you for your replies!