My 2013 Prius has 54k miles and is at the dealer for an oil change/tire rotation. They messaged me saying I need a “hybrid battery cooling fan service” for $335, and an “e.f.i. throttle chamber/mass air flow service” for $269.95. Does this sound reasonable for this mileage? Thanks friends.
Depending on if you have pets. The fan cage does get clogged. However it’s a pretty simple job to accomplish. Lots of YouTube videos out there if you’re handy with tools. I did mine in under an hour. As far as the mass airflow it’s also fairly easy to do. Seems a little bit early in terms of mileage. My experience with dealers is that they are very expensive and I can’t always trust them. I’ve been in the industry for more than 30 years I have had lots of negative customer complaints about dealers. They have a Lotta overhead to cover and unfortunately the customers get stuck paying for it. What area are you in? Maybe there is a good hybrid shop near you.
Yes they are yanking you. You can get all those services done at smaller shops for way less money. I recommend a shop in Rosemead, Armstrong Auto Service. Probably can do all those services for 25% of the estimate. At 54k miles, you really don't need those service, but you can do them if you're into keeping the car in good shape. I would recommend a transaxle fluid change though, that's not on your service schedule but many have done it here at 30k - 60k miles
I agree with them needing done, but those prices are ridiculous. At 8 years, the coolant in the radiator and hybrid engine (same coolant) could also use changing. (Every 6-years is recommended if you're keeping your car a long time.) The plugs will be due at 10-years and the PCV valve if it hadn't been changed at that time.
We could say "yes" without even looking at what services they declare you "need", and be right much of the time. They need to make payments on their boats and vacation homes, so must jack up revenue to get the needed cash. You don't have to go along with it.
Best thing with "dealer recommended" services is to DIY-do it yourself. Second best is find a friend/relative that has or had a Prius and done DIY, can do it or at least show you and help you DIY Next best is a local hybrid specialist, much cheaper and should be more honest. Always say NO to stealerships and get a second or even third opinion....exp if not in maintenance schedule. My local toyo dealership normally says "recommended" which is not needed stuff. I always pass and let them know I diy and will take care of it. an example... In 2019 my tires were getting low during state inspection, they recommended I need some. So in 2020 I went to shop down the block with my purchased tires from internet. They state insp and installed tires. Just this week I went back to dealership for state insp and they questioned that I hadnt been there since 2019 They gave me my WHOLE state insp and visit to me FREE. AND drove me to work when I said I was gonna be late....and dropped my car off an hour later. Plus my new Prime in July they state insp for FREE for its initial insp. And did not "recommend" blah ( I did not purchase from them, it was out of state purchase) They are trying to gain customers I think. Or at least know my intentions. I use them, just as they use me. But not gonna fall for their phoneyness. Watch a few videos on YT and then watch em again. You can do the fan cleaning yourself.
I don't have a Gen 3, but I thought the Gen 3 took it's air supply from down low at the bottom of the rear seat and some had a filter? Is this not correct? gen 3 hybrid battery cooling fan dust buildup | PriusChat
Gen 3 is on seat back between back and door, sorta where seatbelt rests and right arm would be for the passenger side. They did come out with a filter. OEM but it was not from factory, so you would need to know about it and buy and put in. Very similar to Gen4/Prime Prius C is by the rear seat foot well, on the drivers side. It has been a couple years since I last cleaned but I think there is a foam filter of sorts there.
These are what you need. If you are a veteran, Toyota will probably give you a 10% discount. I have 2 dogs that are in the car a lot. The Toyota filter will trap the fur, and other mess (bought at lowe's for under $5) catches the dust and dirt. I just cut the mesh to fit. It only take a second to install or remove. Rinses with water.
If you don't have a dog, your fan may be fine. After 12 years and 103,000 miles I inspected mine and it is clean. A good thing to do is get an OBDII bluetooth enabled adapter and run the Dr.Prius or Hybrid Assistant app. They will give you lots of info including your battery operation temperature. Another simple check is to pull out the hatch area floor and underfloor storage bin. You can then feel the warm air blowing out of a plastic vent towards the right side of the battery. If it's really hot you should investigate further.
I do have a dog but is a standard poodle who doesn’t shed! I came across this video showing a Toyota HV battery filter. Looks interesting. TOYOTA FILTER, HV BATTERY G92DH47010 *GENUINE* | eBay
That eBay listing is charging $37 for shipping. My local Toyota dealership was selling the filters for $30 at the parts counter, but only $10 when purchased online for store pickup, which only took 2 days. When I went to pick it up, the employees there commented that the part number was unusual. They had "never seen a part number like that before." They didn't seem to care what it was. The nicest thing about that clip-on filter is that you can very easily see when it's dirty and needs to be cleaned.
Better video, how to get to and clean the fan, from @NutzAboutBolts : One thing bugs me about the video, and I really wish they'd do a revision: they pull off the bottom of the rear seat, but this really isn't necessary. There's one bolt you need to remove, pretty much directly below the inlet grill in the rear seat back. You can push apart the bottom and back pillows, reach a ratchet wrench extension through (12mm bolt head IIRC) and take the bolt off. Be careful not to drop it.
