Took my prius in to the dealer to have the hatch lifts replaced. Was walking around the showroom sitting in everything -- still like my prius seats. A lady was sitting at a table when the service adviser approached her. Issues with the brakes on her Highlander [150k miles] and he mentioned she was due for injector cleaning {$159]. He left and I asked her if her car was running rough and said other than the brakes, it ran like s swiss watch. I said she might want to reconsider the fuel injector service and she said "why". I replied it was a huge rip-off money maker for the dealer --- and she said she would text her husband. He agreed and now she has some extra dough to spend on something she might actually need.
True...if you (and the woman) are using high-quality fuels, the injectors should never become fouled. BUT...even using great fuels, from time to time a TB cleaning will remove buildup inside the throttle body and on the plate. I used to do this for my prior car and it always started and ran smoothly.
This is so true! We talked about this at work the other day. Fuel injector cleaners are not needed so much these days as most fuels have it. Plus, when was the last time you felt your Prius idle? At all? They don't do that !!!!
I put 305,000 on my last Toyota and never had an injector cleaning. My advice is stick to the planned Toyota maintenance program. Anything more than that is a profit center for the dealer. Most of the scheduled maintenance involves oil changes, filter replacements and inspections. A lot of this can be done by a corner lube shop for a lot cheaper.
When I need an injector clean, I'll throw a couple gallons of E85 in the tank Mike Mobile on my SGH-i717
I have read ethanol leaves more vanish behind than straight gas. It is an effective way to remove water from the tank, however. E10 pretty much renders Dry Gas and HEET obsolete. I would not advise running a gas with a potential ethanol concentration greater than 10%. It could eat through the gaskets in the fuel line, and possibly throw off the ECM and trip a light. I throw in a bottle of Gumout Regane before every oil change, and keep using my grocery store gas.
They target older women a lot. I've seen something similar during my last visit. But I didn't feel like jumping in and interrupting. They never pull that crap on me. When you come in with printed TSB that they never heard of, you get their respect.
They will upsell you anything from high speed muffler bearings to low viscosity headlight fluid . Well, mine actually has headlight washer fluid, but WalMart sells it for $1.29 a gallon.
