I have 97+k miles on my 2012 Prius IV. The last time I went for service (the 12v battery finally died) the dealer gave me a list of recommended services. It reads: Hybrid service: $395.95 Coolant service: $195.95 Inverter service: $195.95 Brake fluid exchange: $195.95 Transmission service: $249.95 I emailed them yesterday to get clarification about what precisely they mean ("hybrid service" sounds rather vague, but they had also said something about the battery fan; I don't know if this includes that). I know that 100k calls for replacing the engine and inverter coolant, but I'm not sure about the rest. As far as I can remember, the transmission fluid has not been changed. Any thoughts? I don't mind the dealer doing it--I'd rather they have the headache of anything going wrong.
You could DIY all this in a day, or weekend at most. Watch @NutzAboutBolts videos Nutz About Bolts Prius Maintenance Videos | PriusChat Cost would be about $150-200 max for fluids etc. Or you could find a reputable hybrid or Prius certified mechanic shop in your area check google for reviews or maybe someone can recommend one local For the stealership, they are grossly maximizing their profits... Shouldnt pay more than $500-700 or so to do all the above, about half (or less!) However, have you know about the EGR issues for Gen3? Please read up on them and decide when to start the cleaning and maintenance for the EGR cooler and intake etc. maybe OCC oil catch can install.
I am going to take a whack at this, others will chime in with their take as well. (the excellent NutzAboutBolts videos can give you a feel if you feel up to DIY, but even if you don't, you get a feel how long a professional SHOULD take) I am guessing that hybrid services is cleaning the HV Battery fan. You can do this for the price of tools. Coolant service: DIY is about $60 Inverter service: DIY is about $30 Brake fluid exchange: I prefer to let the dealer do this but here is how: Transmission service: DIY is about $50 You can get various gaskets at the Toyota parts desk and fluids from Toyota or Amazon www.amazon.com/Genuine-00272SLLC2-Engine-Coolant-Antifreeze/dp/B0071N5DM4 www.amazon.com/Genuine-Toyota-Automatic-Transmission-Standard/dp/B00CTUSEMU Just in case you don't have it, here is your maintenance schedule, you are on page 50 of the manual, page 52 of the PDF. https://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/omms-s/T-MMS-12Prius/pdf/2012_Toyota_Prius_WMG.pdf I am not discouraging you from doing these, but the HV Fan cleaning is variable largely based on pet hair. (or human hair, I won't judge) Brake fluid degrades due to water absorbed by the fluid, Key West will need it more often than Phoenix.
I don't really have the free time, or a spare car if anything goes wrong or I need to run and get parts; my tools were destroyed during the Hurricane Sandy storm surge, and I didn't really replace most of them, so restocking them would also be a cost. I live right near the ocean--definitely a Key West scenario. I haven't been in touch on the forums in recent years, so I didn't know about the EGR issue. <sigh> I have no idea how to find a reliable Prius/hybrid mechanic around here; a Google search for "prius repair" or "hybrid repair" in my area returns useless results (Kia dealer, an auto parts store, etc.). No one in my personal circle in my area has a hybrid, let alone a Prius.
Since your around cab country, you could ask them where they get their Prius cabs serviced. Maybe something will crop up that way.
IIRC there was a horrible review about a long island shop monopolizing the island? Hope to see someone local that can give an experienced hand in the driveway. It would be a long stretch for me, i think around 3 hours. But you could cherry pick the necessary things for now, and I dont think any are necessary atm. If she is driving correctly with no issues. But get ready to do some soon. plan it out. This post is a great start. Continue the search and hopefully a local reaches out with a recommendation
First the good news, none of these services are Hybrid specific. Any mechanic who is not just terrified of Hybrids can do them. Every car has brakes, every car has a transmission, every car has a radiator, etc. And you can point them to the NutzAboutBolts videos. These guys claim to be hybrid experts, if you ever need that. Hybrid Repair - Village Automotive Center Village Automotive Center - 61 N Country Rd, Setauket - East Setauket, NY - 12 Reviews - Auto Repair - Phone Number - Services - Yelp
With all of those, you can practically visualize whoever dreamed up that list, sucking on the pencil tip, looking up at the ceiling, trying to come up with a number that'll just be credible. (1) No idea what that is. Maybe a fan cleaning. eminently DIY'able. If a pro does it, maybe $100. (2) Assuming that is an Engine Coolant Change: due at at 10 years or 100K miles (whichever comes first), $100~125 would be reasonable. (3) Assuming that is an Inverter Coolant Change: due at at 15 years or 150K miles (whichever comes first), $100 would be reasonable. (4) Not on the US schedule, but Toyota Canada now recommends tri-yearly or 48K kms. I've done that a couple of times myself now, with wife pushing the brake pedal. Needs no expensive tools, takes me about an hour. $100~125 would be reasonable. (5) Assuming that's a transaxle fluid change: robbery! It's a simple drain and fill, a bit different than an oil change, that's all. $80~100 would be reasonable.
Well, I just checked some of the pricing at the dealer I used to go to; they're $129 for the coolant service (the others weren't in the standard listed services). But I'm not crazy about them. Early last year when I went to refill my wiper fluid, I'd found that they hadn't closed the cover on the engine air filter. They hadn't even changed it--I had done so myself and told them there was no need to check that or the cabin air filter, but they did so anyway, and then didn't latch the former. It was hanging loose and the air filter was sticking out. Also, they'd told me that a CV boot was leaking. The second day after they replaced it I start the car... and the windshield wipers don't work. I checked the fuse and it was fine. Brought the car in, waited 2 hours, only to be told that when they'd done the CV boot, they'd disconnected the wiper in accessing it.
Yeah thats the kinda shit that loses a customer. Maybe check reviews to see if they straightened out a bit. Most people nowadays review on those incidents.
The annoying part? Mistakes happen--we're all human. But their attitude was "oops, my bad," and that's it. You'd think they'd toss me a free oil change for wasting my time... not to mention the safety issue if we'd had bad weather before I could get it repaired. This was Just a couple of months ago.
There is nothing hybrid specific about these maintenance items. No special expertise or training is necessary. The Prius uses the same engine as the Corolla and other Toyota’s. There is one item, to replace the inverter coolant, which is hybrid specific. But it’s exactly the same as replacing the engine coolant, same fluid, just a different drain bolt. Any reputable independent Toyota shop can easily do this stuff. Your dealer has massively overpriced these tasks. Amongst ourselves, we’ve created MeetUp groups and we meet at somebody’s house and do this stuff together. It’s a fun Saturday, there’s always somebody who knows how to do it, has the tools, etc. Try to arrange one in Long Island!