Was my mechanic trying to take advantage of me?

Yes. How much proof and reassurance do you need?

Even the factory recommended maintenance is not needed. It is mostly check this wiggle that. Do you think anything really bad will happen if you don't change your cabin air filter? Gas, oil and tires is all that the car needs in the first 100k miles. How can car quality be going up and maintainance not be going down. Dealers recommend as much if not more maintenace as they did thirty years ago yet cars are much better now.

 

kudos to you for exercising your right to deny all the crap they were trying to upsell to you.

if they had said something like "here's some optional stuff you may want to consider and here's why" that would be a much more ethical business practice.

you could MAYBE use the brake flush after 100k... even then it's only a maybe.
he's never heard of anyone "flushing" the inverter... drain and refill maybe. even that's not till the 100k service.
wonder what kind of "service" they were going to do to the PCV system... you replace the PCV valve and that's that
wouldn't even suggest FI cleaning on a prius unless absolutely necessary- most fuel lines are steel construction. the prius has aluminum construction with a plastic coating to prevent corrosion. this also acts as the primary seal when you make a quick connect. when you disconnect it, there's a fairly good chance that when you reconnect it, the plastic will bunch up and the line will leak. and the connection there sits directly above the exhaust manifold. gas plus heat = bbaaadddd.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ArthurCAdams @ Sep 9 2006, 08:56 AM) [snapback]316931[/snapback]</div>

If that's the case, I'd recommend learning how to change it yourself. This is about the easiest task one can perform on the car; it'll take all of 2 minutes and save you $40.

Basically, open the lower glove box. On the right side, there is a piston type thingy that slides off the connector post on the glove box. Take that off. Squeeze the sides of the glove box in a little bit to get the glove box to open beyond stops that are on each side and let it open all the way. Behind the glove box is the filter in a white tray. Slide it out, remove filter, replace with new and reassemble. I'm pretty sure there are instructions in the manual, and I believe John1709a ( http://john1701a.com/ ) has illustrated manual showing all the steps.

Overall, it took me longer to type this up than it would to change the filter.

Since, I like to use OEM parts, I stop at the dealer once a year and pick up the filter; with their markup it runs $20 or so. You can find cheaper on the internet, but I'd rather spend 5 minutes at the dealer getting everything I need (I also get the car air filter--just as easy to replace, oil filters, wiper inserts,...) rather than searching the internet for the best deal.

Thanks,
Shawn

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ArthurCAdams @ Sep 9 2006, 09:56 AM) [snapback]316931[/snapback]</div>

$62 for replacing the cabin air filter seems like a rip off as well. The part only costs $15 from Metropolitan: http://www.metrotpn.com/ProductDetails.asp...mp;SortIndex=13 . At a local dealer it should still be less than $20. The instructions used to be in the owner's manual for 2004 and 2005, but are not in the 2006 manual. However, John1701a's site has an excellent how-to guide with photos on how to install it (go to http://john1701a.com/ and look for Air Conditioner Filter under Prius Info). It might take you 10 minutes the first time, it takes less than 5 minutes once you know what you are doing. And it does not require any tools!

- Tom

 

I bought my Prius at Antwerpen as well and won't be back for service unless its something very Prius specific. If you're considering alternatives for more routine maintenance (yeah, I know you already bought the maintenance plan) I'd recommend Foreign Auto Experts on Route 1, just a bit north of where Route 100 crosses it. I've been taking our cars there for more than 10 years and, although I won't claim they're perfect, I think they're as honest as you get. Given what Antwerpen is charging you for the pre-paid, it might actually be cheaper to go somewhere else!

 

If you have to pay for all the routine oil changes, and you have to pay $100 extra (or more) for the other maintenance...exactly what is the prepaid maintenance plan for? Apparently it doesn't pay for anything.

And yes, he's trying to screw you. Tell them that. And tell them you're reporting them to Toyota Central or whoever is higher on the food chain. You can also tell them that you'll be warning everyone you know including posting it on the internet for all Prius owners close enough to consider them for service.

If it were me, I would have said no to everything and picked my car up and taken it somewhere else.

And I would have flipped them off on the way out.

But then, that's just me.

 

<_< I am quite pleased with my Dealer's Service Department, because...

I always provide a "by the numbers" list of the service I require and NEVER say "Do the 20,000 mile service." My Dealer's service follows my requests exactly, inclusive of using the 3½ quarts of Mobil-1 5W30 oil I provide (to prevent over-filling) and the tire pressures specified (40 psi front and 38 psi rear) after rotation. Yes, my Dealer has posted their "recommendations" which include unnecessary, even impossible, services on the Prius. The cabin air filter, I personally inspect and will replace when needed.

If your Prius "lives" in the Dallas TX area, PM me for my Dealer Service Department recommendation.