What services you need and what you don't

I have a 2011 Prius with 44,000 miles. All I have ever done to it is change the oil, oil filter and rotate the tires. I change the cabin filter and engine air filter myself. This is what I plan to do until I reach 100,000 miles. I may change the PCV valve at 60,000 if I can find it. I just don't think anything else is necessary guys.

 

Believe it or not, I have now read through all 38 pages of this thread. Whew. I've learned so much! Thanks all. You have saved me from a lot of heartache.

To make sure I am understanding everything correctly: there are two coolant systems; one for the engine, and one for the hybrid inverter/transaxle.

I had my engine water pump replaced at 75,000 and coolant flow control valve replaced at 105,000. The CFCV is for the engine coolant, yes?

I'm now at 120,000K and about to take my car in to replace the coolants and change the spark plugs. The thing is, I don't have records of whether the coolant was replaced for either of those repairs. Is there any way to tell this after the fact?

Thanks y'all!

 

Believe it or not, I have now read through all 38 pages of this thread. Whew. I've learned so much! Thanks all. You have saved me from a lot of heartache.

To make sure I am understanding everything correctly: there are two coolant systems; one for the engine, and one for the hybrid inverter/transaxle.

I had my engine water pump replaced at 75,000 and coolant flow control valve replaced at 105,000. The CFCV is for the engine coolant, yes?

I'm now at 120,000K and about to take my car in to replace the coolants and change the spark plugs. The thing is, I don't have records of whether the coolant was replaced for either of those repairs. Is there any way to tell this after the fact?

Thanks y'all!

 

chances are much of the coolant was replaced during the repairs. If money is not an issue, then go ahead and flush the coolant. If you want to save money, then wait til about 150k and flush. Whatever you choose, the decision would be correct.

 

Yep.

I'm not sure which system has the valve you mention.

These coolant systems are never flushed, they are just drained and fluid replaced. The inverter coolant system is quite easy to drain and fill, while a complete exchange of the engine coolant circuit is more of a pain. If you are at all inclined to DIY, look up Pat Wong's tutorial for the inverter coolant exchange.

As for the engine circuit, my plan for the future is to take advantage of the ~ $50 Lisle funnel I bought and simply exchange a gallon of fluid every couple of years without letting any air into the system. That should be a 10 minute job.

 

I noticed you are from NW of Chicago. Can you recommend an independent service/repair place in or around Chicago for my 08?
LDavis
[email protected]

 

I recommend Keiji Auto Service in Skokie. Keiji specializes in Toyota's, and was referred to me by a friend (Toyota owner) who's been using him for decades. See Yelp for glowing reviews.

 

Thank you

 

If you took your car to a Toyota dealer for those services, google Toyota Owners.com and join. The Toyota service department will have all services posted that you have done.

 

I have just bought a 2007 Prius and wanted to get the transaxle oil changed. One of the indepedent auto service quoted me $149 to have the fluid changed, is this an okay price? I am in San Diego, California.

I read most of the entries prior to this one. Thank you for the wonderful insights provided here!

 

Some dealers would charge less than that and you can make sure the fluid is correct.

 

I called the closest Toyota dealer, Kearney Mesa Toyota, and the guy who answered the phone said he thought it would cost $119 but he wasn't sure and was going to have the service person give me a call today, which hasn't happened as I expected it. So, I think I am going to drive my prius to the dealer and find out tomorrow. Has anyone got this thing done at their dealers? How much did it cost?

[edit]BTW, my 2007 Prius has 89K miles, the previous owner took care of it, has complete maintenance record in hard copy, I just measured the auxiliary 12 volt battery and it seems a bit low at 12.2 v unloaded, haven't measured the voltage after powering it on or loading it with headlights.

 

That is a bit low. Charge up the battery with a smart charger over night and measure it again after that.

 

The only battery charger I have is a Harbor Freight $10 Automotive battery maintainer; according to its manual, you are not supposed to use it on AGM batteries. There's a thread posted by someone that says his HF $5 charger fried the battery. So, I am afraid to use it on my prius 12 volt battery.

 

BTW, my HF battery charger (#69955, Automatic Battery Float Charger) outputs 13.2 vdc and 500 mA. I actually measured it at 13.98 volts output on my cheap HF multimeter.

 

I'd recommend you upgrade to a smart charger suitable for use with an AGM battery and use it regularly. Your battery will thank you for it with a longer service life.

 

UPDATE on my 2007 Prius transaxle oil change:

I had it done this morning (08/29/2014) at Kearny Mesa Toyota in San Diego, CA. The previous owner had taken the car to them over the past 6 years. When I showed up, the service advisor said that he had never heard of a Prius customer demanding this service (transmission oil change in 2nd gen Prius). Looking it up on his computer, he quoted me $180, so I said okay, let's get it done. An hour and half later, I got my Prius back. They washed the car (exterior only) and it ran smoother coming back home. The final, out the door, price was $176 and change.

 

I was at the dealership getting the fluid for my transaxle oil change and the parts desk guy said "that's a lifetime fluid (which is apparently 100k+), and it can only be changed under certain circumstances when it' the right temperature, and with special tools". I told him to get me the bottles of ATS-WS and I'd figure out later whether it should be done. But, generally, I don't think Toyota is at all concerned with the transaxle/differential oil in any of their vehicles.

 

We've already beat the "lifetime" claim to death. Lifetime is a relative concept.
The issue with temperature might be valid for Toyotas with regular transmissions but is not applicable to Prius.
Well, you do need two special tools with Prius: a 10 mm hex key socket and a plastic funnel with a 3 ft tail to expedite refilling. You also need a 24 mm (or 15/16") socket but that is not a special item.