Sincere Advice needed

Hey friends! I am super new to this nice forum. So I went a head and bought my first 4Runner, 2021 TRD Offroad Premium with KDSS. I am loving this truck. I intend to keep it for at least 20 years lol. So here is the plan to prolong the life of this truck and become the owner of a 4Runner with a million miles on the odo lol.

1) Break in oil change at first 1000 miles
2) Coating the frame to avoid rust.
3) Oil change every 5000 miles
4) Transmission fluid change every 50,000 miles
5) Conservative driving
6) Gas with additives

What do you think abouf the above measures, and what else do you suggest? And how to make sure the KDSS doesn't give me issues and lasts long?

Thank you so much in advance!

 

Looks like a good plan to me.

In addition, follow the scheduled maintenance recommendations in the owners manual and life is good.

 

Welcome from Wisconsin! Are you going to go offroad? If you do, there are a few more things to keep an eye on, like check CV boots for any rips, and just a thorough underside inspection to spot any required maintenance, if your not going offroad, that would be a good plan for your 4Runner anyway. Enjoy!

 

The only way to determine your oil change interval level of comfort is to get a Blackstone analysis, everything else and everyone’s opinion means nothing unless their oil has been tested. I do 7500 mile intervals, lots of dirt and lots of off road driving. I could easily go to 10,000 miles on the oil health though. My neighbors have three 5th gens, hard use and the lowest mile truck has 160,000 miles…all have had 10,000 mile changes and their motors are quieter then my 2019.

Spray your frame with fluid film. Top tier gasoline has a very effective additive package already, don’t waste your money.

Take off the KDSS cover and clean out occasionally and don’t forget to fluid film that area as well.

 

Drive shaft and u-joint grease at regular intervals. This is something that dealers with less than stellar reps will not do and tell you they did during a service visit.
I forget what the manual says for intervals, but you should be good for awhile. Maybe after 20 to 30k miles start thinking about doing it.
I beat the crap outta mine, and it shows in appearance, but I do very short maintenance intervals to keep the mechanical parts operating smoothly.
That and the more often I crawl under there, the more likely I am to find potential problems.
Welcome and get that truck off road! It's a lot of fun!

 

Wool wax for rust. If someone tells you otherwise, there lying or just don’t know any better. And didn’t catch where your from but don’t stop at the frame. Everything a 1/4” wand will fit into needs coated.

 

Congrats. KDSS is great and had the same model before ending up in Venture which is likewise KDSS equipped.

While I considered doing an initial 1000 mile OCI, I actually just got my oil changed yesterday at 5000 miles. Had this been a forced induction motor, I would have been more likely to do an earlier change.

Rust proofing is certainly worth considering if living in the rust belt. That said, if it was me and I lived there, I would most likely beat it on down the line every 4-5 years as rust there seems to be a losing battle.

I have always stuck with a 5000 mile OCI with all my vehicles and will do the same here.

50,000 miles might be somewhat premature on the transmission fluid change but driving conditions, et al, would dictate this for me.

As for driving style, I reckon if knowingly purchasing, by modern standards, not exactly the speediest sled with around 10 inches of ground clearance that taking it easy would be the move.

Not really big on gas additives but must say that when shooting up to Oregon last week getting 100% gasoline did bring an uptick in MPG and a no doubt psychosomatic feeling that the engine was pulling better when going uphill.

 

Take the kdss covers off 2/3 times a year and wash them underneath. Dirt tends to accumulate in there and cake in over time.
Tranny oil change each 60k-80k.

see here - https://www.4runners.com/threads/kdss-existing-or-new-owners-beware.12050/

 

welcome

 

Welcome to the forum from Wisconsin!

Driving conservatively is good, but I believe it's good to give it some gas now and then. Don't be afraid to redline it on a ramp or when passing. It won't hurt it. Just wait until you have 1000 miles on it before you do this.

