hello Scotty.
I have a 2012 Toyota Matrix 1.8L automatic transmission with 120Kmiles on it. Got it at 38kmiles. First owner took good care of it. I religiously change my oil every 3000 miles and I too, take good care of my car.
Q1) I live in Province of Quebec Canada. You know that we freeze our asses off here in winter(-18F last night). Old cars used to have a block heater as standard equipment in northern climate. With modern engines and modern oil, is it worth it to get one installed?
Q2) I had my transmission oil changed at the local Toyota dealer at 60Kmiles. The dealer told me that I would not need to change the transmission oil again for the remaining life of the car. What would you recommend?
Thanks and I find your videos informative and useful.
JF
Get a block heater and change your trans fluid and filter every 30-50,000 miles.
Why'd you get it changed at all if you "never need to change it"? You did right, ignore the dealer and keep with the 30-60k mile service internal. They want to sell you a car when your transmission dies prematurely due to their misleading, and horrible advice.
For oil, I'm not sure on the block heater. It doesn't get that cold in Ohio. Haha. If your engine uses, say 5W-20, in the winter time you can go down to a 0W-20 oil and not harm the engine. The number in front is the viscosity equivalent at cold startup, this can be lower than spec, as it essentially means the oil flows more freely at cold temperatures than the higher number. The following number, -20 or whatever number your engine needs must be that weight, or you could cause premature wear.
