dealer maintenance service plans Prius v (lowercase v)

i reset mine, but i have the local guy rotate the tyres. 20 bucks.

 

Shopping at an auto parts store and doing the install myself, 3 wipers for my v were over $50.

 

I took my Prius 2012 to the dealer for all the scheduled services until my Toyota Care freebies ran out. Then they charged me $84 for the 20k service, which was really just an oil change. And at the 25k service they charged me $97 for a tire rotation and two air filters (no oil change). And they didn't even inflate the tires to the right pressure. That was the last straw for me: I bought a drain pan, an oil filter wrench and jack stands and I have been doing my own service ever since. I wish I had figured this out 20 years ago. I can't believe how much money I've wasted at car dealerships over my lifetime.

 

I don't know if it's a testament to Toyota's confidence in the quality of their own product but it's somewhat frustrating that even higher mileage service recommendations are mostly just an Oil Change, Tire Rotation, the replacement of air filters and a whole lot of recommended "inspections".

I consider 30,000 miles to be a milestone. But really if you pay for even the basic Toyota recommended service, you're paying a premium for what I suspect is little more than a Oil/Filter Change and a Tire Rotation.
I may be somewhat cynical but the laundry list of "inspections"?
How do we ever really know how seriously they are done or ignored?

I'd like to believe that the technician is seriously inspecting all those systems but my fear is it's either nothing or a cursory glance followed by a token check of a box marked "inspected".

This cynicism is probably born out of the fact that I once brought a Honda Accord into a Honda Dealership for some simple service, and they showed me a "fancy" inspection sheet that claimed my tires were in the "red" and needed to be replaced. It looked great, with a graphic and color denoting that it was an issue that needed immediate attention.

Cough....I then explained that I found these findings to be very questionable as I had just put on brand new tires all around.

So I don't have much faith in any "inspections".

I think they probably serve primarily as a way to inflate an Oil Change into a higher cost action.

 

Just reset it.

 

I can see why you would. I get a multi page printout and there are items I've verified by doing readings with my own instruments that tell me they are at least doing the important things like pads, rotors, tire tread depth, etc. The electronic nannies mostly take care of the engines these days. And my fluids were all to spec right on the line, even trivial things like windshield fluid (how will I ever get rid of the two gallons in jugs in my garage). I go over that report with the advisor and he calls in the mechanic for any serious question before I leave the shop.I know they know I leave feedback. Small town, only Toyota dealer for 50 miles.

 

Thanks for the info, as I am now paying for the 30K mi. maintenance. I will check Walmart, etc. for air/cabin filters; are they as good as the filters from the dealer? The maintenance guide says rotate tires every 5K; does that include rebalancing? I will see what mult-point inspection I get, when I only get an oil change & tire rotation, and if they still do a complimentary car wash.

FYI, our Toyota dealer in Stuart FL is now saying that you should have 4 wheel alignment at over $100, which is not in the maintenance guide. I did not not see this scam?? noted in this thread. Our v tracks straight and the tires seem to be in balance.

 

Filters are something you'll probable need to replace once or twice in the car's lifetime. Especially with engine filter I would use nothing but Toyota parts.

FWIW, we're at 72K kms on our 2010, I've yet to replace either engine or cabin filter. The engine filter in particular looks near-new still.

 

My dealer's Multi-Point Inspection results in a multi-page report showing things like brake pad thickness, tire tread depth, etc.

My dealer didn't ask me to change the filters as part of a 30k.

Rotation doesn't include rebalancing. You aren't feeling any vibration so why mess with it.

Alignment should only be done as the result of the muilt-point inspection showing unusual tire wear. Or perhaps when you replace the tires.