Just picked up a 2022 Venza Hybrid XLE from CarMax (so no dealership warranty on it), and I’m trying to figure out the best way to handle regular maintenance.
The car’s in great shape and I want to take care of it long-term. I know Toyota has a recommended maintenance schedule, but I’m wondering — do I really need to take it to the dealership for those services? Or is it fine if my local mechanic does it?
Would love to hear what others here do, especially if you’ve had a Venza for a while. Thanks!
Your local mechanic should be totally fine. No reason to go to the dealership unless it’s warranty stuff or recalls. Most dealerships just charge way more for basic stuff like oil changes and inspections.
Dealerships tend to overcharge and rush through jobs. They’ll upsell you on stuff you don’t really need. Local mechanics care more about keeping your business and are usually more transparent. Only upside at a dealership is they might be more up to date with technical bulletins, but that really depends on the place.
If it’s a 2023 or 2024, it still has ToyotaCare even from CarMax. A dealership can check that for you. Might be worth seeing if some maintenance is still covered.
TomHenry said:
If it’s a 2023 or 2024, it still has ToyotaCare even from CarMax. A dealership can check that for you. Might be worth seeing if some maintenance is still covered.
Mine’s a 2022, but I went ahead and checked anyway — appreciate the heads up!
Make a free Carfax account and link your car. It’ll give you service reminders and a general idea of what should be done at what mileage. Super helpful and easy to follow.
Toryn said:
Make a free Carfax account and link your car. It’ll give you service reminders and a general idea of what should be done at what mileage. Super helpful and easy to follow.
This is a really good idea. I didn’t even think to do that. Just made one, thanks!
For the newer Venzas, especially hybrids, the maintenance is pretty light. Oil changes, filters, tire rotations, and checking fluids is most of it. The manual should have the full list. No real reason to go to a dealership unless something unusual comes up.
@Caiden
Thanks! I’ll go through the manual again. Was mostly wondering if anything had to be done at a dealership, but sounds like that’s not really the case.
I just hit 30k on my 2021 Venza and Toyota wanted $500 for the scheduled service. They said it includes inspections and an oil change. Honestly felt like a lot for what they were doing.
I’ve got a 2015 Venza XLE and it’s been rock solid. I’ve done all my maintenance through a local mechanic. I follow the service manual, but I do oil changes every 5,000 miles with synthetic just to be safe. Dealerships charge too much and try to upsell stuff you don’t need.