[Blake2018]

Just had $3500 done in repairs to my 2006 Sienna CE with 214k. I generally have all service and maintenance done at the local Toyota dealer I’ve been going to since 2010. It’s DCH Toyota of Oxnard for reference. This is the rundown:

Timing Belt/ Bearing/ Tensioner
Valve Clearance Adjustment
Valve Cover Gaskets
Serpentine Belt
Fuel Injection Cleaning
Front Brake Pads
Front Brake Rotors
Stabilizer Bark Links

All 24 valves were well below specs as I had the tech report the tolerances of each of them, all shims were replaced. The valve cover gaskets were leaking and they contaminated the serpentine belt, therefore had to replace both. Stabilizer Links have never been replaced and it was well overdue. The front rotors have never been replaced, they were hot spotted.

Result…van drives close to new as possible. Responsive, silky smooth, no rattles or knocking. Would not hesitate to take on cross country drive. Front end is tight and handles great. I’d venture to say that this generation of Sienna is one of the best vehicles Toyota made. Glad I got the work done!

 

[supra129]

It should last another 100k! Maintenance is the key. Enjoy!!!!

 

[Roader]

All 24 valves were well below specs as I had the tech report the tolerances of each of them, all shims were replaced.

That's interesting. I've never heard of anyone checking valve clearance on the 3MZ. Can you tell us how much the valve clearance was out of spec? I checked valve clearance on my 1MZ Camry with lower miles and found only one out of spec, and just barely.

 

[Blake2018]

It should last another 100k! Maintenance is the key. Enjoy!!!!

Agreed…easy another 100k! Had the spark plugs changed at 200k…looked brand new as I had them give them to me. No burning oil.

The one thing that’d prevent the Sienna from going to 400k is the transmission…I’ve always had fluid changes and flushes done at the dealer however I do get an occasional slower shift from 1-2.

 

[Blake2018]

That's interesting. I've never heard of anyone checking valve clearance on the 3MZ. Can you tell us how much the valve clearance was out of spec? I checked valve clearance on my 1MZ Camry with lower miles and found only one out of spec, and just barely.

I’ll take a pic of the adjustment sheet and post it later (still dark here)., see attached the maintenance guide. Not sure I’d do it at 60k as suggested (pricey) but mine has 214k and it was the first time I had it done…runs incredibly smooth and quiet now…basically as it did new.

 

[catfish93]

I hate to break the news, but I fear this is only the beginning. My old 2010 that I bought with 214k and an immaculate service history (108 records) blew it's AC compressor the night I brought it home. After that, repairs came thick and fast. In no particular order:
Front struts and sway bar links. $500 (friend rate)
Oil cooler gasket set $1100 at a shop
Alternator $570 at a shop
Both front axles (at different times and different shops) because the van was shaking itself apart under load. $500 for the first and $350 for the second
Brake caliper seized during a 4 wheel brake job. $179 (friend rate)
Brakes only lasted 30k miles tops. Went through 2 full sets from 220k to 271k. More on that in a minute.
Engine mount $20 from Amazon and 15 minutes of my time.
Tires and alignment. $750
2 trans fluid services and a coolant exchange $250 (friend rate)
AC compressor $750 (friend rate)
Battery $200
DVD player and NAV system were dead after battery replacement. Factory unit would have been $5500 parts only so I went with an aftermarket double din touch screen radio so I'd at least have my backup camera. $250 (friend price) $50 for labor to install (friend rate) Having to take it to an audio specialist since it still wouldn't power on despite everything being hooked up right, and getting steering wheel controls programmed, and backup camera synced. $500

Now onto things that I lived with but didn't fix:
If you went longer than 4500 miles on the 5k mile oil change interval, the check engine, VSC OFF, and TRAC OFF lights would all come on. Code was for cam timing or something. Changing oil every 4k prevented this. Who knows what that would cost and no diagnosis was ever done.
Door cable on left side snapped. Dealer quoted $1850 so I left it alone.
Rattle outside the van at 10 - 30 MPH. You could only hear it when you were driving next to a wall that reflected the sound. Some weird chatter. Never nailed it down.
Dash pad was riddled with cracks
The brakes were always wonky. I never fully trusted them.

The last straw:
The intake resonator fell off from below the air filter box, and rubbed a hole in the radiator elbow. The elbow is part of the radiator assembly. Was quoted $750.
I finally wanted to get to the bottom of the brakes and why they'd either lock up all 4 wheels and smoke the tires or do nothing for the first 2 seconds. I was quoted a master cylinder and told the ABS module may also be faulty. Anywhere from $850 to $2500 depending on what else was found.
Transmission fluid leak coming from the drain plug. Could have just been a gasket or may have had damaged threads.
It needed front struts and sway bar links AGAIN.

I sold it for $3800 at 271k miles. The best day of 2021 for sure was seeing the new owner (a shady buy here pay here lot) back this thing out of my driveway and over my mailbox. They did pay me $200 for the damage. I almost let it slide because I know they won't make a cent on this thing if they make it right, but they probably won't.

On October 15th, I bought a 2022 Sienna. Even though Toyota left a very sour taste in my mouth, I went for it for the fuel economy (which I'm happy to report is as advertised) and practicality since I drive for Uber on the side. I bought the 72 month interior warranty which was smart since build quality kind of sucks, and I bought the 150k miles bumper to bumper extended warranty. I'm not taking any chances.

 

[paul r]

That's a lot of dough and it confirms how valuable my time/talent? is when I diy.