New Prius Prime Advanced owner - extended warranty/ Toyotacare plus?

I’m not aware of any program in which Toyota certifies repair shops in the U.S., in dealers or otherwise, except for collision repairs. Independent shops may have owners or employees who were formerly employed by Toyota dealers, where they might have received Toyota training or technician certifications, such as “Master Diagnostic Technician.” I’d be surprised if this gave those individuals any continuing right to use Toyota’s trademarks, however, especially not in competition with authorized Toyota dealers.

That said, an independent shop with suitable personnel and equipment—if it also has the necessary service information, diagnostic tools, and special service tools, all available from Toyota and other sources—should be able to do any maintenance or repairs that might be needed, except for warranty, safety recall, or service campaign work, for which Toyota ordinarily reimburses only authorized dealers.

For routine maintenance, a shop that works regularly on hybrid vehicles, even if they don’t do many hybrid system repairs, is probably fine. You don’t want a shop where the mechanics will waste time looking for an alternator or fan belts or be amazed when you drive up in EV mode, and it’s good if they know the basics, like that orange wires are for high-voltage circuits, or when and how to remove the service plug grip.

It’s important, too, for the shop to be prepared to work on late-model Toyota vehicles, in general. This means having a Toyota Techstream diagnostic system and access to Toyota TIS, or third-party equivalents with similar capabilities and information, and the knowledge and skill to use these resources effectively.

 

I just bought it two weeks ago and all the paperwork came in the mail to me from TOYOTA and shows up on the local dealership computer. It is a genuine TOYOTA plan.

 

Our intent is to sell the vehicle at about 75k miles and still offer to the new buyer a 50k mile warranty. This in my opinion will be an incentive for us to get a higher price, and if not we will request a refund of the coverage.

 

I'd imagine that having the service contract as part of the deal may help the car sell more quickly, but not for more money.

 

Two different things. The 2/25k Toyota Care is free oil changes & tire rotation and towing to the nearest Toyota dealership. Not repair. That's covered under the original factory warranty. The Toyota Extra Care Vehicle Service Agreements underwritten by Toyota Financial Services is a prepaid repair contract (note that they never use the work "warranty") that does cover repairs, beyond the warranty period, according to the fine print in the contract--not what the commissioned finance swindler tells you.

Some dealers sell 3rd party service agreements. These are really risky. If the underwriter goes belly-up, you're left with nothing.

 

There is an extended repair contract (so called "extended warranty"), and there is an extended pre-paid maintenance plan (called ToyotaCare Plus, I think). The former fixes things that break outside of warranty. The latter prepays the routine maintenance beyond the 25K "Toyota Care" plan that comes with the car. I think the primary topic of this thread is the former.

 

Here's part of the reply I received. The quotes are the same as you listed:

"As you may know, Toyota/Lexus are now restricting dealers from selling policies across state lines. So at the moment, I can only sell a genuine Toyota/Lexus policy if you have a local address we can use for the paperwork, or if you can come here in-person to purchase it. "​

 

From who did you receive the reply with that disclaimer?
Neither the quote I received from Jerry Johnson nor Troy Dietrich had such a clause.

 

From Troy. This morning.

 

This doesn't make sense.
I'll send Troy a note and see what he says.
Thanks.
J

 

It turns out we are both right.
PM me if you need more.

 

I am trying to make that same decision now. Yes, the only thing that concerns me are the electronic features, the touchscreen, the electronic safety features (on Advanced), etc.

 

+1. Other than Hybrid, Powertrain the electronics are the costliest and based on my research, I don't see much discussion about the coverage for things you mentioned. Could someone with Platinum VSA confirm whether these are covered?

 

Platinum VSA

COMPUTERS AND ELECTRONICS
Airbag Sensors; Airbags; Antenna Cord; Anti-Lock Braking/Traction Control Computer and Sensors; Automatic Shoulder Belt Computer; Body Control Module; Circuit Opening Relay; Compact Disc (CD) Player; Cruise Control Computer; Electronic Ignition Unit; Electronically Controlled Transmission/Transfer Case Computer and Sensors; Electronically Modulated Suspension Computer; Engine Control Computer; Front Seat Airbag Assembly; Graphic Equalizer; Knock Sensor; Navigation System; Power Mirror Electronic Control Unit; Power Seat Computer; Progressive Power Steering Computer; Radio Tuner; Steering Sensor; Stereo Component Amplifier; Sunroof Control Computer and Relay; Tape Player; Tilt/Telescoping Steering Computer; Traction Control Computer; Trip Computer; Variable Induction System; Vehicle Security Computers and Sensor; Wiper Module

