I'm getting ready to take a road trip to Illinois, and my truck is due for the 30k service and am looking for advice on what to have done. Should I have the full service (oil, tranny, diff/transfer, coolant, rotation/balance) or a more basic one (oil, coolant, rotate/balance) done? Are there fluids which can be pushed off to 45k, such as tranny & 4x4 fluids? Also, how often should an alignment be done? The dealer recommends twice annually, while independent shops say once a year is fine. Should I have one done before my trip next week?

 

I would do everything that is listed in the owners manual for the 30K service. If something goes wrong with anything that wasn't done, you're out of luck. It will cost more, too, if you seperate the items being done. Do the full 30K service. Its cheap insurance, too.

As far as the alignment, I only do it when I put on new tires or if I notice the truck pulling to the sides.