The idylls of Toyota transmission fluid

[micky]

For some reason I've been more careful about my health** and my car lately, so I checked what xmission fluid my 2005 Solara uses, and it was Toyota T-IV, so I went to buy some. The top, picture row of google didn't have anything local iirc, but Amazon had some for 11 to 19 dollars. Seems like a lot.

**Wore a mask and gloves when spraying for crabgrass.

Ebay had a quart for $18, for $13, or for $8.50 (pickup only), and surprisingly, given how much all the others were, for $4.20 plus $5 shipping, and a second quart's shipping costs only 25 cents. Well, okay!

Ordered two quarts late on April 18. First 7 steps of tracking on the

19th, including going from Myrtle Beach to Columbia SC.

Then nothing for 10 days.

Don't know how to reach the post office in Columbia so I write the vendor. Webpage asks if I want the item or my money back. I check I want the item. Tell him the problem and say "9 days to get from Columbia to Baltimore? What should I do? What should you do? Thanks."

Even though I checked "I want the item", within a couple hours Ebay says my money is coming back. Okay.

But now I'm still a full quart low on fluid, and I don't have any. Plus I see Toyota has rules against mixing fluids, plus Wikip says my car likely uses WS but the online owners manual says T-IV. Great idea, call the dealer. He checks and it's T-IV. Do you have any? Yes, and it's only $6.14. No postage, no waiting. I should have gone there first. (Because dealers don't put their inventory on the web, Google didn't mention a single Toyota dealer.)

Buy two quarts on Friday.

Today's Monday. The fluid from Myrtle Beach arrived. (Tracking shows no entries between Columbia and my local post office.) Now I have a quart in the transmission and 3 more quarts, And I have to send the money to the ebay guy. Plus I had a quart of Castrol Transmax Fully Synthetic Multi-Vehicle. It says it's good for Toyotas, and that was enough for me 3 years ago, but this year I'm taking better care of my car, so it wasn't good enough anymore. Except it's fully synthetic, so maybe it's even better and I was just suckered into buying the Toyota stuff.

So now I have 4 spare quarts. At the current rate that should last me about 17 years.

[Ralph Mowery]

I have bought several items some from ebay and some direct in the last few months that have taken several weeks to arrive. Even one priority mailing took over 2 weeks. At almost every stop there was a lay over of several days.

One package went from a post office about 20 miles to the north to one

30 miles south , back to the first post office, then to my post office from the tracking number. The package went by my post office two times and that office is only about 2 miles off the interstate the package probably traveled.

About 5 years ago a friend about 50 miles away sent me something that was about the size of a C cell battery by first class mail. Took almost

3 weeks. I know he would not lie about when he sent it and the post mark was the same day as he said he sent it.

[Clare Snyder]

A couple comments. I virtually ALWAYS check dealer price and availability FIRST. Then the local aftermarket supplier - If not available or REDICULOUSLY expensive I do to FleaBay or Amazon or some place like Rock Auto.

At least I KNOW what is a good idea and what is highway robbery before ordering - and I can determine what convenience is worth to me if the dealer has it in stock for a reasonable (comparaive) price

As for shipping - when I was in Zambia back in the seventies I recieved a package in the mail from Ontario in a few days - and about a month later I got the letter telling me to expect the package ---

[Francis Strelok]

Interesting article. Thank you for sharing.

[micky]

That's pitiful

That too.

A few months ago, something I ordered went to Baltimore, then to Frederick, an hour west of here, and back to same location in Baltimore the next day.