On Mon, 3 May 2021 17:08:13 -0700, Bob F wrote:

On 5/3/2021 4:54 PM, Bob F wrote:
On 5/3/2021 12:10 PM, micky wrote:
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.


My nearest Toyota dealer has an online order department. When I needed
some more I placed the order online for pickup at the store. 6 quarts
cost me $29 including tax.



Also, I read that Aisin is Toyota's source, so their T-IV should be the
same.

Here's some more light reading.
https://www.startribune.com/brand-cl...uid/283401841/

Interesting article. Thank you for sharing.