Prius "Recommended Maintenance" at 25K miles

run!!!

unfortunately, toyota already knows. and yes, with a dearth of cars to sell, service is where it's at.

but this behavior is not new, i've been seeing it for 40+ years

good for you for recognizing criminal behavior! too many get hornswaggled

 

Call them out on their bullshit. If they persist, ask them to show you where in the maintenance schedule for the car it recommends to do those things. Gotta love stealerships.

 

This is FRAUDULENT. None of these should be needed for years and years. If ever.

I'd report them to Corporate Toyota.

 

There's only two things I would consider on that list - but the prices are way too expensive.
1. Brake Flush; brake fluid absorbs water over time - NOT mileage dependent. Should be around $100; if they do an actual system flush. I've seen some shops take a turkey baster and only suck-out and replace the brake fluid in the reservoir - THAT IS NOT A FLUSH. They would only be changing 1/3 of the total volume of brake fluid in your system. There are specialty tools that can measure the amount of moisture in your brake fluid. If they show you one of these tools, have them dip it in a new bottle of DOT3 brake fluid - to ensure it's working properly. That tool shouldn't be able to measure any moisture in that new bottle of brake fluid.
2. Transmission fluid replacement; should be less than $100 in OEM Toyota WS ATF. Normally, I wouldn't replace ATF till around 75K; but with my experience, on my old Prius C. It came out pretty dark @ 25K miles. I'm assuming it was mostly break-in, wear and tear and dirty assembly process. I changed it again @ the normal 75K mile interval - the ATF was much cleaner than the 25K mile drain-out. I consider this cheap insurance and reduction of internal wear and tear. Then again these transmissions are mostly bullet-proof - I just hate to be the one that has to get one replaced or rebuilt.....

Just my 2-cents....

 

curious what hybrid battery service is? cleaning out the filter which takes 5 minutes and possibly running techstream to verify voltages?

Alignment (as needed) + Brake Flush (100k, but typically as needed)
Hybrid Battery Service (not sure what this is)
Engine & Inverter Coolant Flush (50-150k)
Engine Clean w/ Throttle Body (100k)
Transmission Flush (75-100k)

here is what I think when things should be done (all in miles). For others, this may vary depending on the typical environment you drive in.

 

BS
but hey, they have to defend themselves, they're never going to admit lying. but if their lips are moving...

 

i mean, if coolant at 50k is better, why not 25k?

same for any other service. sure, some things are good to do outside of toyotas rec's, but i couldn't stomach paying them $185. for a 15 minute job they may or may not do.

 

Yes - and with TOYOTA PRIUS always in the top few models for reliability - and that would include an awful lot of TAXIs which would NEVER have additional service done - why fiddle with TOYOTA's maintenance schedule.

 

That was a very nice letter. Did they also send you a tube of KY jelly; to keep it from hurting too much?????
Find another dealer or better yet; a well respected independent Prius specialty shop to support your local economy. Chicago is a large city; I'm sure there are a few to choose from.

 

Yeah, follow the maintenance schedule instead of what the service manager is telling you. Toyota engineers know what the car needs and when.

Service manager is trying to make money for the stealership because that's what they do.

 

Just to address one of the items

A Prius transaxle fluid “flush” for $275 USD is robbery. $100 would be tops you should be quoted.

If you want to stick with dealership service, hopefully there are other dealerships nearby, and they’re maybe more down to earth.

there’s a link in my signature going through the transaxle fluid change steps, with some tips. It’s 3rd gen, but 4th gen is very similar.

attached is 4th gen instruction from repair manual. It goes on a bit much about reinstalling plugs temporarily during the process, which you can ignore; just don’t dawdle.

 

The brake fluid is easily tested (and probably does need to be changed due to moisture); the coolant is easily tested, not just for its antifreeze level but for acid content (MIGHT need to be changed); the battery service in Northern Illinois? Not likely.

You are very close to the Car Care Nut’s new shop and I would make the short trip to have him do any service you can’t. Check him out on YouTube.

I would definitely not trust that dealership.

 

Your situation falls in a unique stage cause many of us typically have way more miles than 25k in 6 years. So I can see dealership recommending all the services listed as recommended at 60k miles. I don’t see the dealership as scammers. I personally feel like their miles recommendations of service is rather on point or too conservative. But I can’t speak for their service recommendation by year. As a DIYer, I may do services earlier than intended all because I intend to keep my car 10+ years. If you are thinking of keeping the car for very long, then you may consider some of these services cause although with little miles, some fluids weren’t intended to stay in the vehicle for many years. But if you are aiming for 10 years or less, then I would consider all the services overkill and not worth the value.

 

i suppose you could do the brake flush without the alignment

skip the hybrid battery srvice unless you carry shedders

skip the engine clean with throttle body

take the $800. balance and shop it around for $500.

that being said, i'm at 80k and 10 years with only oil changes so far, and 12v and tires. no idea how long i'll keep her.
same with my 17 year old dakota, runs like a top

 

“REALLY????
Alignment + Brake Flush $300.00
Hybrid Battery Service $185.00
Engine & Inverter Coolant Flush $315.00
Engine Clean w/ Throttle Body $385.00
Transmission Flush $275.00
Total: $1,460.00

$385.00 “engine clean w/throttle body” ?????
Transmission Flush for $275.00?????
$315.00 for Engine and Inverter Coolant “flush”??????
Just out of curiosity (assuming you know what these “suggested services” ACTUALLY entail) what would it take for you to see “the dealership as scammers”?

 

We called Toyota Stealership not a dealership. I suggest you run away and leave YELP and google review there including proof of the paper/pictures of their quote. It will help others not to get Scammed by them.
Up to 100k miles, you only need an oil change, better every 5k miles/6 months if you can but max 10k miles/1 year, about $50 in any dealership. You may need a brake fluid flush every 5-10 years and sparkplugs at 120k miles/10 years, about $100 in any shop. There is nothing else. The coolant change interval is 150k miles/5 years that the earliest.
The transmission fluid is very simple, only drain and refill for about 3.4 L with Toyota ATF WS, typically $100 in an independent shop. You can do it every 60-100k miles in hybrid. Ensure you always use full synthetic oil 0W-16, which does not have to be Toyota oil. Mobil1 extended performance and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum are excellent and you can safely do 10k miles intervals because of higher detergent and TBN on that oil.

 

The Car Care Nut was (he left about a month ago to start his own shop) an experienced (10 years +) Toyota Tech. His new shop is TCCN Automotive and is down in Homer Glen, Il. SERIOUSLY You are so close to at Least watch his YouTube videos and give him a call. I have never met him, but if he is anything but what he claims to be I’d be surprised.
I really think we as consumers need to stop talking this stuff laying down!