Rates for drain and refill for Prius transmission?

Nothing has changed, it still involves the same amount of oil and labor.

It's a 'special procedure' in the sense that it does not exist in Toyota's prix-fixe menu because it isn't a recommended service item.

Many of these service tasks get defined into a database for quick recall by the writer. This one hasn't, so they get to make up their own price. Your old guy had it dialed in, and was apparently able to repeatedly honor it.

Now the new guy came up with his new price. No way for you to know whether he's guessing high because he has no idea what he's getting into, or if it's a mistake, or if he's gently encouraging you to take the work somewhere else. I'd believe any of those.

Try a local independent mechanic. They don't usually try to maintain prix-fixe menus, so they don't give as many disappointing answers when a customer asks for something that isn't on said menu.

 

How close are you to Tampa?

Maybe try Todd @TampaPrius.com .

Might be a bit of a drive, but it'd be done right and by someone knowledgeable.

 

Hey I resent that...

If you go with an independent mechanic, definitely bring your own Toyota ATF WS fluid (4 quarts), and the drain/fill washers. Both of those items can be picked up from dealership parts department. It's also might be a good idea to bring him a clean/new funnel with (say) 4 foot of clean/new clear-plastic hose pushed on (keep hose OD to 5/8" or slightly less). If left to his own devices he's likely to dig out ol-faithful fluid transfer pump, which will have residue of countless other liquids.

There's torque values for the fill/drain bolts in the attached. The bolts require a 10 mm allen-key style socket if I'm not mistaken. There's a lot of BS in the attachment about temporarily reinstalling various bolts, verfiying level. Reality:

1. Have car raised and level.
2. Break loose fill bolt.
3. Remove drain bolt, drain fluid, replace washer and reinstall/torque bolt.
4. Remove fill bolt, run funnel/hose to fill hole (shorten hose if excessively long at 4 foot), pour in fresh fluid (3 quarts can be poured relatively fast, then go slower on the last one).
5. Fluid should start coming back out, somewhere between 3.5~4.0 quarts. If not, it'll still VERY likely to be good. Feel with pinky finger: you should be able to splish-splash the fluid, just below the fill hole lip, by the time you've used up all 4 quarts. More likely it will have overflowed. Either is good.
6. Reinstall the fill bolt with fresh washer and torque.

A fair price would be $75~100?

 

Sounds like an option .

Unless @Mendel Leisk has peer pressured you into doing it yourself .

But getting the fluid drained and filled is a wise idea .

 

Stinky old men?
I resemble that!

The thing about being an older guy is that we have plenty of time to swing our OWN wrenches on our OWN paid-for cars....

So...here's the deal with the transaxle fluid change:

1. As mentioned above, it's not in the maintenance guide. Toyota warranties their cars for 100,000-125,000 miles and the transaxle will more than likely hold together even if you keep the original fluid in until then.
After that?
Toyota does not have to worry about warranty beefs, and their car has met the industry standard for MTTF (mean time to failure) for transaxles.

It's not engineering.
It's a business decision.

2. Also mentioned above....you can DIY the procedure for >$100 (...and know it's done RIGHT---or at ALL!)
Or?
You can pay THE JUNIOR TECH at a dealership >$200 for the same service.
Maybe a for-real ASE tech if business is slow....
Your call.

Me??????
I'd DIY - but then I'd also not do this to a one-year-old, presumably low mileage Prius that I was not planning to keep for the next 10
years.


YMMV.....

 

I'm trying to peer pressure myself into getting up onto a roof, replace a siding board. It's a higher roof, maybe 3 in 12 pitch, not bad, but it's a little higher than say the garage roof. The garage roof I can do (easy) with my 20' ladder, but this higher roof I need to get the 24' ladder off the wall. And there seems to be a logarithmic escalation of the trepidation, those extra few feet of height.

So I'm stalling. I've been up there before, but there's always a queasy moment as I step around the top of the ladder and onto the roof. One tip I've seen: bungy cord one of the ladder rails to an eaves trough strut.

I have a "guy" I can call, he's replaced a bunch of our siding before. Him and his helpers are like zen mountain goats up there. Still thinking about it.

Hey, Stephen King apparently never goes down to his basement...

 

BTDT

 

You're probably uneasy as soon as you're above sea level...

Did you watch that GreyHound?

 

Busted....

 

If you can find a Toyota dealer who would do Prius transmission drain and fill for $64, you are very lucky. The fluid cost alone would be that much. I had my Gen3 transmission drain and fill done at my local dealer and they charged me $118 that with me providing the fluid. Basically the 1 hour labor cost and fluid disposal fee, One dealer I asked quoted me $350.

 

I'm not much of heights guy myself.

When the neighbor put solar on their house, I was out in the backyard tending to something and overheard their conversation about falling off of roofs.

Must not believe in karma as they were on the roof at the time.

My limit is my 16 foot extension ladder.

Anything above that, I make the call.

 

Yeah up here last time (3~4 years back), liters of Toyota ATF WS were $9.14 CDN apiece. But then the #$!& drain/fill bolt washers were something over $3 CDN apiece. I've heard in the States the ATF WS prices are higher though, and that's in US dollars.

 

MSRP: $10.91 (USD).
00289ATFWS - Genuine Toyota Automatic Transmission Fluid-WS. ATF – WS - Genuine Toyota Part

This is what a dealer will charge. I think I found bit cheaper ~$50/6qts online.

 

NOTE TO @ETP (OP)

Whether you DIY or pay it done, you WILL want to use Toyota's fluid.
Normally I would say that it doesn't matter much, but Toyota's transaxle....isn't.

It's a "power splitter" and there are electrical components inside (stator windings) that may or may not be compatible with the budget stuff.

You'll "probably" be OK with whatever budget fluid is used....but "probably" doesn't meet my maintenance standards...

Again.
Your call.....

 

Yeah that's the thing. This is the time to get all chauvinistic and particular, not equal-opportunity and lets-try-the-alternatives. Some other fluid "may" be ok, but you don't want to risk it.

 

I have never done transaxle DIY, but I wonder why you don't remove the Fill Bolt before draining? When I DIY my engine oil, I remove the filler cap before raising the car to drain the engine oil...I guess I feel it allows better draining when air can fill in from the top...

 

Breaking loose the full bolt ensures you don't have a more serious situation in your hands than if you did the drain bolt first and then found an issue with the fill bolt once all the fluid had been removed from the transmission.

Removing it once it is broken loose is what I do.

But good to clarify.