From Torque News.
It all started when Jorge Barajas took his 2022 Toyota Tacoma to the dealership for what he thought would be a simple checkup. Instead, he walked out with an estimate for more than three thousand dollars in “preventative” maintenance. That number caught his attention—and the attention of thousands of other Tacoma owners once he shared the story online. The dealer told him this long list of work would help him “avoid future problems.” But the question is, were all those repairs really necessary? Or was Jorge looking at a classic case of dealer upselling?
When I looked at the list, it read like a menu of everything under the sun: spark plugs, differential fluids, transfer case service, fuel and air induction cleaning, brake fluid exchange, battery replacement, filters, even a power steering fluid exchange. On paper, it all sounds responsible. After all, who doesn’t want to protect their truck before problems start? But the moment you compare this list with Toyota’s own maintenance schedule for a 2022 Tacoma, you realize half of it doesn’t make sense for a truck that’s barely broken in.
The most surprising item was the spark plug replacement. Toyota recommends replacing plugs around the sixty-thousand-mile mark, not early in the truck’s life. Yet the dealer quoted several hundred dollars for the job. Modern Toyota Tacomas also use electronic fuel injection systems that keep the intake valves clean, meaning those pricey “fuel and air induction cleanings” are often unnecessary. Then came the power steering fluid exchange. The issue? Many new Tacomas don’t even have hydraulic steering—they use electric assist—so there’s no fluid to replace. It’s a reminder that even dealerships sometimes sell services that simply don’t apply to your vehicle.
That doesn’t mean everything on the list was fake. Brake fluid service, for example, is legitimate maintenance because the fluid absorbs moisture over time. A weak battery can also justify replacement if it fails a test. Differential fluid service can make sense if the truck tows or drives off-road regularly. But taken together, most of what Jorge was quoted looked like a pile of “nice to haves” disguised as must-dos. Dealers often use language that plays on a driver’s fear—phrases like “avoid engine damage” or “protect your transmission.” The reality is that those words are sales triggers, not engineering requirements.
#toyotatacoma
Reference:
I Took My 2022 Toyota Tacoma to the Dealer, and They Told Me I Need $3,325 in Repairs Just To Avert Problems, and What I Need To Get Done
https://www.torquenews.com/1084/i-took-my-2022-toyota-tacoma-dealer-and-they-told-me-i-need-3325-repairs-just-avert-problems
This is Armen Hareyan from Torque News. Please follow us at https://twitter.com/torquenewsauto on Twitter and https://www.torquenews.com/ for daily automotive news. Also, follow us on Telegram at https://t.me/teslaev
