Is this necessary at 70K

No, they're just trying to rip you off. Don't do any of that service.

 

Brake Flush yes. It uses DOT3 fluid so look up industry standards you decide. Throttle body service doubtful. The other two are just the Service Writer trying to make commission.

 

Toyota's started saying tri-yearly brake fluid change. In the Canadian 2014 Scheduled maintenance guide they're saying 48000 km or 3 years. This is for ALL their vehicles, not just Prius.

 

1 service I would actually do...The Brake Fluid Exchange.
Unless you have complaints about how the engine is running. Or how the AC is working/smelling, the other 3 recommendations are things I think you can easily pass on.

If you have no symptoms of problems in those area's, then I think you can easily wait on that type of maintenance until/if they manifest. But if your engine is running fine and your MPG are descent? No I vote just money makers for the dealership.

 

i wouldn't do any. but that doesn't make them bad, i just don't think they are necessary unless they are necessary.

 

At 70K and 5 years...I would be proactive with the brake fluid and consider it good maintenance.
The other services I would only consider if I was getting symptoms from the engine or AC. If not? Running a treatment of Techron through the fuel system is whole lot cheaper and easier.

 

i haven't read much consensus from the experts here for changing the brake fluid before toyota's recommendation, but it certainly won't hurt if you want to spend the money.

 

What happens if you don't change the brake fluid?

 

Master cylinder goes out and you can't brake and you crash etc

(Run on sentence)

My car, I have to change it every 2 years regardless on mileage. Gas German car.

May be intervals are less for hybrid cars since they use mainly regen braking.


iPhone ?

 

i hear that condensation forms inside the brake lines and corrodes things. but even different mfg recommendations are all over place and geographically too. not sure there is any scientific basis for timeframe.

 

On a car like this, honestly you're ok with keeping the factory fluid in forever. It's ideal to replace it though. 75-100k. If you're mechanically inclined, you can do it yourself. It's easy. Free w/ a helper and $5 bleed kit from the auto parts store or $60 if you buy a pump that attaches to the reservoir. The fluid should be your typical dinky auto parts fluid for under $10. Maybe even $5.

AC? Just replace refrigerant every two years.

TB? $5 can of TB cleaner and a rag. DIY.

I imagine the demographic for this car though isn't the type that DIYs jobs. Find a honest local mechanic on Yelp.

 

Bad things CAN happen with a brake fluid change. With a recent (Honda Civic) brake fluid change, our dealership managed to:

1. Lose 75% of the bleed screw caps.

And a bit more significantly:

2. Disable the right/rear (drum) brake.

INSIST they test drive the car after the brake fluid change. Just requesting this upfront MAY keep them on their toes a bit more.

And when you get behind the wheel, be on alert for the first little while. Symptoms of a brake not working: traction control kicking in all the time, increased stopping distance, side-to-side rocking as the car comes to a stop.

We had all of the above, should have sued, lol.

 

I replace the brake fluid when I need to replace the pads or rotors. Unless someone cut your brake lines, you don't suddenly lose the ability to brake. Braking will degrade naturally. At some point, you will decide that the car doesn't stop well. On my Civic, that was north of 100k miles. On my Prius, I'm expecting never, due to regenerative braking.

The only reason to do any of those recommended service items is if you need to. Again it will be self evident driving your vehicle. If the vehicle is otherwise in good driving condition, I wouldn't do any of them.

 

Is that price normal in the US? It sure is not where I live, here they change fluid every 15.000 km and it costs €13, but I don't know about the labour, because it's included in regular maintenance (€73 labour only)

Why would you change refrigerant every 2 years? Prius has hermetically sealed electric compressor it won't leak, the only way AC will leak is because of damaged evaporator/condenser. Refrigerant change alone won't help in that case.

 

Dogs and Cats sleeping together...Minor apocalypse,- end of the world stuff.

 

Like I said, I am new to Prius. But in a typical car, the refrigerant contains lubricants that helps condition seals. It also ensures the system is ridded of any moisture. Does Toyota not recommend periodic maintenance to the AC system?

Looks like it is serviceable. Any time you have oil in something, you want to change it out. The oil and refrigerant may be on a separate "circuit." Anywho, I'd do it. Seems too expensive (on any car) not to. I imagine this electric compressor can't be cheap.

Toyota and Lexus hybrid air conditioning special service requirements

 

I think it boils down to "Necessary at 70K".

If you're not having a problem with any of those systems arguably none of the services are immediately necessary.

My opinion and advice is based on the idea that the brakes and brake fluid are a system where I think being pro-active in maintenance can have benefit.

 

Unless something is special about the Prius AC, the most I'd have done is an AC check. If it's low, top it off, and check again in a year. If it has lost a significant amount of refrigerant in one year, something is wrong. To what I know, all AC units loose small amounts of refrigerant over time even with no leak. Otherwise, the system requires no "service."

Brake fluid absorbs water...which negatively impacts performance. Cars are more forgiving than motorcycles (where I flush hydraulics every 2 years). I'd say after 5 years or 50-100K, I'd consider having the whole brake system "flushed" with fresh brake fluid to remove H2O contamination.

You can keep your fuel system happy with something like B-12 Chemtool or Seafoam every 10K miles. At most, you might want to replace the fuel filter at 100K as a preventative measure.

I'd have to know more about what the "throttle body" requires. If it's a fuel injector (which is what most of them are), there's nothing to do but maybe spray stuff to "degunk" it (which fuel system cleaner might already be doing). If it was a carburetor, it'd be a different story.