What services you need and what you don't

Re: What services you need and what you don't

You might consider the benefit to the world of reducing by a factor of four the amount of waste added to the environment by using synthetic oil and a 20K change interval. With the crap supplied in the US as ordinary oil you need 5K intervals as opposed to 10K intervals in Europe, but using synthetics in a university town makes abundant environmental and service sense.

 

Thanks! Twice now I've been recommended to have my injectors cleaned, for $$$, but thought I'd hold off awhile. Now I know to wait after 100k, & won't use additives again.

 

Re: What services you need and what you don't

I always appreciate this thread, as I learn from people who are much more savvy with their cars than myself!

I took my car in for an oil change this weekend and everything looked good. I pushed to have the AVT fluid changed (at 110,000) as well, even though the dealer said that the fluid "lasted for a lifetime"; I've heard too many PCFers provide evidence to the contrary. The service technician did recommend that I have fuel injection cleaning, something which I've felt is a way for the dealer to add some $$$ to his/her kid's college fund.

I do have two questions for folks at PCF. First, I asked the tech whether I should have my engine coolant drained and filled. He said it wasn't needed since the fluid still looked good. Since this is the original fluid I'm thinking about changing it regardless at 120,000. Is there a quote that other folks have seen from their dealers? Secondly, my brakes are also up for a lookover at 120,000, and I'm thinking about having the brake fluid checked/changed at this time as well. Looking at my service records, it looks like the fluids were checked at 60, 75, 90, and 105 as well. Since it is original fluid, is it worth it having it changed regardless? Likewise, what sort of price have people seen from dealers?

 

Glad to hear that you had the transaxle ATF fluid changed. I just did that service on both Prius (as I observe 30K mile change intervals.)

Yes, the engine and inverter coolants were supposed to be replaced at 100K miles so your car is actually overdue even though the coolant might "look" good. My guess is that you might pay $200 or so for this. The coolant by itself will cost ~$65 for three US gallons.

It is a good idea to have the brake fluid replaced at 120K miles. My guess is that a fair price might be around $75 or so. Although you didn't mention the iridium spark plugs, they are due for replacement at that time.

I agree that there's no need to have the fuel injection cleaning unless you are noticing engine driveability issues.

 

Re: What services you need and what you don't

Thanks for the advice and price information Patrick. I had the spark plugs changed at 105,000, and the inverter coolant replaced at 109,000 when I had my inverter water pump replaced.

I'm due to be at the dealer again in October for my annual inspection and I should be due for an oil change as well. I'll plan on having them replace the engine coolant at this time.

Thanks again!

Re: What services you need and what you don't

 

20K Mile ATF Analysis

I had the ATF changed (just a drain and fill - not "flushed") at 19,950 miles and sent a sample to Blackstone Labs for analysis. Their report is attached.


There don't appear to be any issues at all. I'm glad I spent the $25 to have this done, though, as it establishes a base line. I'll now plan to get ATF changes every 60k miles and will continue sending samples in for analysis.

I'd like our great little Prii to remain in perfect condition as long as possible, after all.

 

FWIW: Honda spec's. brake fluid replacement every 3 years, regardless of mileage.

 

Given the complexity of the brake system, changing brake fluid as a preventative is a really bad idea. It is definitely something that is rarely done even in dealer service departments, so anyone who is doing it to your car might just be doing it for their first time. Please read the first post in this thread. If you look at your brake fluid reservoir and the fluid looks like canola oil, it is fine. If it looks much darker, more like a greenish motor oil, then replace it. It is about a 2 hour job and requires a factory level scan tool, so this is something that only a Toyota dealer or highly skilled Toyota specialty shop should take on.

 

I'm just over 60K miles and logged back on the check this thread as I recalled there being some recommended maintenance at this point. However, re-reading the first post the only thing it looks like I'm due for is PCV valve replacement. How hard is this to DYI for a relative novice (I change my own oil and rotate the tires, but that's all I've done)?

Also, are the transaxle fluid and coolant really good for 100K miles as stated in the opening post? Or are folks changing it more frequently? And if so, again is that something worth tackling as a DYI?

 

At 60,000, you should do the transaxle fluid change, if it is the original. The most conservative change schedule is every 30,000 miles (30,60,90,...) , with the next-most being at 30,000, then every 60,000 thereafter (30,90,150,...). I think an every 60,000 mile schedule (60,120,180,...) is reasonable if you are expecting to put on less than 250,000 miles. As far as doing it yourself, you will need the appropriate sized hex driver and a breaker bar to get the plug loose. It seems to come out with quite a bit more velocity than the motor oil, perhaps due to the larger diameter hole, so you have to be prepared to catch this garden hose gushing stream of liquid.

