Taxi life with a wanked out converted french panel van

[Panel]

True.....me and my partial OCD has to change the cabin filter at every service.

at the rate this lockdown is going you'll be servicing it at every 2 years or 10,000 miles.

Laffin

[silverbullet]

True.....me and my partial OCD has to change the cabin filter at every service.

at the rate this lockdown is going you'll be servicing it at every 2 years or 10,000 miles.

Laffin

True. Or I could ask the punters to wear a pollen filter!

[Shallowhal]

PCV valve is another job i haven't done on my heap....it's a little bit more involved than the Gen 2(access was easy on top of engine) Gen 3 access in from underneath the engine and awkard to access,might do it at next service along with transmission fluid change.

[Panel]

PCV valve is another job i haven't done on my heap....it's a little bit more involved than the Gen 2(access was easy on top of engine) Gen 3 access in from underneath the engine and awkard to access,might do it at next service along with transmission fluid change.

Does the CVT unit use conventional AFT fluid?

[Shallowhal]

PCV valve is another job i haven't done on my heap....it's a little bit more involved than the Gen 2(access was easy on top of engine) Gen 3 access in from underneath the engine and awkard to access,might do it at next service along with transmission fluid change.

Does the CVT unit use conventional AFT fluid?

Not conventional.....they say it's specific for Toyota sealed transmissions......ATF WS Type(World Standard is what WS stands for.

[Panel]

PCV valve is another job i haven't done on my heap....it's a little bit more involved than the Gen 2(access was easy on top of engine) Gen 3 access in from underneath the engine and awkard to access,might do it at next service along with transmission fluid change.

Does the CVT unit use conventional AFT fluid?

Not conventional.....they say it's specific for Toyota sealed transmissions......ATF WS Type(World Standard is what WS stands for.

I never had much trust in the ‘sealed for life’ units, surely I’d like to inspect the magnets for any swarf at very least.

[Shallowhal]

Changing the fluid was never on Toyotas service schedule until the Gen 3,the first time i bought the fluid from Toyota for my Gen 2 i got some stange looks and a sort of "why are ye doin that?"...they seemed to feel that the oil was everlasting...might be true for private ownership doing the average annual mileage.

[Rat Catcher]

Always stick to the manufacturers service manual when it comes to servicing. If higher or lower mileage makes a difference that'll be reflected in the prescribed schedule. Lot's of men have fucked up VAG DSG boxes, for example, by fixing stuff that isn't broken and that you're not supposed to touch... and by not following specified methodologies where fluid replacements are specified i.e. in wet clutch DSGs.

You should use a "charcoal" pollen filter - presumably that's the heavier one Panel mentions - if you drive primarily in the city, they're much better at dealing with emissions than the bog standard paper ones. I change mine every 40,000 kilos or 2 years despite the manufacturer's (VAG) recommendation of 60,000 or 2 years, mainly because I tend to have the blower on low constantly and it's an easy 5 minute job. Interestingly, the pollen filter is always filthy when it comes out and it's generally followed by leaves, dead bugs and other light debris whereas the air filter, replaced every 90,000 kilos or 6 years, is generally spotless - although I have taken to giving it and it's housing a quick rub of the vacuum cleaner at every service which I do every 20,000 kilos or 18 months, assuming the car doesn't ask for it first which none of my VAGs ever have but the spec is 30,000 / 2 years / sooner if requested by car's ECU.

[Panel]

Always stick to the manufacturers service manual when it comes to servicing. If higher or lower mileage makes a difference that'll be reflected in the prescribed schedule. Lot's of men have fucked up VAG DSG boxes, for example, by fixing stuff that isn't broken and that you're not supposed to touch... and by not following specified methodologies where fluid replacements are specified i.e. in wet clutch DSGs.

I remember well when the fleet exclusively consisted of MKII Octavias with the 1st DSG boxes and the horror stories of taximen/drivers destroying the gearbox by missed services or incorrect methods of servicing the DSG box by kerbside motors.

[Rat Catcher]

No doubt there were some shite boxes produced but from VAG fora it seems that it's always the ones that had the fluid changed that subsequently packed in. DSG is not actually a box or type of box, it's a descriptive label covering a wide variety of different designs. If it's a dry clutch DSG you're not supposed to change the fluid and if it's a wet clutch DSG the fluid should be replaced every 60,000 kilos (I think) but it's imperative that the level is set at a specific temperature that can only be reliably achieved using dealer level diagnostics - OBD Eleven is a cheap as chips one that'd do. Not doing it right can result in the fluid pressure being too high which obviously causes internal damage.

[Rat Catcher]

^ I think lads who don't suffer from OCD are more inclined to jump in and do something they've done before to different cars for years believing it to be beneficial, whereas those with OCD will spend hours, if not days, researching the seemingly routine task!

[Panel]

^ I think lads who don't suffer from OCD are more inclined to jump in and do something they've done before to different cars for years believing it to be beneficial, whereas those with OCD will spend hours, if not days, researching the seemingly routine task!

Some taximen and their quirks when it comes to car care can be very interesting, regular sights of men in their late 70s pushing a tonne and a bit of metal up a taxi rank to save on starter wear and petrol.

[Rat Catcher]

First place I noticed that was in the 70s as a kid in London. Every one of them were pushing their cars up the rank at Heathrow... probably dates back to the fuel shortages at that time.

Wouldn't be surprised if they have to do it now - our soon - to reduce emissions!

[Wingnut]

PCV valve is another job i haven't done on my heap....it's a little bit more involved than the Gen 2(access was easy on top of engine) Gen 3 access in from underneath the engine and awkard to access,might do it at next service along with transmission fluid change.

If you remove the intake manifold the PCV valve is easily accessible, I called Toyota when I had the manifold off for another job and was going to replace the PCV while I was there but Toyota didn't stock them, parts guy never heard of anybody replacing it. If I was going to keep the prius long term I'd also install an oil catch can to prevent the manifold from gumming up with blow back from the crank case.

[Rat Catcher]

Yisser all have too much time on yisser hands!