15,000 mile service on Gen III (2010) Prius

I'm on travel & don't have the documents with my Prius, but a 15,000 service on the old schedule should be an oil change and a tire rotation. Cabin air filter gets serviced at 10K miles. If you did the 10K oil change with 0W-20 oil, you could wait 'til the 20K mark and just get your tires rotated now. I think someone else has posted that a dealership charged $40 for a tire rotation . . . That's high.

 

Here's a copy and paste from the 2010 Scheduled Maintenance sheet from

Toyota Parts and Service

15,000 miles or 18 months​

Check installation of driver’s floor mat
Clean cabin air filter (except solar power ventilation system)
Inspect and adjust all fluid levels
Rotate tires
Visually inspect brake linings/drums and brake pads/discs​

Note: ​

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If 0W-20 oil WAS NOT used at the last oil change, replace engine oil and oil filter.1​

Inspect the following:​

__ Ball joints and dust covers
__ Brake lines and hoses
__ Drive shaft boots
__ Engine/Inverter coolant ​

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3​

__ Exhaust pipes and mountings
__ Radiator, condenser and/or intercooler
__ Steering gear box
__ Steering linkage and boots​

Note: ​

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Driving in heavy traffic, on dirt roads or in urban, dusty or desert areas may
shorten the life of the cabin air filter. Replacement may be needed if you notice reduced
air flow from the air conditioner and heater or if the windows fog easily when you use
the Fresh mode. Consult your dealer if any of these conditions occur.​

Additional Maintenance Items for Special Operating Conditions ​

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2​

Driving on dirt roads or dusty roads:​

Inspect engine air filter
Replace engine oil and oil filter ​

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Tighten nuts and bolts on chassis and body​

Repeated trips of less than five miles in temperatures below 32°F / 0°C:​

Replace engine oil and oil filter ​

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1​

Extensive idling and/or low speed driving for a long distance such as police, taxi or
door-to-door delivery use:​

Replace engine oil and oil filter ​

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D​

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EALER SERVICE VERIFICATION:
DATE:​

MILEAGE:

 

Ripped Off.

So last night my wife took our 2010 that we have had for 1 year and 2 weeks to the dealer for its 15,000 mile checkup. I performed the 5K oil/filter change myself (before they officially altered the oil change interval), and also did a tire rotation at 10K.

My wife wanted ALL of the service done at the dealership, mostly because growing up, her father always had his new cars serviced at the dealership. Myself, my parents didn't ever own a new car when I was growing up, but when they needed routine maintenance, my father and I did it ourselves.

The agreement between my wife and I: I can do the 5K, 10K... maintenance, but we take it to the dealership for the 15K, 30K, 45K... trips.

She went to Jordan Toyota yesterday (Mishawaka, Indiana) which was nothing short of an excellent buying experience (Tim Berger, salesman). I'm afraid that the service department was a different story, through. The cost for a 15K service on the 2010 Prius? $165 before tax. That's NUTS, sugarsnap! I looked at the invoice after she got home and this included:
- Oil (0W20) / Filter
- Tire rotation / Brake inspection
- New windshield wipers
- Cleaning of cabin air filter
- 100+ point inspection
If I would have done this myself... it would have taken at most 3 hours of my time and less than $40. The only thing that a certified Toyota mechanic could do much better than I would be the 100+ point inspection. Where do they get off charging this much?

The worst thing... after she came home and I explained (calmly) to my wife that I felt we far overpaid for a service I could have easily done myself, she STILL thinks it was worth it to take it into the dealership to get it looked at.

Crazy. Any thoughts on the best way to convince my wife to let me do the work next time?

 

(I have a 2009 Prius, so oil is cheaper)
My dealer (Kirk Toyota, Grenada MS) has never charged over $46 for:
- Oil (5W20) / Filter
- Tire rotation / Brake inspection
- 100+ point inspection

That makes them VERY expensive windshield wipers.

You seem to have 5 dealers within 35 miles, find one who is more reasonable.

Toyota Dealer Locator Search - Find Toyota Dealer

 

those "5K" "10K" "30K" service intervals at dealers are a bunch of S. They charge you extra money for those "100 point inspections" which you dont really need.

Oil Change: $50. Oil changes usually come with 21pt inspections.
Tire Rotation: $20

Thats all you need. You go to the dealer, and you ask them to do ONLY the service specified in the manual. No more, no less.

 

I just had the 15K service performed on my Prius. The dealer had 2 specials: $8.88 tire rotation & brake inspection, and complimentary 19 point inspection.

Since I don't like going 10K on an oil/filter service, I also paid $40 for oil/filter service.

Also--the 15K inspection calls for cleaning of the cabin air filter, so I checked it myself before I took the car in, and it was really dirty (pix here: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...r-filter-15k-miles-15-months-check-yours.html), so I replaced it myself.

