What services you need and what you don't

went for oil change and the service tech gives me a recommended service sheet that totals over $1000. a few things i know i don't need but not sure if some things are important

2007 with 123,000 miles in hot humid houston
1. is the coolant fluid exchange with long life coolant the same as the engine/inverter fluid mentioned its $169
2. evaporator core cleaning- i had this done a while back when the AC started to smell like mildew with the AC on year round is it need more often for $64
3. engine oil additive/conditioner-- sounds like an un-needed up-sell
4. add fuel system cleaner additive $23.95- don't want to put something in that could do more damage too
5. new spark plugs $165

never had brakes worked on at what thickness of the pad does it need to be done my fronts were 4mm and rear said only clean and adjust

any info would be great. read through a lot of posts but things have way to many names

 

The only item I feel qualified to address is the fuel system cleaner additive. Walmart has Chevron Techron on sale for $5.00 until November. Put a can of that in your gas tank. It is good stuff and will not harm your car. I have been using it for years. I have a 3 month old Avalon. I just put a container in it.

 

1. Yes. You need to have both coolant loops drained and replaced: engine, and inverter/transaxle. If the charge is $169 for both, that is a very good price.
2. Have that done when you don't like the smell. It may help if you don't use recirculated air so much.
3, 4. Not needed
5. This is needed at 120K miles.

The front brake pad minimum thickness is 1 mm while a new pad is at 11 mm. So you can defer the front brake pad replacement for a while.

 

My 2008 Prius will have it's next service at around 86, 000 miles. At the last service the dealer recommended in addition to oil change and tire rotation the following:
1. Add engine oil additive $18.25
2. Replace serpentine belt $160
3. Perform coolant fluid exchange service $129
4. Perform automatic transmission fluid exchange service $169.95
5. Perform brake system fuild exchange $89.95
6. Fuel service $119.95
7. Tune up $160.00

I have never had any of these done. From my reading of the sticky it appears that a few might be needed at 100, 000, but not at 86,000. Are any of these services actually needed at this time? I have had no problems with the Prius.
Thank you!
John

 

How do you feel about paying these prices for service?

1. not needed
2. way over priced, belt is $15. Takes about 15 minutes to DIY
3. the coolant is good until 100k miles
4. this is something you should do, but way over priced again. Other's have it done for about $120 or less
5. not needed until 100k miles
6. not needed
7. not needed (spark plugs change at 120k miles)

 

Thanks for your quick reply. I am totally unmechanically inclined. I feel the prices are high, but I have always had the prius serviced at our local Toyota dealer. I guess I should shop around for the belt replacement and transmission fluid exchange.
Thanks again !!
John

 

I have a 2008 and am being asked about my 60K (I have about 67K now). Here is what one of my local dealers will do for $289.99 plus tax and shop expense plus a 10% off coupon thru 10/31/14:

- OIL CHANGE AND FILTER
- TIRES ARE ROTATED AND BALANCED
- AIR FILTER IS REPLACED
- CABIN FILTER IS REPLACED
- BATTERY SERVICE WITH RECHARGE AND POST CLEANING AND PROTECTED SPRAYED
- BRAKES ARE CLEANED LUBED AND ADJUSTED WITH CABLE SET BACK TO FACTORY SPECS
- CARBON IS CLEANED FROM THROTTLE PLATE AND BORE
- INJECTORS ARE CLEANED AND SPRAY HEADS DECARBONIZED BACK TO BEST POINT COMBUSTION STAGE
- VEHICLE IS COMPLETELY INSPECTED FROM A SENIOR OR MASTER TECH

Thoughts? Sounds like the 1st four are the only necessary. I can do the cabin filter. I can wait for the oil change and tore rotation, too.

Thank you for any assistance you may have...

Michael R.

 

My opinion. I think you are right, only the first 4 are necessary. You can change the cabin filter and engine air filter if they are needed. I would pass on the rest of it. Auto Zone has Chevron Techron fuel system cleaner on sale, 2 for 4 dollars. I would put a container of that in the gas tank and that would be it.

 

Air filter and cabin filter you can do yourself in 10 min flat. I'd do the battery service myself, but the brake service would be worth doing. The throttle body clean I'd only do if you thought it needed it. I wouldn't bother with the injector clean unless there was some problem manifesting that would indicate it was required.

My $0.02 worth.

 

I use to make service to my 2004 prius 144.000 km now,by my self.i went to Toyota dealer for change water pump and replace engine coolant and also for 2 recalls and change inverter and coolant.also for front wheel bearing that's all it's easy to make the usually service by your self brakes spark plugs oil etc

 

I have an '09 that is at 98,500 miles, so I'm looking into the various things needed, and when. Read the first page, and a few other posts, and believe I need to do the following at 100K (or thereabouts):

1. Inspect brakes, dust covers, joints/boots, etc.
2. Oil change (I've been doing these myself since I passed 36K miles).
3. Replace engine/inverter coolant
4. Drain/fill transaxle fluid
5. PCV valve replace(?)
6. Replace serpentine belt
7. Spark plugs/cables(?)

