Almost time for my first service on my 06 beautiful black Prius. I know to have the oil changed and not let the dealership overfill it. But with only 1,600 miles (I know, I need to get out more) so far, should I have the tires rotated and balanced. I am proud that I am able to average 46-47 mpg with a very short (4-mile each way) commute on city streets and very little other driving. Still working for that first 50 mpg tank.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pirateprius @ Jul 4 2006, 10:00 PM) [snapback]281211[/snapback]</div> There is no timer for tires...only actually wearing the tread will warrant a rotation/balance. Tires should be rotated no sooner than every 5000 miles, while I prefer to do it every 7500 miles. Having it done with only 1600 miles on them is counter-productive, as they haven't even had a chance to wear in the pattern they're currently in. Which leads me to the next part of your post - why have the oil changed after so few miles? The "3000/5000 miles or every 6 months, whichever comes first" suggestion is largely unnecessary concerning time. Oil isn't like milk and doesn't expire every 6 months. While there is some wisdom in changing oil in a car that isn't being driven much to better protect against sludge, there is absolutely no reason to change the oil so soon in your Prius. Sit back, relax, and wait until you have 5000 miles on the ticker to have the oil changed and tires rotated.
warranty says 6 mo/5k miles on the oil change. they'll hold you to that. once you're out of warranty, ambrothe has one hell of a point. hey, go take a trip somewhere. we're in wisconsin (from the nc triangle) and gas cost was under $100 to get here
Thanks for the replies. I thought I had to go with the 6-month oil change to keep the warranty valid. I'll pass on rotating and balancing the tires until my next service. Galaxee - guess I am past due for a road trip, but we usually end up taking my husband's HyHi because I won't let him smoke in my baby.
Tire rotations at 5k miles are good. DO NOT REBALANCE THEM UNLESS YOU CAN ACTUALLY FEEL VIBRATIONS. It is an unnecessary cost, and there is at least a 50-50 chance that the result will be balance that is worse than when it came from the factory. Most vibrations these days are caused by tires that are out of round; factory balance should last for years, unless you clobber a curb or take a puncture that is repaired with a patch or plug. Rotation - yes; rebalance - no. This is just another revenue enhancer for the dealers.