 

Service departments are a very large percentage of an auto dealer's total income stream.
Think about that.
I have had good luck with Jiffy Lube for routine maintenance on vehicles past their factory warranties, all the well-publicized "horror stories" about oil plugs not being tightened or being over tightened notwithstanding. Probably a lot of those stories are circulated by the rip-off dealers to scare their sheep back in to be re-fleeced.
If I can avoid the dealer, I do. Even my pre-paid two-year service plan scares me, as who knows what they are actually doing behind closed doors? If at all possible, do your own maintenance. You'll save money and learn about your vehicle. Of course, Toyota doesn't make that simple with the ridiculous oil filter setup on our 2010 Prii.

 

How many of those 100+ points do you think they actually inspected?

 

my friend had his oil changed at jiffy lube last year and they forgot to pour new oil into the engine. blew the engine within 5 minutes. Those horror stories are real.

The service plan scares you? really? what would they have possibly to gain by secretly ruining your car behind closed doors? Their time is precious, and they have better things to do than risk their standing with Toyota, alienate customers, and lose all their awards. Remember these Toyota techs are trained on Toyota engines, using Toyota parts. The high-school dropout at Jiffy Lube isn't.

Remember, if you F up doing your own car maintenance, you're screwed. If the dealer Fs up working on your car, they'll own up and will be liable to fix it. If Jiffy Lube Fs up, they'll probably give you $5000 after 6 months of waiting on hold in phone calls and threatening letters.

 

There does NOT seem to be a definitive answer on this forum to the 2010 Prius GEN III 15,000 mile service questions about what it should be and what the charge is.

I have just been quoted $236 by the dealer in CT for a 15,000 mile service which seems excessive to me.

Can anyone help out here ??

Txs

Newbie

 

With the 10,000 mile oil change interval you don't even need an oil change at 15k. Check your cabin air filter. If dirty replace it yourself for under $15 and wait until 20K to go to the dealer.

 

This is one of the biggest problems in America. People are becoming idiots.

If you go to a Jiffy Lube and they do not put oil in your car and you drive until the engine is damaged you’re a complete idiot.

I put 305,000 miles on my 2010 Toyota 4Runner and I have over 40,000 miles on my 2010 Prius. I go to Jiffy Lube like places all the time. I always replace my oil every 5,000 miles so I go a lot. They always show me the oil level on the oil stick without asking. If I left and the oil pressure light came on I would not keep driving.

I do not understand why people are so afraid of working on cars.

A 5 year old kid can do the 15,000 Maintenance. Here are some items.

- Check installation of driver’s floor mat – (They make sure the two pegs are still holding the mat)
- Inspect and adjust all fluid levels (Open the hood and make sure the fluid is not below the line)
- Inspect the following: Ball joints and dust covers, Brake lines and hoses, Drive shaft boots, Engine/Inverter coolant (Leave the car on a dry surface and check if anything leaks and check to see if any rubber boots have rips or tears)

Changing oil is not rocket science that requires any type of training.

Jack up the car, open the door, drain oil in a tray, unscrew oil filter, put new oil filter on, open oil cap on top of engine, put oil in engine until it reaches the correct level on the oil stick. (I bet I can train a 5 year old to do this)

 

$236 to rotate the tires? [optional]. The dealers have service packs which far exceed what Toyota establishes to maintain your warranty. They say so in the owners manual. Tire rotation at 5-15-25 miles etc. Oil change 10-20-30 etc for about $60. You are buying snake oil sold behind mirrors --- they prey on people without any sense of fairness or decency and they sleep just fine.

 

Tire rotation is not needed to satisfy the vehicle warranty, only the tire company warranty and tire warranties are no good anyway. If you use 0W20 oil changed at even 10K, 20K, etc intervals you can do all of the 5K, 15K, 25K, etc. maintenance yourself in a half hour or so. Enter it as accomplished by owner in the maintenance record at Toyota Owners Online | Official Toyota Owners Website

You can also rotate your own tires of course, but I suggest either not doing it at all or only doing it at 10K or 20K. I rotated mine at 10K and I'm at 33K now and see no tire problems.

 

Just do a oil change/tire rotation/brake inspection every 10,000 miles. And check your own air filters every now and then but do replace them before 30,000 if they are still not dirty looking.

 

Yes make her pay for it out of her own pocket, honestly though a wife convinced against her will is of the same opinion still, probably cheaper to let her make herself happy / right by getting her way. :boom:

 

So getting the pre paid maintenance plan seems like a smart idea from Toyota? Rather than paying these absorbent amounts everytime you go...?

 

Depends on how much it costs, and what it includes. In general, I'm not a fan of prepaid anything (including extended warranties), since the companies that provide them are in business to make a profit on them, and you know who pays the profit.