Hello, My 2013 prius plug-in is currently in the shop as I heard "squeaking" when I hit the brakes. I took it to the shop and they said that they were in excellent condition. They also suggested the following: Flush brake hydro fluid ($149) Throttle & Fuel Inj ($179) Flush Auto Trans ($395) Flush Inv Coolant ($179) Flush Antifreeze Engine ($179) Tune up w/ Spark Plug ($229) As all of this is a bit expensive, and I have zero knowledge about cars... I was wondering: #1. Are squeaky brakes okay? (I live where it occasionally snows and rains) #2. Would not doing these things (flushing and whatnot) be detrimental to my car?
1. If you drive gently, yeah it’s usually ok. The reason is that you’re not using the brake pads as often because of regenerative braking. You could, every once in a while (especially if it rained and your car sat overnight) to brake a little harder to use the brake pads and rub off the rust and get he calipers moving. As for the other maintenance items Do the brake fluid change if the manual requires it. The interval is long so if you bought your car used it might’ve been a while since it was last replaced. (I think it’s every 20,000 miles or 2 years?) I’d pass on the fuel injection cleaner (unless you live in a harsh climate and maybe the engine doesn’t always run at optimal temperature because of short trips and cold temps but I think you’re fine. This service isn’t required as it’s not in the manual or maintenance service schedule) If the transmission fluid hasn’t been changed at all, I’d do it. This is not in the maintenance schedule from Toyota but a few members here have done analyses on the fluid and for longevity, it’s not a bad idea to change it. Inverter coolant and engine coolant (two separate services because there’s two separate coolant reservoirs and two separate systems) service is first done at 8 years/100,000 miles IIRC. Then a shorter interval after that (I forget the interval). Unless you’re over 150,000 miles or 200,000 miles, I think a tune up can wait. I believe spark plugs are changed really late into ownership. Somewhere around 180,000 miles IIRC.
@Tideland Prius gave some recommendations on the time/mileage and the brake noise is correct with Prius and low brake use. Best to open your owners manual pack and look at the maintenance schedule. You can also go to Welcome to Toyota Owners sign up for an account to see repair history for your car (esp if you did not purchase new) If you see something in common of what the "shop" suggested....I sure do. FLUSH They want to flush your WALLET! I think spark plugs are 120k and coolants are 120k-150k Brake fluid should be 5 yrs, depends on mileage (again, read your schedule and judge with your time/mileage) I agree the trans fluid is not a necessity but highly recommended by many. $395 seems astonishingly high in my thoughts. Most recommend around $100-$150, I say $200 tops.
depends on mileage: brake fluid every 3 years skip 2 tranny fluid can be had for under $200. shp around inv coolant at proper mileage no such thing as tune up. plugs at 120k. again a hundred bucks or so
Being on the other coast and from what you've posted so far I wouldn't want say your squeaking brakes are OK. They could be OK, but they may need some work too. I'd get a second and / or third opinion at another shop or two. And only give as much info as you can on the squeaking brake issue. Than see what they say and how much they want for the work. I wouldn't want to be paying a shop more than a grand because my brakes were squeaking.
