What services you need and what you don't

So what is the average life of the traction battery? My 2009 has 98K

 

The "average life" of the HV battery is 200k-250k miles, but in warm climates (like yours) or in mountainous terrain, they tend to fail sooner. When these environmental factors are involved in the failure, the HV battery is usually more difficult to rebuild as many of the modules will be weak.

JeffD

 

I'd run away and have them do NOTHING.

water pumps either work or don't if you have dash lights and the car isn't drivable replace it. If not ignore it. The water pump was likely replaced previously under warranty by a newer one that won't fail for the life of the car.

electric motor service? $229 for some guy to wipe dust off with a cloth?
inverter service? $229 for some guy to wipe dust off with a cloth?

coolant flush might be needed, especially if you are in the cold part of the world (anywhere north of Ohio maybe) and you tend to park outdoors in sub zero temperatures.

engine air filter and cabin air filter you should change yourself, you can do those for next to nothing after buying filters on amazon or at your local parts store.

back wiper blade, fine if whoever does it charges less than $15 go for it if YOU think it is needed.

Tires, whole different thread, replace if any damage, replace if tread is worn thin, etcetera.

spark plugs, don't cheap out on these, get platinum plugs but literally anyone can do this, I wouldn't pay the dealer price if they want to do everything else under the sun.

 

I owe everyone an apology here. I had it wrong. Apparently our hybrid battery wasn't replaced before we bought the car, only somehow "serviced".

At 124,000 miles it failed this week; I got it back from Crown Toyota today with a brand new hybrid battery installed for free under warranty. If this new battery lasts 9 1/2 years or 124,000 miles like the first one we'll be happy as clams. We don't put that many miles on our cars.

 

Sort of like the house my house final inspection.

The inspector pulled up, looked at the house from the street and signed the slip off in the permit box.

The consumer is on his own these days for most things. I would change my tranny fluid if I could get under the car. So I pay the dealer for safety reasons to do things I can't. Air filters are easy. Oil changes are cheap at the dealer with coupon.


Brakes???????? How long do the pads last on the 2009?

 

Under normal service the brake pads are good for 250,000 to 300,000 miles. If something sticks you could lose a pad on one side of one tire earlier, if you drive like a hypermiling granny you might get 400,000+ out of the pads

 

Ok Prius hive mind. Toyota says I need sparks, Pcv, and carb cleaner. Requires immediate attention. Want to charge me 393.32. Later today I am bringing the car in to a local outfit for body work and they also service. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Easy stuff you can do yourself for about $45.

Unless you are having driving issues, it does not require any immediate attention

 

Ask them to show you where the carburetor is that needs cleaning...

 

Plugs and PCV are a good idea if the stock parts are present and the car has more than 100,000 miles.

Like others said no reason to pay that much for it though. Take it anywhere else and pay $50 + labor (still shouldn't be much over $100 even with labor costs unless your cost of living/wages are insane high up there).

 

Well, carb cleaner is still used on the throttle body.

I did once have a service writer explain a high bill by saying they'd "tooned" the carbueretor (yes, he pronounced it just like that). I got a little testy: it being a fuel injected car.

 

Just purchased a 2009 Prius Base model (50k miles) a few days ago and have multiple questions - hopefully you guys can steer me in the correct direction..

On Wednesday, immediately after purchasing the Prius, I had an oil change done at the Toyota dealership and asked if anything needed immediate attention. The service tech suggested the following: Engine + cabin air filter replacement, tires, alignment, air induction service, fuel injection service, and brake fluid exchange. There were also two outstanding recalls. Since I was in a rush, I told him I'd bring the car back for the recalls and possibly additional service.

Anyway, after returning home I checked the service paperwork and noticed that a synthetic blend was used and not the full synthetic that I had requested. So I called back and was told they would change it to full synthetic at no additional cost (how kind of them!) when I brought it back for the recalls. that night I read up as much as possible about the Prius. I ended up ordering engine and cabin air filters and visually inspecting the throttle body which seemed very clean. It also appears that a fuel injection service is not required. The one service that seems like a good idea, an ATF fluid change, was not recommended even after I called to ask about it.

