Hi everyone, I just joined. I've had this 2005 Prius for 4yrs now. It's been a great car. I've replaced the batteries and some other components thru a mechanic. Now I feel like I need to take a more hands on approach. What can you recommend as far as tools to get? And online training and knowledge? Thank you.
Prius links PriusDIY.com: The Toyota Prius DIY Resource Spring maintenance Note: Gen 3 - 2010-15 Maintenance Videos Some General Similarities Nutz About Bolts Prius Maintenance Videos | PriusChat Techstream OBDii Scanner OBD2 SCANNER FOR AUTO REPAIR | PriusChat Gen2 OBD2 app review | PriusChat
Youtube- WeberAuto with Prof. John Kelly. Get a copy of the factory service manual. There are pdf versions out on the web. A decent digital multimeter. I prefer anything made by Fluke. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
start with the basics, the Prius doesn't require a lot of maintenance on your end. - start with oil changes, oil filters are cheap in the dealership, buy oil in Walmart. You won't save a lot from doing these but will get you familiar with the car. - coolant change on both engine and inverter, this will require more research since doing it correctly is critical. You can replace the inverter coolant using a vacuum tool if no bidirectional or techstream is not available. The engine coolant is also easy to do, a vacuum tool can be used or just do it manually. - transmission fluid change, also easy to do. - brake pad replacement. Go to your nearest Harbor Freight store, you can find a lot of cheap hand tools. Prius uses metric tools, so a metric socket set will do. A techstream software is nice to have to scan for codes if you encounter any but an Autel MaxAP dongle (OBD2 scanner) can almost do the same job for cheap and ease of use. Tons of DIY on youtube too.
