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Dallas/Ft. Worth service?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by SrNightRider, Jun 29, 2008.

  1. SrNightRider

    SrNightRider New Member

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    Does anyone know where I can take my 2006 Prius for reliable service in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area? I am pretty paranoid about rip-off dealerships, but would go to one if I had some confirmation of their trustworthiness. I would prefer a reputable independent shop in the Grapevine area or near the Dallas hospital district, if possible.

    I have gone by the dealership in Grapevine and asked about why I am having mileage issues and all they suggested was $200 worth of injector cleaning and a throttle body workup (or something like that). They want like $80 to run diagnostics. I am trying to find out why I am only getting 39-40 mpg, when I know how to accelerate/decelerate properly, use pulse/glide, have 38/36 psi in front/rear tires, respectively, have oil dipstick slightly below full mark, etc., etc. Most of my miles are to/from work which is 20 miles away, traveling around 45-50 for about half of that with some stop/go and around 65-70 on the other half. I have friends with later model Prii (mine is 2006) that easily get 50+ and they don't even drive any differently than they did with their previous automobiles. My throttle seems to be ultrasensitive to pressure because the slightest press causes it to kick in the ICE.

    I keep reading about all of the people who get the 50 and 60 mile readings and wonder why I can't even reach the high 40s. I have about 35,000 miles and use Mobil 1 oil and have just replaced my tires with 4 Bridgestone Potenza RE 960AS Pole Position 40,000 mile tires (about 6000 miles ago). They are 195/60R15's instead of the OEM 185/65R15 tires (wanted better wet traction and larger tread size, but wish I hadn't now), so I expected that my mileage might drop some due to the purchase of slighty oversized and non-LRR tires, but it went from a pretty consistent 42-43 (still low in my book compared with most Prii) to the current 39-40 figures noted above.

    So, any suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. And, for those who responded to this same thread in PriusOnline, thanks. Hope to get some additional feedback here.
     
  2. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Do you ever shift into "B"? What is the max rated pressure on the new tires?

    Ask your Prius owning friends for a favor: let them drive yours while you watch as a passenger, and ask to drive theirs on your route while they watch. Ideally do both of these on both your usual route and their usual route. There may be some significant difference in technique.

    They're not near you but T of Richardson gives me good service. Ask for service writer Alan Bostley.
     
  3. SrNightRider

    SrNightRider New Member

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    Thanks, Richard, for responding. No, I never use the "B" gear and the max rated pressure is 44 psi. As far as the friends, I frequently go to lunch with one of them and he doesn't ever use any of the mileage-savings techniques and he keeps his tires at the Toyota manufacturer's pressure - I think 34 psi? He does state that he tries to keep his highway driving at about 65mph. Don't know about my other friend.

    I'll try to get into contact with your service writer and see if he has any suggestions.

    No other Dallas area Prii owners out there that can make any dealership recommendations? Does that mean that everyone is pretty much like me and doesn't have a good feeling about any of them - other than Richard?
     
  4. doubleg2005

    doubleg2005 Member

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    second on T of Richardson. had mine serviced here where i live (T of Longview) but it started acting funny RIGHT after the service during a golf trip to DFW so I pulled into T of Richardson. they "fixed it" free of charge, though they just said the tech had missed one item during the servicing.
     
  5. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    The tires are contributing, and MPGs really fall off at an ever-increasing rate much above 60 MPH.

    Having recommended T of Richardson I must note that like most dealers they may well try to sell you their fixed-price service packages. Where ever you go, have the Scheduled Maintenance Guide with you when you talk with the service writer and Just Say No. Uhh, where have you been getting the scheduled maintenance done?