Can anyone tell me if they have had the same experience? What is the true cost of ownership of a Prius Prime? I am 30k miles in and they said I now need preventative maintenance: BRAKE FLUID SERVICE THROTTLE BODY SERVICE HV BATTERY SERVICE BLOWER MOTOR SERVICE Is there a mileage associated with these services? Am I just being taken for a ride?
ok so I found this " BRAKE FLUID SERVICE - brake fluid flush every 2 years or 30,000 miles THROTTLE BODY SERVICE- A complete throttle body service is recommended every 15,000, 40,000, and 75,000 miles"
You're being taken for a ride. $1,000! Brake fluid: it might be hard to find it, I've never checked mine, but as long as the brake fluid is clear (not cloudy) and topped up, you're good to go. Throttle body service: they put a can of additive in the gas tank. HV battery/blower motor: they clean the HV battery venting underneath the rear seat.
None of those are listed as recommended routine service at 30K miles for a PP. Never go to a dealer and ask for --Kmiles service. They will upsell a package that includes many services that is not needed. Stick with what the manual calls for and ask a.la.carte if needed. For a 30K miles service, PP needs only oil and filter, engine filter and cabin filter, rotate the tire, and a few inspections. But don't let them change the engine filter and cabin filter, they are the easiest maintenance items in the book. If you can drive a car, then you can change them. It will cost you a max of $40 with OEM parts. Without them, the total cost should not be any more than just the regular oil-filter and tire rotation, which I know could be over $100 at a dealer but... still better than $1000 if you can not DIY.
Oil Change and Tire Rotation if you are into that kinda stuff. Engine and Cabin filter as @Salamander_King mentioned. HV batt whatever they call it, just check the filters by the door jam in rear seat area. Only thing dealer can provide that you cannot do yourself is the blinker fluid and wallet flush! RTFM- Read the Fabulous Manual!
Here is the copy of the Scheduled Maintenance at 30Kmiles for 2021 PP. I believe it is the same schedule for your 2017 PP. Yeah, for the US model PP, there is no interval of brake fluid replacement. It just needs to be inspected. It may not be a bad idea to check the fluid with a brake fluid tester to see if it is time to change it. Then THROTTLE BODY SERVICE... that's just another way for a dealer to steal money from you. I bet your 2017 PP doesn't even have 15K miles on its engine yet.
Toyota Canada recommends 48K kms (30K miles) or tri-yearly, whichever comes first, for brake fluid change. No mention of the rest. Throttle body cleaning is worthwhile, once in a blue moon, say if you've got the intake manifold off (3rd gen owners need to do this maybe every 50k miles, to clean out the EGR crusties...). The brake fluid change shouldn't be much more than $100, I might go for that. The rest, I would tell them to take a hike.
You can buy an inexpensive tester to check moisture content of the brake fluid. If it indicates it needs changing (which at 5 years it could), then change it. Hybrid battery service: THEY ARE TRYING TO SCARE YOU AND RIP YOU OFF! The only “service” is checking and cleaning the filter which is called for in the maintenance schedule and very simple! Throttle body service: if you have not been running TopTier gasoline then it is probably needed, IF you have noticed any problems. BLOWER MOTOR SERVICE: WHERE DID THEY COME UP WITH THAT ONE!!!!! Check out the Car Care Nut on YouTube and watch his videos on maintenance and not getting ripped off, and how to do the different needed items. AND somehow, someway, find some one else to do the items you aren’t comfortable with and stay away from that dealership and let them know why! I would even call the Better Business Bureau.
Hi all please see the invoice Toyota gave me for my 40,000 mile service. Although my car is only 34,000 miles. I am 12 miles to work so I don't use the gas at all. I get gas twice a year so this repair/maintenance cost $2200. Granted I needed new tires but I sure learned my lesson. The service advisor said I will need about $2000 worth of "preventative maintenance" when I reach 50 to 60k miles. I will go to a recommended mechanic B&J auto in Marina Del Rey and just have them do the suggested maintenance schedule. This was the last time I will be going to the dealer. I uploaded my 5 page invoice. I hope someone finds it helpful and to not make the same mistake I did.
Thanks for sharing this. Yeah, it looks like you have been ripped off really bad. I have had very similar experiences a number of times in the past at various dealers (not only Toyota but at Honda, and Nissan dealers). So while I am not surprised by the dealer's behavior like this, if there is a lesson to be learned, then it is always a good idea to go to a dealer with an idea of what repair/services really need to be done on the car and know the market price for such services in your area. And always be prepared to say "NO" and walk away when they suggest unanticipated and overpriced services and repairs. Just to summarize your attached invoice, you paid: Toyota Extra Care: $65.00 ... whatever that was? The invoice doesn't say. 4 new tires: $895.99 for four tires... You probably could have had the same tires at a local tire shop or Costco for half of that price installed. 4 wheel Alignment... $169.99 I guess this is reasonable. Brake fluid replaces... $244.95 This would be half the price at a local shop. Traction battery cooling fan cleaning... $453.07 is totally overpriced. Only needed to clean/replace the filter for ~$20. Throttle body cleaning... $299.95 May or may not be needed. Door lock actuator replace... $567.70 I thought this would be warranty work, but realized that your car is now 5 years old and out of warranty. Multipoint inspection... $0.00 if they really did anything... Starbucks Gift card... -$15.00 YEY! free Frappuccino! TOTAL: $2759.17... but the dealer was so generous, they gave you a $559.70 discount!!!
Not that I've ever heard of, but I guess it's possible. Holy guacamole!!!! Grand larceny. As for the tires, I got four Yokohama Avid Ascend GTs mounted, balanced, and an alignment for $500. Does this mean they removed the intake manifold or did they take off the whole head. "from the intake valves" would be downstream and that means in the combustion chamber. Just ....... wow. This is so sad.
Almost certainly* a solvent sprayed into the engine air intake. * Think monkeys typing the complete works of Shakespeare...
I have never paid an additional charge over the price of tires to have them mounted!!! But then, I never bought tires in Southern California! If they actually did tear the seats out and really clean ALL of the cooling duct work of the battery, (which I HIGHLY DOUBT) then maybe that charge would be reasonable.
I just took a closer look at that invoice: Those mechanics must REALLY BE IMPRESSIVE TO WATCH!!!!!! They did ALL of that in less than 8 hours!!!!!!