Hello folks this is my first post here and I am new and based in sunny los angeles. But is very clowdy today. I am also a photographer so for those who love art feel free to check out my website www.paganelliphotography.com That said, I got a 2005 prius bought late on 2005. Now has 5k I phoned the dealer. They will charge me close to $90 to change the oil, rotate tire and get this, make sure that at the end the bolt under the oil transmition is tight. He told me that only a toyota dealer can do oil changes as to be in accordance with the warranty. He clearly said, "if you dont want to risk voiding your warranty then come to us." Sounds like a lot of BS to me while trying to milk us dry. I change my own oil on my bmw but to keep track of all those records can I take it to a regular certified mechanic that will only charge me $30 or less for this simple service? Will tHIS hold strong if something goes wrong under the car's warranty? Any words of advice? Thanks elche
I second the "total BS" opinion. There's a law that specifically addresses this; you're allowed to change your own oil (or have anyone else do it) and it won't void the warranty. I don't remember the exact details, but do a search on this board and I'm sure you can find it. If you want to go to a dealer, I would avoid going to the dealer that told you this; they don't seem very honest. If you want to find a dealer in your area, ask on the board and I'm sure people would be willing to let you know about their experiences with various dealers.
I wouldn't go to them to even use the bathroom. Where do you live? There must be another decent dealer somewhere around. I do like to go to a Toyota dealer so they can check the computer on any issues I need to know about, but legally you can go anywhere you want to change it or even do it yourself. Just be sure to keep good records and receipts in case you ever need warranty work. This is the law! I do have some concerns about quickie lub joints. I also want to have a good oil filter and I provide my own oil. My dealer deducts the price of the oil. My oil, his filter, rotate tires, check underneath, rotate tires, reset the maintenance reminder, stamping my warranty booklet for my records = about $30
The Prius is super easy to change the oil. I haven't done this for about 20 years and am convinced now that I will do all my Prius oil changes. Piece of cake and you know it will be done right. My Prius will only see the dealer for major service intervals.