Be sure to remove the kdss accumulator skid periodically to remove any debris that has collected and keep an eye on the accumulator for any signs of corrosion. The biggest cause of failure seems to be corrosion on the electrical connector at the accumulator.

Edit: I see @canadian.bacon already mentioned this.

 

Toyota intends you to keep it 25 years if you follow the service in their manual. Over maintaining won't really do anything but buy some peace of mind, which doesn't hurt anything if you enjoy doing it.

Rust proofing and visual inspections are always good to pay attention to.

Welcome aboard. If all you've owned are domestics to this point you'll find there's very little to do to a 4Runner if you give it a once over pretty regularly. By 6 years into my Chevy and 3 into my Ford I'd collectively done more work than all 2 4Runner and 3 Tacomas.

 

Enjoy your new ride! I would agree with everything except #6 (Gas with additives). All US gasoline is mandated by EPA to contain minimum solvents and chances are that most of the time you'll waste your money on additives. Just get gasoline from a high volume selling gas station and if you really want to have peace of mind, use some gasoline injector cleaner every 30k, this one below is one of the best there is:

$25 BG 44k Platinum New

https://www.amazon.com/BG44K-BG-44k...rds=bg+44k&qid=1631623823&s=automotive&sr=1-3

One can is for 20 Gal, I would put 2 of those on a full tank for peace of mind, it won't hurt anything. Most of the time, in a specific area, the gasoline is supplied to every gas station by one or two main producers, whether that is Shell, Exxon-Mobil, etc.

One of the best maintenance tips is to drive once a week on the highway for about 30 minutes, that would help cleaning the carbon buildup caused by stop and go and short distance driving. And don't be afraid to rev the engine to 5k every now and then, that also helps cleaning the carbon buildup and your cat converter (Italian tuneup).

 

Welcome. My understanding is that there is no such thing as break in oil any more and that it comes from the factory with synthetic. That said, if it makes you feel more comfortable doing the 1,000 mile change then go for it. It certainly won't hurt anything.
Good luck with her, you're gonna love being a 4Runner owner.

 

While others give tips on the maintenance I like to share my opinion, not to have long life expectancy when you Offroad. Even on gravel roads those small gravel damage the underbody paint / coating. On my TRD ORP when I remove the OME shocks the paint facing front was removed and I could see the metal. I bet it would be the same for other components as well. My expectation is I will enjoy mine and when I start seeing any rust problems I will upgrade to a newer one.

 

Depending on where you are located you may not need to treat the frame. (hint, profile)

I don't use fuel additives either.

Ummm... and conservative driving is no fun...

 

Welcome to the forum ! Looks Sharpe

 

Welcome to the forum, follow the manual.

 

This is one option.
Or you could do like me, and reinstall the Weathertec floor mats incorrectly, jamming down the gas to WOT upon startup for 2 seconds.

 

I'll bet that got your blood pumping!

 

Thanks everyone. I live in Washington state, Spokane area.
Hey, I was dumb, I drove my 4Runner in 4hi for 3 miles on dry pavement, did turns too. Just to check things out. I didn't know we are not supposed to do. Did I damage my truck?

 

You won't damage it so easy, especially if you did not hear tire squeaks (which are results of drivetrain binding), just make sure you get used to drive in 2WD. Even in heavy rain there is no need of a 4WD, especially if you don't accelerate like a mad man, lol. Snow, ice, mud and offroad is where you should use 4wd. Take some time and go through the Owner's manual, that would help you understand and find out more about your new 4Runner.

 

Thanks

 

Turning with KDSS is so comfortable, as comfy as my Rav4

 

That's the KDSS, right?

 

No that is just the sway bar. Not my photo, but KDSS should look like this from a side view.

 

But it doesn confirm that my 4Runner has a kdss, right?

 

Correct, I just added a photo of what KDSS looks like.

 

So this is how it works and makes the 4Runner comfy.
https://youtu.be/NLF6n3nMwww

 

Yes and welcome from New Mexico.

 

Thank you