I dropped off the car again today and had the Toyota dealer replace the synthetic blend with full synthetic - I had asked for 0W20, but they told me that their master tech recommended 5W30 full synthetic, so I went with that. What is the best oil option for Prius longevity (50k miles and Georgia climate)? Interestingly, I found some documentation in the glove box indicating that the previous owner had mainly used regular 5w30 oil and more recently 5w30 synthetic blend. On one occasion he had used 10w30...hopefully nothing too concerning about this oil change history.

Besides the oil change correction, I got the dealer to also change the transmission fluid with their Toyota WS ATF. The two recalls performed were the Steering intermediate extension shaft and the electric water pump. It appears that the latter recall included a coolant fill. Does this mean that I can delay any coolant replacement for an extended period?

The paperwork from today's service indicated that my front pads measured 8mm while the rear brake shoes are at 4mm. Is it unusual that the rears appear to have more wear - or is 4mm for a brake shoe normal? How about replacing the brake fluid - recommended? They also documented that the drive belt has some cracks and required future attention - should I consider this urgent? Is the drive belt the same as a serpentine belt?

The car feels like it is driving quite well - not the most comfortable ride, but acceptable. I'm assuming the comfort level will improve after I change the tires and get an alignment. I've averaged just over 49mpg over the last 200 miles. BTW, the most discouraging part of my Prius purchase is the smell of the damn thing - However, I have just read the thread discussing the likely cause.. smelly vent hoses on the traction battery. I'm about to post in that thread as I need to get rid of that smell asap!

 

1. 5W-30 is the correct viscosity for 2G Prius. 3G Prius uses 0W-20.
2. The dealer tech is supposed to replace the inverter coolant when the inverter coolant pump is replaced, but this may not actually happen.
3. The rear brake shoes start at 4 mm thickness when new, so there is nothing to worry about. The front brake pads start at 11 mm thickness and 1 mm is the minimum allowable. Hence your front pads are ~30% worn.
4. Not necessary to replace the brake fluid at this time.
5. The serpentine drive belt should be replaced when the car logs 60K miles.

 

Thanks Patrick.

Going forward, I'll be consistent with 5W-30 synthetic. The paperwork documenting the hybrid inverter coolant pump lists 1 super long life cool which I assume is the inverter coolant (will check with delarer). BTW is this different than the engine coolant and what is the replacement schedule for each if different? Is there any other preventative maintenance that you would recommend that I have not mentioned?

 

Toyota Super Long Life Coolant is the correct fluid. The inverter coolant and the engine coolant are in separate coolant loops. Toyota SLLC fluid is used in both circuits.

In both cases, the replacement schedule is 100K miles for the factory fill and 50K miles for subsequent changes.

At 50K miles the maintenance you've mentioned is reasonable. Check the engine coolant pump for fluid weeping at the bearing seal (revealed by pinkish deposits on the inside of the pump pulley or deposits on the air conditioner compressor housing below the pump) and the front struts/rear shocks as well.

 

Patrick, the inside of the pulley and coolant pump look dry and free of pink residue/deposits. However, I did notice dried white residue from the hoses coming from the radiator - perhaps from a previous radiator top off? Engine coolant level looked good.

 

The photos look OK.

Did you also remove the radiator cap to verify the fluid level in the radiator itself is good? (Do not rely just on looking at the overflow reservoir.) If not, it is necessary to remove the large black plastic panel over the radiator for access to the cap,

The panel is secured with six plastic fasteners that look like, but are not, Philips screws. Use a Philips screwdriver to rotate each fastener, one at at time, while you exert upwards force on the panel. That will force the fastener to pop out of the mating hole.

 

Managed to access the cap by just loosening the far passenger side screw and lifting the black cover. Pink/Red liquid just under the cap so seems ok. I think someone had topped off the fluid previously or there was some type of radiator repair as one of the screws was missing.

 

My last oil change was in March. According to the dealer I am due now, but I have only driven 3,000 miles since the last oil change. I have been driving less the last couple of years and don't hit 10,000 miles for the year. Is there a problem waiting until I get to 5,000 miles or is it better to get the oil changed every six months?

 

I have 180k on my 04 prius and I want it to last at least another 20k. Any recommendations for service?