ToyotaCare plan

With any extended warranty/insurance ...

Read the contract (not the sales literature), know what it covers and what it doesn't. They generally don't cover bumper to bumper like in your original warranty.

Know what you must do to maintain the warranty.

Know if it is transferable.

Know who is responsible for administering and paying for any repairs. And their corporate structure and financial stability.

Generally, they aren't a good deal (why would a company accept risk if statistically you are going to come out ahead) but this may be an exception.

 

I don't know anything about a "C" but if you only have to have your oil changed every 10,000 miles like a regular Prius then $299 is a bad deal because all you are going to need at 30,000 and 40,000 are a total of 2 oil changes so that will be an expensive 2 oil changes. You should have a couple of tire rotations. Just get that somewhere else. That is just the way I see it.

 

i agree with oki, after you subtract two oil changes and 4 tyre rotates, is the roadside service worth the balance?

 

Another suggestion. You can go to Discount Tire and buy a lifetime balancing and tire rotation plan (for the lifetime of your present tires) and have them rotated and balanced as many times as you want. Good deal. Will easily pay for itself. Probably get free flat tire repair with it.

 

You and I have different ideas of what a 'good deal' is.
DIY oil changes for about $15 a go, and of course tyre rotations are free at home.

$30 Vs $300

Value of a towing service for a newish Prius ? Oh, about $2 a year.

 

Tires rotation can be done for FREE at Pepboys with membership that's also Free to join.

 

My Toyota Dealership offers the 10k interval services for ~$50 IIRC. I haven't needed them yet, but I want to say I looked at their oil changes and they were ~$40.

 

You have a good dealer ztanos. They are very reasonable.

 

When the time comes for me? I don't think I will get it. I have towing...if not "road side assistance" through my auto insurance, and the services up to 50K do seem to be basically Oil Changes.

$300 for Oil Changes and Tire Rotations seems high.

 

My car insurance through USAA offers basic roadside assistance for ~ $1 a month per car.

 

does that include towing? i think i'm paying aaa $65. or something. i do get a sweet monthly newspaper and discounts at various places.

 

IIRC yes, limited to 5 miles each tow. Same as the AARP basic package.

 

is that permanent schedule of Toyota car or some promotions time only?

Thanks

 

Someone recently asked a similar question on the /r/Prius subreddit (Prius pre-paid maintenance : prius) (It's for a liftback, but the maintenance is basically the same.)

Here's my response:

Here's the recommended maintenance (starts on page 38): http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/omms/T-MMS-15Prius/pdf/2015_Toyota_Prius_WMG.pdf
Ignore the first two years/24k miles, because those are free ("Toyotacare").
Here's the rest of it:

• Inspecting the driver's floor mat: cover-your-nice person measure for Toyota.
• 5 oil changes (30k, 40k, 50k, 60k, 70k) + oil filter. OEM filters are $5-$7 on Amazon, and Walmart has 5 quarts of Mobil 1 for ~$22, and there's a $12 rebate until the end of the month on each 5 quart bottle (4 of those bottles will do 5 oil changes). If you take it somewhere, it should be $30-$45 after taxes/fees. If your dealer charges more than that, check other nearby dealers. My closest one (on the way to/from work) wanted $62 for my c, but one a few miles in the opposite direction of work quoted $45.
• Tire rotation: easy to do yourself, usually comes with oil changes if you have someone else do them.
• Inspecting stuff - mostly brakes (you'll be able to hear/feel when they're worn, and unless you abuse your brake pedal, they won't need to be replaced before 75k miles anyway) and wiper blades (not exactly rocket surgery). If you need replacement blades, go to the dealer and get blade inserts instead of replacing the whole thing. The rest of the inspections may or may not be useful, but you should be able to tell if something's wrong.
• Inspecting and adjusting fluid levels - you should be doing this anyway, and it's not difficult/expensive
• Replacement of cabin air filter at 30k and 60k: $13-$15 on Amazon, 2 minutes of labor. Depending on driving conditions and how much you use the fan, they might need to be replaced sooner, or they might just need a vacuum/few hits on something hard.
• Replacement of engine air filter at 30k and 60k: $15-$20 on Amazon, 2 minutes of labor.

So the major expense is the oil changes, which even at $50 each would be $250, engine/cabin air filters are $70 total. Does the rest of that look like it's worth $1,378 to you?
Edited: realized OP was asking about a liftback, not a c. Adjusted accordingly.
For my c, after my 2nd free oil change at 20k, I don't plan on seeing the dealer for a while:

• Oil changes: 20 quarts of 0w20 Mobil 1 for ~$50 after rebate. 5 pack of OEM filters on Amazon for $35 (may get the 10 pack for $48.50). Not sure if I need the oil drain plug gaskets at $13.10 for 10 (will worry about that in 10k miles). Under $100 of materials will get me through the 70k mile change. Will have 1-time costs of oil drain pan, filter wrench, and jack stands if I can't find any, but I've got time to scope out deals or see if my family has any. Those can also be used for family members' cars.
• Tire rotation at each oil change by myself.
• Engine air filter: will replace as recommended, because it's not worth the risk to me: $17 * 2 = $34
• Cabin air filter: will stretch the current one out as long as possible with regular knocking out of crap/vacuuming, since I don't use the fan much and it's not dry/dusty near me. Then I'll replace it for ~$17 maybe around 60k.
• People seem to recommend replacing the inverter coolant fluid around 60k to prevent expensive problems in the future, so I'll look into that more as the time approaches.
• OEM wiper inserts as needed.

 

Newbie here so please pardon me if this was addressed elsewhere. On the topic of Toyotacare, does anyone know how dealerships are reimbursed for service performed under this program (oil change, tire rotations, etc.). Are they expected to perform this service for free, or does Toyota reimburse them for such services? Reason I ask is to see how motivated the service department is on performing these tasks, especially if I take my car to a different dealership that I did not purchase the car from. I've heard stories of dealerships (not Toyota per se) claiming to do oil changes, but hand back to the customer with the same oil filter.

 

toyota pays them, so they're motivated. mine calls me well before each 5,000, and hounds me until i get her in. however, that won't prevent a shady dealer from trying to cut corners.

 

Thanks Bisco...good to know I won't be treated like a second class citizen going to another dealership. I just received a call from the dealership where I purchased my car three days ago to schedule my first maintenance session - definitely trying to corner me. Regardless of where I go, before each service, I'm thinking of marking the oil filter and putting small tags on each tire to see if they actually do anything and will report back here if necessary