I have a 2014 Prius C that my husband and I purchased new. About 6 months after the purchase my husband died unexpectedly. Since then I have not done a lot of traveling so my mileage is around 38,000. My question is, do I need to continue to take it in every 5,000 miles for service or can I wait for 10,000 miles to get routine servicing done? I might add that other than a tire getting a nail in it I have had no problems at all with the car. I appreciate any advise you can give me. Thanks.
Welcome and sorry for your loss. Although tire rotation is recommended every five thousand, it’s no big deal to stretch it to ten. Cabin filter every fifteen could be done at ten, and if it looks good, stretch it to twenty next time. There’s no major maintenance until over a hundred thousand miles. Check your owners manual maintenance schedule, and don’t listen to the dealer. All the best.
Rotating the tires at 5k will help keep the tires alive longer. Other than that, there really is no benefit. My first set, I rotated EVERY 5k. Last to 65k with 3/32 left at replacement. This set, I rotated every 10k. I'm currently at 3/32 and I've gone 55k miles. So... ymmv.
Don't take it in every 5,000 miles. The dealership will end up charging you like $40 to rotate the tires.
Rotation every 5K versus every 10K, it doesn't take a lot of thought to realize that the wear won't be that much different. It's a lt's a slightly "coarser" schedule, but the outcome is about the same. There are "some" downsides though: Besides tire rotation, the 5K service is also a visual brake inspection, and a check of fluid levels, look for leaks. Debatable how important that is, especially if you're semi-diligent yourself. Personally I never look forward to DIY tire rotation, typically swapping on/off of snow tires in my case, amounts to the same thing. My back's always complaining for the next day or two. I do have some tricks though:
I had to do this just the other day for a flat tire. My floor jack sits right in the middle of the car and lifts the entire side up. I can take both tires off at the same time. It's like cheating.
