I've never owned anything remotely close to brand new before so I wanted to research this a little before I pick up my new Tacoma in a couple weeks. What sort of things would you do maintenance wise to a brand new rig? I was thinking about after it's properly broke in going synthetic all the way through it. Anything that needs some special attention right away as far as lubing goes? I have raced motocross for years and everytime I buy a new bike I tear it clear apart before it even sees a track the first time because the factory does a piss pour job of greasing stuff. Curious if a truck is the same way. Anything else?? I plan to keep immaculate records on this rig and just want to get it started off right.
Thanks

 

Joey, I have learned a lot from Bob (BT17R) and the oil should come out at around 1K the first time, then you can run the next batch of dino and put 3K on it.

Then it will be OK for synthetic.
You want the rings to seat first before switching to syn oil.
I am going with Amsoil when it is time.

I have almost 800, so I am heading to the dealer next week to get my first oil change done.

You are gonna love the 4.0, gobs of power & torque.

 

Thanks Corey.. I asked my cousin the salesman about that first oil change. He said 3K on the first one but I thought that seemed kinda high. I will have the truck for about 2 weeks in Idaho before I make the 900 mile trip back to Norcal. I was concerned about properly breaking it in so I brought that up. I will plan on having it changed before I leave for Cali even though I'll be lucky to get 500 on it.

 

On my wife's Honda, they wanted 5K before the first oil change because of the special aditives that are put into the oil to help the motor during break in.

 

Joey, in order of importance and as described in the manual:

-- Easy on the brakes for the first 200 miles, but do use them often to bed in the pads.

-- No WOT, shift below 3K for the first 500 miles, 4K the next 500, then let 'er rip after 1K.

-- No towing until 1K.

-- OEM filters only during warranty.

-- Dino and filter change @ 1K, again at 3K-5K, synthetic OK then. The 1GR has low-tension rings that take forever to seat against the hard cylinder lining. Do it right and it's last, rush it and risk oil blow-by.

-- I use a separate air filter for off-road use only, installed and removed at the trail head.

-- Most important is to check the tire pressures before leaving the dealership. About half still leave ~50psi shipping pressure. I think factory for your Taco is 32psi.

-- You get a free alignment and tire balance within 12 months or 20K miles. Might as well use it sooner rather than later. Tell the dealer "it wanders at high speed on flat, level highway".

-- You're good to polish and wax on Day 1. The finish was already oven-cured at the factory.

What did I forget, Corey?

 

A lot of what was just posted was absolute nonsense.
BT17R has the right idea...follow the mfr suggestions for the brief break-in period, and just enjoy the fact that you don't have to do any maintenance on the thing yet!
If you're getting uppity already about doing maintenance on it, you just need to chill and save your money for something important later on. Modern engines are operated before they even leave the factory. A couple hundred miles of gentle driving will get you where you need to be.
Stop stressing and enjoy your new ride.

 

Switch to Synthetic after the engine is a little bit broke in i.e 3000-10,000 miles..

Switch your gear lubes in your front and rear diffs, transfer case, and transmission to synthetic (ATF obviously if it's an auto).

I would even go as far as saying go to synthetic grease for your driveshaft/balljoints, etc. Supposedly it holds better/longer.

Wax the crap outta your paint, and do it regularly. Find some method of rust prevention for your underbody....whehter it be regular pressure washing and some type of oil or undercoating or whatever you can research.

Those new Tacoma's I'm not hear much good about the rear leafs. I would huck the leaf packs entirely and find a quality aftermarket set that have 3 leafs and an overload and not 2 leafs and an overload like they now come stock. Supposedly the stock rear leaf springs have a nice ride but they bottom out quite easily. While your ride quality may suffer a little bit with a different leaf pack, at least you'll get solid load carrying capacity. But having said that be careful about switching over too much. I would try and leave the vehicle stock as long as possible within the bumper to bumper warranty and stick to stock recommended oil change intervals and gear lube intervals even if you are using synthetic just for that very reason. ALSO, PAY to have the dealership do it. I know, I know, it's painful, but it will avoid hassles during your warranty as far as if there are any issues with the truck. When the truck's warranty expires then start doing some mods.

I would also switch out the tires right away to some BFG A/T's or Dueler Revo's or whatever tickles your fancy. Stock tires lick.

 

Check this out as far as breaking in your engine: http://mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

Drive the car for a short period, like 100 miles, then change the original oil to any dino and change the filter. Run that for a 1,000 miles, and then change oil and filter again. Run that oil for a longer, but still fairly short interval (3-4k), and then do whatever you want from there. I would wait till a good 10,000 to change to synthetic.

Check out the bobistheoilguy.com forums for more clarification.

 

You forgot to mention Griot's only
He he he he he...

My paint is sooooooooo smooth after claying and waxing a few weeks back.

I have a little over 800.
I think I may wait until after Labor Day, I will have 1,100 miles on it almost, then I will get mine changed.