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36k service

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by bkborgman, Oct 1, 2015.

  1. bkborgman

    bkborgman Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Greetings. I'm a new owner of a 2011 Certified Pre-Owned Prius II which I purchased from a local dealer. When I bought the car in Feb. 2015 it had about 32,000 miles. After looking at the maintenance reports on the Toyota Owners website and comparing it with the sticker on the windshield, it appeared I was due for an oil change around 33,000 miles. The dealer informed me that all of the 30,000 mile service had been performed by them and I wasn't due for a service until around 36,000 miles.

    Earlier this week when I booked an appointment for an oil change at the dealer. Today I received a call from my service representative (the same guy I went to last time) and he suggested I have the following services performed:
    • Oil change with 0W20
    • Throttle body cleaning
    • Brake fluid (not sure if it was a flush or change)
    Clearly the oil change is due, but the other two services really bump up the price (to around $311 prior to tax). Reading about the throttle body service, I am experiencing no issues with power or acceleration so I don't think the throttle body cleaning is necessary (plus videos online show that it is trivial to do yourself). What about the brake fluid service? The owners manual states nothing about it and there appears to be no consensus from the hive mind of this forum concerning when it is necessary. Some suggest every 30,000 miles or 3 years, others say 60,000 miles. Any opinions on this? Thanks!
     
    #1 bkborgman, Oct 1, 2015
  2. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    Location:
    Houston, TX
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Go by what the manual that came with the car says.

    IMO, you should do the following on your next service.

    Change the oil and filter using synthetic 0W20, then after that depending on the type of driving you can either do 5K or 10K OCI. Consult the owner's manual for additional information concerning the OCI.

    The Throttle Body Cleaning is NOT a bad idea. If you are lazy and have the money, let them do it for you. However if you are good at DIY and don't get wild with the cleaning solvent you can save yourself a bundle and do the job yourself. I would NOT ignore the throttle body. It can get dirty over time and is very expensive if you ever have to replace it. Cleaning it regularly can help with longevity.

    As far as the brake fluid is concerned, read the owner's manual. IMO the dealer is trying to get you to make his boat payment...

    I also recommend you have your tires rotated and make certain that the ICE air filter shows that it was replaced at 30K. If there is no record of it, take the time to inspect it and change it yourself if necessary. While you are it, check the cabin filter also. The dealers love to add these two items on when ever you bring the car in for service. They charge a pretty penny for something you can do on your on. Just sayin...

    Best of luck to you and enjoy your new to you Prius! (y)
     
    #2 dorunron, Oct 2, 2015
  3. bkborgman

    bkborgman Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2015
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    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Thanks for the reply! I stopped by the dealer and got a detailed print-out of all of the maintenance on my car today. Interestingly, this print-out shows more details than I see on the Toyota Owner's website. The car had an oil change at 28,000 miles (along with a 30,000 mile maintenance) and then again around 32,000 miles at the dealer prior to my purchase. I noticed that the tires were not rotated and had this done around 33,400 miles. So it would appear that aside from doing the fluid check my car has had the 35,000 mile maintenance service completed.

    Now that I'm around 37,500 miles, I think I'll just do the 40,000 mile maintenance (my car's history shows all maintenance is normally completed ~2,000 miles early). I'll have them do an oil change, tire rotation, and inspection of the brakes. I'll replace the filter, top off the fluids, and replace filters. I'll also do the throttle body cleaning myself (the videos on YouTube make it look trivial).

    Thanks again!
     
    #3 bkborgman, Oct 2, 2015
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
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    Vehicle:
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    Plug-in Base
    the dealer recommended service is intended to thoroughly clean out your wallet.;)
     
    #4 bisco, Oct 2, 2015
    bkborgman likes this.
  5. frodoz737

    frodoz737 Top Wrench

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2010
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    Location:
    Texas
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    The brake fluid in your Prius is DOT 3 and "IS NOT" lifetime...The WS transmission fluid "IS NOT" lifetime...TB cleaning is a wallet cleaner when done at the Dealership. But hey...what do I know.
     
    #5 frodoz737, Oct 2, 2015
  6. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    Northwestern S.C.
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    That sounds familiar. Evidently they have a problem with failing to merge dealer records with the maintenance records available through the Owner's site. My example: The Owner's site shows maintenance done by the dealer for the original owner, and it shows the one item I added myself (tire rotation). It mysteriously does not show the oil changes done by the (same) dealer after I bought it. The dealers' (plural, because shared by all Toyota dealers) record shows everything they've done (for both me and the previous owner), but not my tire rotation. The service writer could not explain why the recent oil changes are missing from the Owner's site, and barely seemed to know of its existence.
     
    #6 CR94, Oct 2, 2015
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