I was wanting to know if anyone had any recommendations for where (what dealership) to get routine car service. When shopping for the car it seemed like we knew more than most of the sales people we delt with. I want to make sure we get it serviced by people familar with the car. We got our Prius at Tempe (now Power) Toyota February and it is time for our 3000 mile check up. Also, is the 3000 mile check up just an oil change? Sher
1st service is at 5,000miles or 6 months, that is what the books and dealer recommended, so I am going to stick to that.
Thanks for the reply Mark. With less than 700 miles does that mean you are only on your second tank of gas? We had been getting 51-54 MPG since we got the car. However, this last tank was 47. I did make a lot of very short (2 mile trips - running to the store ect) so I know that hurt the mpgs. But I wonder how much the airconditioner is lowering the MPGs. Sher
I'd wait until 5k miles. I'm in the west end of the valley, so I have mine serviced at Larry Miller Toyota when I do, but recently I've been doing my own basic services as there's very little on their $55 service that applies to the Prius except perhaps adjusting the rear brakes, which they only do some of the time. For warranty work, I've also used Right Toyota in Scottsdale, and while it took more than once to get the job right when replacing an ECU (service campaign), they weren't too bad to deal with. But compared with the two, Larry Miller was much nicer overall. Now that I work in Tempe, however, I may keep an eye on this thread as it may be just as easy to drive to work (Broadway curve), and service my car out that way if needed.
I will be calling the different dealers to get an idea of what they charge for the 5k service. I was quoted $75 from Right Toyota.
Sounds like 5000 miles is a good plan. I don't know why I didn't even think about different prices at different dealerships, I wasn't even factoring that into the equation. On a positive note, my most recent tank of gas is at 53mpgs (60miles so far). I must have really killed my MPG with some very, very short trips (1 and 2 mile trips). Glad to see it might not be the air conditioner causing that big of a drop. Sher
Mark, Yep, I lost 3 total MPGs today having to make very short trips in the heat of the day. I keep telling myself it is still way better than the van Sher
hello all... my two cents here: sher - i hope your experience at tempe toyota is better than mine. i ended up buying my *new* prius at big two toyota because they (specifically angela durham) were fantastic - very responsive, straight-up, knowledgeable, and hassle-free. tempe toyota did not respond to repeated emails asking for basic info. when i went into the dealership, the guy that helped me was cocky and arrogant, yet every single piece of info he provided was absolutely false, including his statement that every prius has bluetooth, regardless of which package. my baby's a little too young for service at this point (i'm also on my 2nd tank of gas ), so i will need to take it somewhere - big two is great, but 1) they are moving to chandler auto mall, further away from me; and 2) tempe toyota is MUCHO closer to my home, and on my way to work ! i would sincerely appreciate your feedback on your experience there. it's all about the people, and i just may have had the dumb luck to get a real yahoo. :wink:
I took my '04 to Big Two, where I bought the car, for it's first service at 5K miles. Their cost is around $53.00. I had no complaints, and they only overfilled the oil by 1/8", which I could live with. The second oil change I did myself. so of course I had no problems with it being overfilled. It's really pretty easy, though I did it on ramps. Will try without next time. Anyone that is getting over 50 mpg in the summer is doing pretty good. The best I average is 48, with my 8 mile each way commute. And for all the new folks wondering if mileage really increases after break-in, it did for me. Right around 7500 miles I got an increase of about 2 mpg. Not front page news, but every little bit helps. Dave
i got 51 on my first tank, and am averaging 53-54 right now, still about 1/2 full. my commute is 14 miles (tempe to downtown phx), and i find it's the short trips that kill my average. i really haven't been driving it on weekends at all - just the commute for the most part. maybe my good mileage is because i drive like a little more like my grandma now... not the slowest car in the pack, but definitely not at the front - a little change from my prior habits :wink: .
Like Dave, I average about 48, a little less in the past couple weeks since it has been SO HOT that the AC is on and has to work a bit. I drive 16 miles each way to work and am a somewhat agressive driver. I also have an '04, and it seems that the '05s do slightly better on gas. Or maybe it's just me. ;-) I bought Suki at Right Toyota, but wasn't thrilled with their service and am now taking her to Camelback Toyota because it is the closest dealer to my office. They are sufficient. I wouldn't recommend that anyone go out of their way to use them.
With this heat I am getting about 47mpg. I am sad that I am down from 51-54mpgs before the heat. However, it is much better than our van gets Also we left the car for nearly two weeks. She still ran just fine (although the battery level did drop down from the highest blue to pink in the first few minutes of driving) Sher
