When it comes to car mileage, 500,000 is typically considered to be an enormous number. Generally speaking, anything above 75,000 to 100,000 miles is classified as high mileage. In fact, 75,000 miles is usually the threshold for when experts recommend drivers begin using high mileage engine oil. Anything above 200,000 miles starts getting into extremely high mileage, while 500,000 miles is a mark of not only impeccable automotive engineering but also religious maintenance and care.
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That said, there are a few car brands that are known for their capacity to reach exceptionally high mileage. Some of those names include popular brands like Honda, Volkswagen, Dodge/Ram, and Toyota. Toyota, in particular, is known for building intensely reliable, long-lasting vehicles. Legendary model names like the Toyota Sienna, Corolla, Tundra, and Camry represent some of the most reliable Toyota vehicles of all time, and each of these cars is capable of accumulating hundreds of thousands of miles. But can a Toyota really make it all the way to 500,000 miles?
As a former professional mechanic who has worked in both independent shops and as a flat-rate repair tech in a large Toyota dealership, I can tell you that the answer is yes. However, it’s not quite as simple as that. A lot goes into reaching the 500,000-mile mark, including the car’s make and model, but the single most important factor is maintenance. If you want your Toyota, or any vehicle for that matter, to stand a chance of reaching half a million miles, you have to treat it with the utmost care. What does that entail? Let’s dive in and find out.
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How to get 500k miles out of your Toyota
During the years I spent working in professional auto repair shops, I saw a handful of cars with 500,000+ miles, including a couple of Toyotas, as well as a few vehicles built by other manufacturers. There are also videos online of dealerships receiving trade-in vehicles with this type of high-mileage, such as the 1999 Toyota Tacoma pictured above with over 510,000 miles on the original engine. What did all of these cars have in common? Their owners maintained them exceptionally well, which is what we’re going to discuss now.
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It may seem simple enough, but sticking to a maintenance schedule is something many people fail to do, and it involves a bit more than you may realize. Fortunately, it’s not incredibly difficult to maintain your vehicle properly — it’s just inconvenient for some people. The most basic and vital thing you can do is follow your manufacturer’s guidelines to a tee. That means reading your owner’s manual to learn about service intervals and fluid types, and then sticking to that schedule religiously.
However, keeping up with routine maintenance is only one part of getting your Toyota to the 500,000-mile mark. It’s also critical that you drive your car with care. That means don’t hot rod around town, avoid unnecessary modifications, park indoors whenever possible, and wash it regularly. Each step you take to baby and protect your vehicle will contribute to helping it reach the half-a-million-miles mark. It may feel expensive or tedious to change your oil or rotate your tires every couple of months — but remember that doing so will not only help you avoid expensive and debilitating mechanical malfunctions, but it can also help your car provide reliable service for the long haul and have a significantly better chance of reaching the mystical 500,000-mile threshold.
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