Went to dealership for Brake fluid flush/bleeding but not sign tires removed

welcome! sounds like you got scammed. is the fluid the same color as when you brought it in?

 

I think yes, you can avoid tire removal. Look, see where the bleed screws are, from around the back. Should be possible to see even with car on the ground.

 

lazy way to flush

 

Why take the wheels off if the bleed screws can be accessed from the inside while the car is on the lift? Also, tubing can be placed over the bleed fittings to neatly drain fluid into a container.

 

Welcome to PriusChat, BTW - also consider that the mechanic at your dealer might have been wearing nitrile gloves! (…no fingerprints! (…heh heh!) )
…but be warned! I learned (from one of the lectures at 2GoB4 (2014)) that correctly bleeding the brakes on a Prius can be somewhat difficult for the average DIY-er since it requires specialist equipment and so might be best left to someone with the necessary gear such as the local Toyota dealer.

 

agreed. o/p should have taken it to a dealer and avoided potential scammation.

 

The OP did take it to the dealer, but felt he got scammed because he didn't see any signs that the wheels where taken off.

 

whoops, thanks, i missed that. probably no need for concern then.

 

Yes, its possible to bleed the brakes without removing the wheels. Dealership technicians are on flat rate pay so some of them don't want to waste the time to remove the wheels.

Better yet, you should do this job yourself. It's too easy not to since you will be saving $$$, here's a video on how to do it. Have fun!

 

What's the recommended interval for a brake fluid flush/service? Is it three years?

 

in the u.s., there is no time interval. 120k maybe?

 

The latest Canadian Schedule I have (2014 Prius) says 48,000 km's (~30,000 miles) or 36 months.

With our 2010 it was 64,000 km's or 48 months.

So I guess the current mindset is 30K miles or 3 years.

FWIW, Honda says every 3 years, regardless of mileage, for quite some time, decades I think.

 

With a lift, bleeding the brakes is much easier to do without taking off the wheels...but be advised...it's also known that "some" dealers just suck the fluid from the top of the reservoir and refill. This does happen with the Prius because doing it "by the book" takes a while.

 

I would go with 30k-40k or 3 years as well, as mentioned. Also, use the proper DOT#. A higher DOT# isn't always better.

 

Can even be disastrous I think?

Safest fluid would be Toyota's, for compatibility.

I'm inclined to just let the dealership service department do this. Also, ensure they will test drive after, make sure it's ok. I think just asking for this assurance will keep them on their toes.

 

I know you can do this service yourself Mendel.

 

Since we're on this subject, lets talk about why brake fluid needs to be flushed/changed out. I'm convinced that this is a service that doesn't need to be accomplished at all for the following reasons:

1) Brake fluid is nothing more than hydraulic fluid. What goes bad in the fluid?
2) There is very little wear since brakes are a closed system. The fluid is simply a medium to transmit force. With regen braking, it transmits very little force and the pistons see way less wear than conventional brake systems (that see very little wear).
3) Since it is a closed system, there is virtually no opportunity for contamination or water forming from condensation.
4) I have personally never flushed a brake system and have experienced no problems. Many of my cars have exceeded ten years of service with no brake fluid flush

Now, can the proponents of this service list the reasons to change it?