Transaxle fluid-- Drain-and-fill or flush?

They have no equipment that can do an ATF flush in a Prius. They are just trying to get extra $ out of your wallet. My Dealer charges me $100 to do a drain and refill. I can agree that one early ATF refresh is appropriate followed by another every 60,000 miles.

Dealers often honestly propose a flush since it gets fresh ATF into the torque converter - there isn't one in a Prius.

JeffD

 

The only thing they are trying to flush is your wallet.

 

Agreed!
This job will only take you about an hour plus ~$20 for the WS ATF and drain plug gasket. There are some good write-ups on this forum and in the Bentley manual.

 

Is any ATF fluid OK for the Prius or is it better to use Toyota brand ATF. H

 

2G Prius needs 4 US quarts of Toyota ATF WS.

 

I think they confused the Prius cvt with the 5 speed auto in my FJ.

BTW my local dealership charges $70 for a pan drain, and $220 for a complete fluid exchange using the machine. Note, this does not apply to a Prius

But is probably a good idea every 20,000 in an FJ, Tacoma, etc

 

I've trained that dealer (Three refreshes to date, 60k, 120k & 180k miles - each for about $100). You may have to discuss the price with them; They know better than to try to charge me too much for a simple task.

They are not perfect. They initially wanted to do a "Flush" at 60k miles after questioning me as to why I wanted to replace the "lifetime" WS ATF at all. They also once told me that I needed a full front brake job ($500+) at 100k miles (I still have the original brakes at 180k miles). If you have any difficulty, talk to the Service Manager rather than the Service Writer (Two of the writers are OK, I'm not sure about the others).

The "trained" dealer is A1 Toyota at exit 59 on the Merritt Parkway (Route 15, Called the Hutchinson River Parkway in NY). You need an appointment before taking the drive. Their service dept opens at 7:30 am.

JeffD

 

They are not ignornant, they are just raping you.

The weakest link with Toyota in general is their dealership network. The Toyota brand has some truly awful dealerships

 

I just drained and filled the transaxle with the recommended fluid. The first drain and fill was at 77k miles by the dealer. The last two times I did it myself. Each time there was some black metallic residue on the plug magnet. It cleaned up easy with a clean rag. Each time I also used new crush washers on both the drain and fill plugs. this is really easy to do and I plan on doing this every 20 thousand miles or so, or whenever I feel the need to after dusty and hot dry desert driving. It feels like it runs smoother each time I do the change. Highly recommended by many Prius folks on this website.

 

Hello, I've had plenty of success going to Queensboro Toyota located on Northern Boulevard,Queens. They'll change the transaxle fluid for you for about $170.00. Maintenance interval should be 30,000 miles when bought new and 60,000 miles thereafter. Glad to help. Pete

 

Parkway Toyota in Englewood Cliffs, NJ charged me $150. to do the "dump and fill." I used a 15% coupon on their website so the total was $127.50. At the time they also had a $10. Duncan Donuts slide card given to me (my girlfriend loves Duncan Donuts). The place is immaculate and they did not try and upsell me on any additional services. I did this at 105,000 miles. Gave me a complete inspection report on my car including brake pad thickness. Vehicle was washed when I picked it up. About 2 miles from the GW bridge.

I too had called around to different Toyota dealerships: I also was told by one dealer that the transaxle oil did not need to be replaced, another quoted me $100. (but was farther away) and still another never called me back after leaving a message!

About two years ago I had gone to a different Toyota dealer when the vehicle had 85,000 miles and the "service writer" called to say that I needed brakes for $270. He made it sound like the vehicle was "unsafe" to drive. I declined his offer. Be wary of the "upsells."

 

Took mine to a local auto repair shop with the washers, fluid, and long neck funnel ( I didn't want them using theirs), and instructions and pictures of how to do it. They charged $30.

 

Which place quoted you $100? Have you tried looking for indie prius mechanics? Any that you can point out?

 

Watch out for dealers that also recommend a power steering flush for your Prius.

 

*sigh* I can't believe I have to put this in writing so here goes:

1)Put the car on ramps.
2)Loosen the drain plug.
3) Red fluid comes out; catch the fluid and dispose w/ used engine oil at Autozone or other similar.
4) Re-tighten drain plug (no need to replace the washer).
5) Re-fill w/ ATF-WS. $40 at the dealer (4 qts.). Funnel with long plastic tube.
6) Drive like you stole it.

 

I believe if you use this procedure you may get fluid sprayed everywhere as there is pressure buildup in the trans case. Bleeding off the pressure first by loosening the fill plug has been advised.

 

The Prius transaxle creates a vacuum, not pressure. It is a good idea on most gearboxes to remove the fill plug before removing the drain plug. This provides a better vent to allow more complete draining and also prevents a situation where you can't get the fill plug out for whatever reason and the transmission has already been drained. If you remove the fill plug first, you still have the option of driving the car if there is a problem with either plug.

 

Problem with #1: car should be level for the fill.

Problem with #4: What the heck, replace them.

Problem with #6: Don't understand, LOL.