Is this what I want to see in used car history: "Fuel injection system flushed/serviced"?

yeah, that won't do anything. but it might help with the fuel system. it's a dealer scam, and most don't do it or wait until there are obvious problems.
maybe they came here and asked, after getting soaked twice by the dealer.

 

Most fuel system cleanings are a ripoff.

So, it mostly means the previous owner wasn't really a car person either.

 

Yep, it's an unnecessary expense as long as the owner uses Top Tier fuel but how are you going to know if they did? But even if they didn't probably running some bottles of gas additives that cleans fuel injectors wouldn't be a bad idea.
My main concern would be the oil changes and coolant changes history of any used vehicle.

 

Does not help but lightens your wallet.

5k mile oil changes from the beginning, 50k or sooner engine coolant changes, avoid long idle periods, avoid high speed (>70mph) driving, don’t tow - all might help.

If it burns oil, start considering where you can get a rebuilt engine when it blows. Its better to be prepared than junk it suddenly.

Toyota Europe says avoid long idles, excessive stop and go, and high speed high load situations. No mention of egrs.



Toyota has revised intakes, egr valves and ecu logic available. Some of us have updated these.

Carfax reports often are incomplete and are primarily useful for checking mileage, another issue as the odos* are easily rolled back. Big engine issues or wrecks handled by independent shops or diy are usually missing from Carfax. A scammer can also temporarily hide a blown head gasket with a $20 can of sealer.

The best advice for a guy who has not bought one yet is to buy something else that any shop can fix with parts from the local auto supply. The perceived mpg advantage of a used gen3 Prius is not worth it.

*Odometer Rollbacks
https://www.capitalone.com/cars/learn/finding-the-right-car/how-to-look-out-for-odometer-rollback-when-buying-used-cars/1545

 

I wouldn’t touch a Gen 3 or v with over 100k. If it’s for sale there’s a good chance of one or more of:

failed head gasket
Runaway oil consumption
Brake booster failure
Hybrid battery failure

 

When my son traded in his 2015 Prius v, it had none of those issues, to our knowledge. He had the car since new and put on a lot of miles traveling to dog shows & dog agility events. He chose a RAV4 Prime ad a replacement and an upgrade to allow an EV only work commute.

 

It's good to periodically pull off the throttle body (you can leave coolant hoses attached) and wipe down the passage and plate with carb cleaner.I wouldn't pay $100's for this though; it's about a half-hour job, about half the time pulling off the air box. The clamp that secures the duct to top of throttle body is a pain: you have to squeeze it (offset needle-nose pliers with long reach work good) just right, to expand AND lock it. Hard to explain, easier to figure out by doing it. Torque values for the hold-down nuts/bolts on throttle body in attached. Note, those values are in inch pounds.

The fuel injector cleaner seems pure BS; they're constantly being cleaned by gasoline.

 

The dealer "version" of the service yes. And no, there's a ton of carbon deposits on the tips of the injectors as the car racks up miles without having them pulled and cleaned. It does affect the spray pattern and holes.

 

I suppose if you've got the intake manifold off, just wiping them with carb cleaner on a rag is as effective, at least for cleaning the tips? Maybe more so.

 

Full wallet flush…

 

They need to be put on the injector tester and flow machine to do it correctly. You will never know by just "wiping the tips off" with cleaner how much each injector may be flowing. It makes a huge difference in how the car runs and MPG.

 

is it in the toyota maintenance schedule? most cars go many, many miles before needing injector cleaning, if ever.

 

The number one purpose of additives in all gasoline is to keep the injectors clean. As a result there is no required maintenance. Marketing for profits at dealers and some franchise shops sells aftermarket procedures.

 

Is the EGR cleaning service there? No? Well then...I'm also not talking about dumping a solution in the gas tank and letting it run through your engine like the dealerships do either obviously. After having done hundreds of sets through a bench flow tester/cleaner, we have it down pat. The main benefit is better mpg +2-3..not claiming much else, just the proven results.

 

how can fuel economy go up, if it hasn't gone down?

 

It will slowly go down over time due to many factors, this simply helps bump it up a couple as the injectors get more and more clogged over time. I know Prius Chatters have a hard time with actual science, but try..

 

mpg don't normally go down at 50 and 80k.
science is great, you haven't presented any

 

When dealerships offer services beyond Toyota's recommendations, I suspect the main criteria are max profit and min effort. EGR cleanout does not meet the criteria; the only thing they'll volounteer (if you press them) is parts replacement, at full retail cost for parts, and likely half at least half a day's labour. Because it it doesn't meet their criteria. And then of course: Toyota would love for all the EGR issues to just "go away".

You're a professional? Independent shop?