Coolant, absolutely! Do it beforehand if you can, since it is very, very easy and cold weather is upon us. Get the funnel that connects to radiator, and look here for how to do it. I contributed to a post, maybe check out what I wrote. You do need to elevate the van to release the coolant, through, and a catch pan. Take your time and you will be good: I hate to say this, but I trust myself more than the dealer in this, because I know I will take my time to burp the engine better than the mechanic, since the mechanic has other tasks to go to as a priority, while I can just stay there and burp engine for much longer. On my GS, I actually had the mechanic vomit coolant all over the engine bay, I returned the car and told them to clean that crap up, since coolant is a powerful electronics corrosive.

Vacuum booster pump, sorry I don't know for sure, but seems like cheap insurance.

Brake fluid easy to do, but you do have to lift the van. Car care nut has a good vid on it. I have done the test strip on my 2018, and the electrical dip in the brake fluid test and always good, so I have not done it on my 2018.

Air conditioning refresh should only be done, if needed. It has two areas where you would need to do the refresh procedure, I think I contributed to one post. Only do it if the AC stinks like moist used socks or mildewy locker room, wasting money otherwise.

Ignition coil packs, why change them if good? Any misfiring or crappy mileage, or codes? Then I would not change them, they are not a movable part like a pump. Sure they get fatigue, but as long as you are on the lookout for them needing replacement, removing them early just does not seem worth it.

If you can do the spark plugs, then you should absolutely trust yourself to do the coolant exchange, instead of the mechanic. The 2GR is well known to develop leaks around the water pump, and gasket leaks, I would get into the habit of changing it out every 4 years. I enjoyed doing mine, therapeutic.

 

Thank you! This is exactly the kind of advice I was looking for! Regrettably, I don't have the space or equipment to lift the van, so I'm going to have to depend on outside help for that.

Based on what you're telling me, and what I've learned from further research, I'm going to leave the coil packs alone. No misfires or codes at all, so why try to fix what's not broken? The mileage has actually improved, recently. I suspect it was due to the lengthy road trip I took recently (hours of running at constant speed, cruise control locked, etc.)

The A/C has been working flawlessly ever since we bought the van, no smells or lack of cold. I'm not touching it.

I found a good deal on a new/old-stock booster pump, so I'm going to do it. I've already got spark plugs and all the gaskets I need, so good to go in that regard.

Any thoughts on the tranny fluid?

Thanks again!

 

Easy to change the transmission fluid, I would do it, but you need to have both the place to lift the vehicle, an ODB controller or at least transmission temperature reader, and not do it during the time that is hot outside. During July, very difficult to get the temp just right, it is a winter thing. If you are in a city and do not have a place, consider reaching out on periphery and seeing if others will let you do maintenance on the vehicle. You could do maintenance on theirs, too, if they see you as trustworthy, but in the meanwhile you can pay them to use their driveway. See if you post something on Craiglist if anybody is open, you could say exactly like I did, that you are serious person who likes to take care of your stuff, and would be taking care of their driveway as well.