I really have no good way of doing #1, I don't have anything to raise it up enough to properly inspect.
Oil change - again, I've been doing those myself, so no issue.

Now - the question here is - can an individual properly drain the engine/inverter coolant and transaxle fluid? I don't know if this requires some "pumping" (not really flushing - but pushing the fluid in) so you don't have air in the coolant system - or just fill it up, run the engine with the radiator cap off to bleed air, fill, etc.? Same with transaxle fluid. So - is it better to take it in to do those two items, or is it a real simple DIY project? And when someone says that those fluids are "real expensive" - what are we talking here? $40, $80, $120, ??? each for enough to drain/fill?

I haven't checked - but I'm assuming there is some kind of PCV valve (or equivalent) on the vehicle?

Serpentine belt - how hard to replace? I've got a fairly complete upright toolbox, and used to do EVERYTHING on my vehicles (rebuild engines, etc. - back in the 70s and early 80s) - I just gave that up with all the computer specialization that has crept into vehicles. Didn't have the specialized equipment, etc. So - easy to do?

I've normally replaced spark plug wires when I replace spark plugs - good idea on the Prius too? And how do you "tune" it afterwards - or does the computer just "figure it out"? (I'm wondering about replacing plugs, my mileage has gone down slightly. Used to be in the 47/48mpg range ALWAYS, now it's more in the 45-47mpg range. Just wondering if that's a "think about changing the plugs" issue or just general aging of the vehicle.

 

Yes, as an individual you can perform all of the items on your list. I have posted on how to do most of them in this forum. It would certainly help if you purchase a hydraulic floor jack and a pair of jackstands, that is not a very big investment considering the $$$ that you will save.

There are no spark plug wires. There is no need to tune the engine. Just make sure you have adjusted the correct iridium spark plugs to a 1.0 - 1.1 mm gap.

There is a PCV valve which is located on the end of the valve cover closest to the inverter. You must remove the engine wiring harness over the valve cover for access.

Toyota Super Long Life Coolant will cost ~$25/gallon (50% / 50% premixed with distilled water) and Toyota ATF WS will cost ~$10/quart. You will need 3 gallons of coolant and 4 quarts of ATF WS.

Regarding specialized equipment, if you invest in Mini VCI for ~$25 and load that on a Windows XP/Windows 7 32 bit OS laptop, that is all the equipment you need to do most of the tasks that a dealer tech can do. Then if you invest in factory repair manual access at techinfo.toyota.com you will have all the knowledge you need to perform all of the tasks on your list and much more.

I have 184K miles on the 2004 and the mpg is in the low 50's now that the very hot summer season has passed. The highway speed limit here is 75 mph, which I observe. I actually think the mpg has improved as time has passed.

 

I've also noticed the mileage was better on the older hv batteries. My 2005 with 152k got low 50s before I swap out the hv battery. Now with a newer hv battery, the mileage has gone down about 3 to 5 mpg over 5000k miles

 

My Prius is burning oil ... could this be a PCV valve problem?

 

I'm just shy of 160k miles. I have only had new brakes/tires and oil changes. Would this be my list too? Car is starting to feel sluggish.

 

Definitely not my experience. I'm also unable to rationalize why an older better battery would give better fuel economy but I can easily imagine the reverse since we might be bumping up against battery capacity limits during downhill driving and prolonged regen. In any case there are *so* many variables involved, anecdotes are unlikely to point to valid conclusions.

Btw, how much did you gamble on your sure-as-can-be prediction of the NFL championship game outcome ?
I read that million+ $ bets were recorded on both sides. I thought of you

 

I didn't bet on the game, it was too much of a toss up. It could've gone either way and I don't like it when it's that much of a toss up. Deep inside I knew Seattle should have won.....but they both put up a good game. I thought to myself at the 4th quarter, it's a shame someone has to lose this game!

As for the battery issue, I believe when the batteries age and lose capacity, they charge up much quicker. Therefore when the SOC is low, it charges up much faster than if the battery was at full capacity, which would need a longer time to charge fully. When it comes to MPG, the car always is more efficient when the battery is near the full SOC state. So in theory, the older battery with lower capacity will return better MPG in the short term until the battery craps out completely.

 

^^ I see your step has lost some of it's swagger. Too bad you didn't gamble, it would have reinforced the lesson.

The car is not 'more efficient' when the battery SOC is high. The car likely uses less fuel, but that is something quite different.

 

Start by replacing the iridium spark plugs and the engine air filter. That is the absolute minimum.

Ideally you would review the list of maintenance required at 100K and 120K miles and have all of it performed, especially the coolant changes. Also replace the serpentine drive belt, PCV valve, and the transaxle ATF.

 

water pumps x2; pcv valve; clean MAF sensor, cabin air filter, brake fluid, thermostat and gasket, wiper blades