THESE ARE THE ITEMS NOT COVERED:
Accessory Drive Belts; Batteries; Body Panels; Brake Linings, Pads and Shoes, Rotors and Drums; Bumpers; Carpet; Chrome; Clutch Friction Disc and Pressure Plate; Dash Cover and Pad; Door Fabric; Door Trim; Filters; Fluids; Fuel Cell Air Compressor; Fuel Cell Boost Converter; Fuel Cell Electronic Control Unit; Fuel Cell Hydrogen Tanks; Fuel Cell Power Control Unit; Fuel Cell Stack; Fuel Cell Vehicle Battery Pack; Glass (including Windshields); Headliner; Heating Hoses, Lines and Tubes; Hoses; Hybrid Vehicle Battery Pack; Hybrid Vehicle Battery Plug Assembly; Hybrid Vehicle Relay Assembly; Hybrid Vehicle Supply Battery Assembly; Hydrogen Fueling Electronic Control Unit; Interior and Exterior Trim Moldings (including but not limited to: Ashtrays, Covers, Cup Holders, and Vents); Lamps, Light Assemblies/Housings, and Light Bulbs; Nuts, Bolts, Clips, Retainers, and Fasteners; Paint; Rust and Corrosion Damage; Seat Covers; Sheet Metals; Shiny Metals; Spark Plugs; Structural Framework and Welds; Tires; Vacuum Hoses, Lines and Tubes; Weather Stripping; Wheels and Rims; Windshield Wiper Blades (Rubber component); All interior and exterior cloth, leather, and stitching including convertible tops and/or vinyl tops including but not limited to: any vibration, deterioration, discoloration, disfigurement, warping, fading, staining, stretching, ripping, punctures, tearing, and/or scratches

 

So the touchscreen is covered under "Navigation System"?

 

Can you give me the name of this dealership? I just bought the Prius Prime two days ago in CT and would like to purchase the same plans.

 

Joined this forum just to stress this point. Whether you feel the Toyota VSA is worth it or not, you need to shop around. Here's my experience. Quotes are for the Platinum 10yr/100k plan on a Prius Prime <500miles.

Dealership I bought the Prius at: $2880
Dealership 2: $1945
Dealership 3: "Won't give a quote over the phone, only in-person"
Dealership 4: $2145
Dealership 5: "Dealer policy not to sell warranties over 7 years"
Dealership 6: $1395

I was a bit surprised with the variation, but it really seems to be up to the dealerships. I think you can guess which one I'm going with.

 

FWIW, the Navigation System / 11" screen on the Prime Advanced costs $4,878 to replace (see here: Navigation System for 2017 Toyota Prius Prime | Toyota OEM Direct).

My '17 currently has 33,800 miles. I plan to go in at the end of February to discuss en extended warranty to get me to 125k miles in most likely 7-8 years since date of purchase as I'm averaging arounf 18,000 miles per year. I already told the dealer last year when I went to buy a Camry for my mom that I'm only going to pay the dealer invoice cost for the warranty. Every finance manager has a binder on their shelf that tells them the 'invoice' price and the MSRP for each warranty plan for each model of car. I know this b/c I was shown it when I bought our '14 Highlander and when we bought the '18 Camry. The finance guy told me it's an extra $150 for not buying the extended warranty when I originally bought the car. Since my time is worth more than the $150, I'll add that to the deal and move on. If anything changes, I'll still have a few miles left to go to another dealer to get the deal done. Please don't allow yourself to get ripped off - this binder is in every finance guy's office, so just ask to see it.....

In regards to Jerry @ Midwest Toyota, I spoke with him in April, 2014 when I bought our Highlander. At that time I thought what he told me was that Toyota put the kabosh on selling warranties over the phone, and that I would have to sign in person. Maybe I misunderstood? Maybe things have changed? Regardless, I remember Jerry being a very nice, professional and informative person when it came to pricing and coverage, so I certainly wouldn't object to reaching out to him in the event things don't work out with my local dealer.

 

You might pay that for a new Navigation Receiver Assembly, but if one failed, I wouldn’t be surprised if it could be exchanged for a refurbished unit or repaired, either by Denso’s service center or an independent firm such as United Radio, at a much lower cost. That’s how a dealer would handle an in-warranty failure, by the way.

It’s good that you put “invoice” in quotation marks, since that price may not reflect the dealer’s final cost. The dealer principal could be getting a secret rebate on every contract sold, and neither you nor the F&I manager would ever know; see the fascinating discussion of “Service Contract Overpayment Programs,” starting on page 7-13 of the IRS’s New Vehicle Dealership Audit Technique Guide (PDF). I have no idea, of course, if Toyota Financial Services enters into such arrangements.

 

An absolute lie to get his hand into your wallet.