The PCV is a PITA. There is not enough room to get a socket in there. Do NOT use a crescent wrench! That leaves a box-end wrench. There is barely enough clearance to get a GearWrench on it. If you do not take the wiper cowl off, then you can get a few ratchet clicks per pull. With a plain old 12 point box wrench, it is probably worth the time to take off the cowl. It will be pretty tough to break it loose. It is a very good practice to combine this job with spark plugs (120K) and/or throttle body + MAF cleaning, as it is necessary to get the intake and engine wiring harness out of the way.

 

Re: What services you need and what you don't

PC valve replacement on a Prius is not a simple operation. If you wish to check the PC valve for operation you can go to your local friendly Toyota dealer with 4 qts. of oil and a filter the next time oil change is due and ask them to change the oil and CHECK the PCV.

That will give you an answer, fast, and the labor charge is really low.

As far as the original post, trust those times. Don't fall for the "experts" who want you to spend more than you really need to on this excellent automobile with unique high tech design advantages that allow high mileages between major services.

 

Re: What services you need and what you don't

I had my transaxle fluid changed at 65k and the mechanic (Independent Toyota Specialist) said it was definitely time. I also asked the same mechanic about the PCV valve, and he said they had never changed one and never seen one that had failed. It put that off, but next time (at 75k, I think) I'll ask for it anyway.

 

Re: What services you need and what you don't

Change your tranny fluid early. The transaxle is the most expensive component on the car. The cost of this service at a dealer is $100+/-, or DIY for about $40. Early transaxle failures tend to happen shortly after 100,000 miles, so what does that say about waiting until 100,000 (or the "lifetime" fill claim) to change the fluid?

 

Re: What services you need and what you don't

Thank you both. I am going to take the combined advice and bring in my own synthetic oil and filter (except have them fill it with only 3 to 3.5 quarts not 4), check the PCV, and drain and fill the tranny fluid. The DIY route for the latter two sound a bit beyond my typical forays into the maintenance realm.

So it's fine to go to 100K miles on the coolants?

 

This is a great post. I'm a woman making decisions about my car alone now. I need my 30,000 mile maintenance and Toyota wanted over $400 for it, not even telling me that they were doing things routinely that were not in my maintenance guide. Turns out they want to do extra stuff, including an expensive "clean electonic fuel injectors." From reading this thread, it seems that is not necessary.

But, please, tell me what is necessary at 30,000 miles. I'd really appreciate it.

Also, what do you think about switching to synthetic oil. I have an extended warranty. Would that be a problem with warranty?

many thanks.

 

30K should just be oil/filter change (I definitely recommend synthetic and no it won't affect your warranty), tire rotation, replace cabin and engine air filters. And see the Visual Inspection stickied thread for other things that should be routinely inspected..

 

Thanks HighlyImPriused. So, if I go synthetic, how do I handle future maintenance. I like to get my book stamped and/or show I have maintained it properly. When do I bring it in for service?

 

Get your oil changed every 5,000 miles if you want to maintain warranty coverage. After the powertrain warranty is up at 60,000 miles many people opt to extend the oil change intervals out to 7,500 or even 10,000 using a good synthetic.

 

ok. So, what besides less freq oil changes are the advantages of synthetic? Is it all environmental, or is there performance and/or fuel efficiency benefit? Also, I have an extended warranty because this was my first hybrid (2008) and I was uncertain about battery life, etc. I may need to continue 5,000 miles beyond 60,000 miles then.

 

Re: What services you need and what you don't

If you're changing it every 5,000 miles, synthetic might not provide a huge advantage. That only comes IMO once you start extending the intervals out. But beware the bulk oil that dealers and oil change places use. There are no guarantees on the quality of that stuff and some unscrupulous places have even been found mixing used oil back into their vats of bulk oil. So if you're having it done at the dealer and are using synthetic you can get some peace of mind about what they're putting in there. Better yet, bring in your own synthetic or even a quality conventional oil and ask them to use that instead. Also it is possible there may be some very minor fuel economy benefits to using synthetic oil, but I'm not sure it's ever been accurately documented. Basically, using synthetic oil is relatively cheap insurance (think about how much you paid for the car) that you are giving your engine the very best.