Hello everybody, I'm about to purchase a used 2009 Prius with 67000 miles. Its a certified car from Toyota. This is will be my second hybrid, but my first Toyota. My other hybrid was a 2003 Honda Insight. My question is in regards to the transaxle maintenance. Some of the posts recommend service at 30k and 60k, yet when I spoke to the technician at Toyota he said to only service the transaxle when there is a serious issue with it? Any recommendations?? I'm a heavy commuter, 850 miles per week. I'm concerned about buying another hybrid, because even with all the scheduled mainenance on my Insight, the tranny let go at 160K. Thanks, Jim
This is a subject of ongoing discussion on PC. The general consensus is that despite Toyota's position, the transaxle fluid should be changed every 30-60 thousand miles. The procedure is not difficult. If you can change your oil, you can also change your transaxle fluid. PC discussion threads Transaxle Oil Analysis Changing Transaxle oil Guides (you can ignore steps about moving/removing the inverter - just drain & fill) New England Hybrid Gathering Spring maintenance
Definitely not 30K miles - a waste of time and money. 60K is on the conservative side also. I'd say 75K is about right.
Also, it pays to call the various Toyota dealers in your area to get the best price on the fluid. I will be changing my fluid soon, and dealers in my area quoted me $9.39 - $11.84 per quart. You will need 4 quarts of Genuine Toyota ATF WS (world standard) fluid - Toyota Part #00289-ATFWS It is also recommend to replace the crush washers on the drain and fill plugs - Toyota Part #90430-18008 (quantity=2)
The first transaxle fluid change should be sooner than later. Then you can start stretching it. Ignore Toyota, it's your car.
Mind you, they make more money if you have serious issues with it. Change if now and every 60,000 miles, even at the dealer it should be about $110
Thank you for all the replies. Especially, thank you for the part numbers as well as for covering small details like washers. I was a little hesitant about buying other hybrid, but with this forum and the amount of quick responses, I'm a lot more confident about purchasing a prius. Thanks again, Jim
Be sure to open the upper fill plug first before the lower drain plug. If you do it the other way around and have a problem, you are left high and dry.
I had mine done at 58k in the UK - purely as a precaution on my 2008 Prius T Spirit. I read that it was a lifetime fluid that should last till 120k and only ever needs to be changed once - but I'm equally okay with changing it every 60k or 75k - for peace of mind! iPhone ?
Sorry to hear about the tranny failure on your 2003 Insight. However, the transaxle on the 2nd generation Prius is over engineered - like the rest of the vehicle. People have reportedly done over 400,000 miles on the same HV traction battery and transaxle. Transaxle failures are relatively quite rare - and some of those may have been third party maintenance issues. The Gen 2 is an excellent choice. Enjoy! iPhone ?
