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Performing scheduled maintenance at the Toyota dealer is like giving your car a check-up. It ensures everything runs smoothly and keeps your car in great shape for the long haul. Here's a simple guide to the Toyota maintenance you need to do to keep your vehicle rolling reliably. Stick to the Toyota Maintenance Plan Your Toyota's owner's manual isn't just for troubleshooting. It's your best guide for maintenance, too! It outlines all the key service intervals tailored to your specific model, like when to change your oil, rotate your tires, and check other vital systems. Typically, you'll want to change your oil and rotate your tires every 6,000 to 8,000 miles. For deeper services, like checking spark plugs, belts, and fluids, a good rule of thumb is every 15,000 to 30,000 miles. And even if you don't rack up that many miles, an annual check-up is a smart move to catch anything that mileage alone won't. Visit Your Toyota Dealer for Maintenance Change That Oil Oil changes are crucial, with fresh oil keeping your engine parts gliding smoothly, reducing wear, and preventing overheating. Letting it go too long can gunk up your engine, so keep it clean, and your car will thank you. Tire TLC Rotating your tires on schedule helps them wear evenly, making them last longer and perform better. It's usually a quick job, but it makes a big difference in how your car handles and saves you money on premature replacements. Keeping your tires properly inflated will also help boost both safety and fuel efficiency. Make it a habit to check your tire pressure monthly, especially before any big road trips. Check Those Fluids Watch out for problems with other essential fluids, too, like your brake fluid, transmission fluid, and coolant. These play huge roles in safety and performance. Power steering and windshield washer fluids are easy to overlook, but keeping them topped up makes driving easier and safer. Running low or using dirty fluids can lead to big problems down the road. Maintain Your Brakes Regular brake inspections are non-negotiable for safety. Checking pads, discs, and fluids can tell you a lot about how your car will handle in a pinch when you need to stop quickly. Freshen Your Filters Changing out your engine and cabin air filters regularly helps keep air flowing smoothly, making the inside of your car more comfortable. A clogged filter can strain your engine or make your A/C work harder than it needs to. The point of scheduled maintenance is to prevent problems before they start. By following the recommended schedule, you can ensure your vehicle performs its best and holds its value. Visit Pederson Toyota in Fort Collins, CO, for all your maintenance needs.

Healthy tires give you greater surface traction, allowing you to corner and maneuver easily at speed. Tires wear down naturally as time passes, which causes them to become less flexible and cracks can develop. Weather conditions, undiagnosed mechanical issues, and even sunlight can also weaken your tires. As your Toyota dealership, we'd like you to know a few signs that it's time to visit us for new tires. Time for New Tires? Visit Your Toyota Dealership Today Cupped Tires Cupping is a strange tire wear pattern that appears as deep indents at regular intervals around the tire edges. The indents look almost as if the tire has been scooped out by something. This wear damage is caused by faulty wheel alignment or a suspension problem. In either case, sections of the tires hit the ground harder than they should, causing their odd appearance. We'll examine your Toyota and determine the cause of the damage, If the wheel alignment is incorrect, we'll connect your car's wheels to our alignment machine. This computer makes a series of adjustments to each wheel to restore its correct alignment. If the suspension is the problem, we'll test your shocks and struts and repair or replace them depending on the situation. Visible Tread Wear Bars Tread wear bars are raised tire sections that run horizontally through the tread, which is the raised section of a tire that's in contact with the ground. They're invisible on a healthy tire, but they will slowly appear as the tread wears down due to friction with the surface. If you notice these lines, visit our service department and our technicians will examine your tires. If the wear bars are almost level with the tread, your tread has dropped to approximately 2/32" thick, the minimum tread level safe to drive on. We can fix this problem by replacing and balancing any worn tires. Sidewall Damage The sidewall is the section of a tire perpendicular to the ground and faces outwards. The sidewalls can't suffer friction damage, so they're made of a softer rubber that provides added tire flexibility. These tire sections also lack the steel and polymer bands that reinforce the tread. Despite their safer position, a sidewall can still get damaged. The most common form of sidewall damage is a tire bulge. A tire bulge is usually formed when part of the sidewall is pinched against a hard object, like the curb. It can also be due to the breakdown of part of the tire's internal structure. A tire bulge is dangerous, as it stretches the rubber and can cause a blowout. We can't repair a bulge, but we can replace the tire. Don't risk driving on a worn or damaged tire. Visit us today at Pedersen Toyota in Fort Collins, CO.