I just read Click & Clack today & there was a Toyota Dealer from Seattle who wrote in and said that you get free maintenance on your 2004 Prius thru 36,000 (at a Toytoa dealer of course). I was not told that at my dealer in San Diego and wondered what other's experience was. Es verdad? Thanks!
I had a 2002 with free maintenance. Now I have a 2004 with NO free mainenance. Perhaps it was the dealer himself offering it. Whatshisname
I was told flat our by my dealer that the deal wasn't in effect any more, and that they actually had a salesman screw up and say it was, so there's one guy getting free oil changes. Evil conspiracy theory (ok, not that evil)-- they gave out the free maintenance on the original models so that they could get the cars in as often as possible to make sure they were holding up.
I don't know whether or not it's what they do for all the new cars or whether it was specific to the fact that I bought a prius, but my dealer is doing free maintenance to 36,000.
When I was trying to pitch the idea of the Prius to my frugal wife, I tried to spin as many cost-saving features as possible. To that extent, one of my strongest arguments related to free oil changes and services for the first three years of ownership. Unfortunately, when I was talking to the dealer, I learned that Toyota no longer offers them. SHhhh. Don't tell my wife.
My dealer is giving me a few free oil changes. Strictly a dealer thing. He probably gives that on all new cars. Doesn't cost him much and gets you in the habit of coming to him. Probably worth $90 to me, and probably cost him $30 for the oil & filter; labor doesn't cost him anything. It's a nice gesture, though, and I appreciate it.
As many of us have learned, our dealers tend to be far less knowledgable than we are about what Toyota does and does not offer. They did drop the 36K free maintenance, although a few dealers either (a) screwed up or (B) are simply offerings it as goodwill. Price