What services you need and what you don't

Re: What services you need and what you don't

Heh, I noticed a few front disk rust stains already on my new Prius, perhaps from rain or car washing. Wonder if I should give the brakes a few good jabs every week or day just to keep them clean ?

We have salted roads in winter. Guess there's not much I can do but wash the disks off every few days or every weekend ?

 

Re: What services you need and what you don't

Hi Michael,

After you wash the brakes, it would be good to drive the car at 35-40 mph, then shift into N and brake, to dry the disks.

 

Re: What services you need and what you don't

Galaxee, please ask your "expert" husband two questions for me.

1) I am not sure if you posted it, or if someone else did, but the person wrote that it is a good idea, even at 5000 mi intervals, to use Mobil 1 oil, but then went on to say: if using Mobil 1, be sure to use the (over-sized) Toyota brand oil filter. Is there any reason to use the Toyota oil filter, vs any name brand, like Mobil, or Fram?

2) for the Prius, is there a measurable difference in synthetic oils between brands, like Mobil, Pennzoil, Quaker State, Shell, etc? I have been told (at auto parts stores) that Mobil is the "best" and at another, that Mobil was one of the worst name brand synthetics, but because it was heavily marketed, it is often used.

I, like so many others, REALLY DO appreciate your informative and experienced opinions on such matters.

Little Lou

 

Re: What services you need and what you don't


I'm taking my Prius in for the 6 month check up. Only have around 1700 miles on it.
What should be done and what is not necessary.
I'm a total amateur as this is my first car
I'm taking into the dealer that I bought it from.

 

Re: What services you need and what you don't

Um, nothing is necessary unless you have some pretty harsh driving conditions.

Maybe new wiper inserts (tell them INSERTS!!!!) if your car lives outside and they are streaking even after cleaning them. They do degrade in the sun.

Do you only have 1,700 miles because you rarely drive, or you only drive 9 miles a day? The latter would be a fair number of cold starts per mile.

Unless you have problems, at MOST SPECIFY exactly what as listed in the service manual.
For 6 months/5,000 miles that is:

1. Change oil
2. Rotate tires
3. Visually inspect brake linings/drums and brake pads/discs

At 1,700 miles, you don't need to do anything other than the oil change (And only for warranty coverage ). I wouldn't bother with the tire rotation myself. It costs money and there isn't any reason to rotate them just because 6 months have passed. Of course, if they are going to inspect the brake pads and drums/discs, they have to take the tires off anyway so I suppose there wouldn't be much if any extra cost to rotate. However, unless you stop by slamming on the brakes rather than using regen to stop (down to 8 MPH), they probably couldn't tell if there was ANY wear on the brakes at 1,700 miles.

Don't let them talk you into 'we always do ....' extra cost items.

 

Galaxee,
Here is a good one. Something most owners don't even know about. Has your husband checked many 2nd gen valve clearances, and if so, how many were off enough to recommend going through the labor intensive camshaft removal and follower replacement? Were any found to be dangerously tight?

 

Thanks, That's what I wanted to hear. Normally, I would check any engine with solid lifters after break in.

 

Re: What services you need and what you don't

Hi Bob,

At ~60K miles I checked the valve clearances on my 2001. Out of 16 valves I recall that 4 or 5 had very slightly greater clearances than spec; while none had smaller clearances than spec.

However I decided to leave well enough alone after contemplating the work required to remove the two camshafts, preserve camshaft timing when reassembling, etc.

 

Re: What services you need and what you don't

2. clean/adjust rear brakes
only if you have drums (obviously in the prius, we do). ideally, for optimal brake life and performance, this is probably a good idea every 30k miles. for other cars, 15k a better idea. when you hear a tone out of the rear brakes, it's either time to change the brakes or have them cleaned/adjusted. if it's not done, you can see an increased brake wear rate (front and rear). possible complications are problems due to technician error- adjustment extremely tight can overheat a bearing. otherwise noise, brake chatter, or increased wear rate and glazing if not properly adjusted.

It's my understanding that the rear brakes (drum) have a self-adjusting mechanism. If that's the case, there would be NO reason to manually adjust them. Also, the regenerative braking results in very little actual brake wear since they're only used at low (<15mph) speed or in panic stop situations. As such, I would expect them to remain MUCH cleaner than in a conventional (non-hybrid) car.

 

Thanks Galaxee. You've confirmed suspicions for me and many others I'm sure. How about the cabin air filter change frequency?

 

Re: What services you need and what you don't

That would depend on how dusty things are. Personally, I feel the recommended change interval is *very* optimistic. With my Prius and my FJ, they are usually ready to chuck out at under 6 months

 

Re: What services you need and what you don't

Wow, what a long thread. Too much information, that's for sure.

I've just taken mine in for its 30K oil change. The dude said my tires are ripe for replacement, so they'll do that as part of my extended warranty. He then asked if I also wanted to do the 30K's Max Menu for $495 (with 10% off if I don't need the rental car.) I told them I'd have to come back another day (so that I can have time to do some research on here first ).

At this point I'm thinking of going ahead and let them replace the tires (which I assume also include balancing and alignment, correct?) Then at a later time, if I choose to get some other tires elsewhere I'll just trade these in. I've been wanting to get some quieter tires for sometime now.

Anyhow, to keep things simple, which of these Max Menu 30K services do you think I need and don't need:

1. Drain and Fill Engine Coolant (if Applicable)
2. Complete Automatic Transmission Exchange (if Applicable)
3. Drain and Fill Front and Rear Differentials (if Applicable)
4. Drain and Fill Transfer Case [what the hell is that??]
5. Replace Non-Platinum Plugs
6. Replace Engine Air Filter [actually, I can do this myself]
7. Replace Cabin Air Filter [same as above]
8. Complete Fuel Injection Service
9. Clean Throttle Body
10. Complete Brake Inspection
11. Clean and Adjust Rear Brakes
12. 4-Wheel Alignment [probably done with new tires anyway?]
13. Complete Battery Inspection [meaning???]
14. Clean Battery Terminals and Install Anti-Corrosive Terminal Pads
15. Multi-Point Inspection [meaning???]
16. Replace Wiper Blades
17. Install Engine Oil Conditioner

We live in the Dallas area. Our commutes are mostly in the city. No rough roads, no snow, nothing like that. Any help is much appreciated.

 

Re: What services you need and what you don't

Thanks, Galaxee!

Need one clarification: you said I do need the Multipoint Inspection. Just what is it?

 

Re: What services you need and what you don't

And if after the inspection, the guy comes to me with a long list of stuff that needs to be replaced/fixed etc., how can I verify? Should I take his word?