Routine Maintenance Questions

I have another question in this department...does anyone have a list of toyota's reccomended maintenance schedule? What they are actaully doing and how much they charge for it?

 

a 13/16" socket fits the lug nuts. If your going to buy one get a 6 point to avoid damage to the chrome lug nuts. As for the rest of the nuts and bolts on a Toyota you'll need the following sockets and wrenches, 10, 12, 14, and 17MM those are the ones most used on Toyota products. Almost all the threads are 1.25 thread pitch if you need replacement fasteners. Have fun.

 

after about 3/4" there are SAE's that fit some not well but in a pinch, I'd say if your going to do your own maintanance go and buy a set of metric wrenches and sockets. It'll pay in the long run. If you don't loose them good ones last a life time.

 

Sorry Shawn but I just checked my Prius and it fits. Go figure on that one. Just took a measuement and it's 13/16 which is 21mm. Sorry.

 

now you peaked my interest in this problem. Went and got all my 13/16" sockets (3) and tried them all and the only one that had a tight fit was a Craftsman all the rest were fine I manage to get the Craftsman one on but it was really snug and probably scratched the chrome on the nut, but I wanted to see if it really would go on and it did. Still sorry for the bum stear on that one.

 

You can find the answers for all of your questions -- except for the $$ they charge (I suspect it depends on the dealership) -- here. It's the 2004 Prius Maintenance Guide.

If someone would like to price this, I'd be interested, because I'm considering the PrePaid Maintenance package from Toyota (as discussed in this thread.)

 

I think the lug nuts are 21mm, as they are on my 2001 Celica. My basic X lug wrench seems to work, but you can always use the lug wrench near the spare tire.

You should torque your wheels when putting them back on the car. To do so, you may need a short socket extension in addition to a 21mm 6-point socket. This will help the torque wrench clear the edge of the wheels. Torquing the wheels helps prevent brake rotor warping.

 

Would confirm that 21 mm is what it is

 

If you want to keep the lug nuts looking new, you might try an aluminum socket. Griot's Garage used to carry them (http://griotsgarage.com) but don't have it on the website today. A quick search came up with (http://www.performanceproducts.com/...t&productid=103910&productType=20&partnumber=), just so you can see what I am talking about.

 

they are also available in teflon lined for protection. Mac or Snap-on carries them. Also available at some of the better part houses.

 

With regards to the prepaid maintenance package - I talked with my dealer's service department today and the guy said that it was unusual for someone to have purchased the prepaid package from someone else and use it there. In fact, he said that two local area dealers didn't honor the prepaid package sold from other dealers. This sounds a little funny to me - does anyone have any experience with this?

 

I think that the DEALER that sells it is paying for the coverage and another dealer might not want to cover it because they arn't paided by the other dealer.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TucsonPrius @ Apr 11 2004, 10:18 PM) [snapback]11042[/snapback]</div>

FWIW, I just rotated my tires at 12,492 miles and my Craftsman 12-point 13/16" regular socket (1/2" drive) worked perfectly when torqueing the lugnuts to 76 ft-lbs. A 3" extension cleared the fenders.

Of course, that particular socket is 30 years old (from my original toolset made back in the days when the name 'Craftsman' meant something) so that might have had something to do with it, too.

Someone mentioned that torqueing the lugnuts helps prevent brake rotor warping. It's not a bad idea to perform the tightening with the wheel/tire off the ground, as well. It's not a big deal but it would seem to more more evenly distribute the torque than if the wheel were tightened while on the ground.

 

I checked the size of my lugnuts the other day. I'm due to rotate my tires and checked to make sure I have a socket that fits. my 13/16" fit pretty good, just a tiny bit loose, so I tried a 21mm and it was really loose.

Mike

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mikel 52 @ Oct 13 2006, 02:04 PM) [snapback]332373[/snapback]</div>

I found the same thing (although I wouldn't say that the 21mm was 'really' loose, just 'more' loose than the 13/16"). Evidently, there is enough specification variance in the size of the lugnuts/sockets that either a 13/16" or a 21mm socket can be the preferred choice.

This is why it would be prudent to check prior to actually performing the task if the supplied lug wrench is going to be used to loosen the lugnuts, then a torque wrench/socket is used to tighten them.