Hi all, I just ordered my 2007 Prius yesterday and now I'm starting to think about all the things I never was concerned about (never having bought a new car before in my life). I suppose the main question now is about service intervals. Australia has a habit of servicing about twice as frequently as other nations (especially Europe). The Prius's service interval here is 10'000km. Clearly, that's a cash cow for the workshops here. More frequent oil changes do indeed have a positive effect on every engine, however, I can do those myself (always have). Is there anything wrong with doing your own oil changes? Will that void my warranty? And lastly what are they going to charge me here for each service? Cheers - Balt
Hello Balt. You can certainly do your own oil changes, but don't take the word of a Yank as to any possible warranty implications over there. Based upon results reported at Priuschat, you ought to do the first oil change on time or perhaps even a bit early. After that decide for yourself, especially if you gain guidance from used oil analyses. Could not say what Australian servicers charge. There is an Australian Prius group among the Yahoo groups, and surely they would have some idea. My own experience (just 160 000 km in 2001 Prius) is that if you can do the minor maintenance items yourself (including appropriate inspections of the suspension and braking systems), there are very few things you'll have to pay money to have done. I had never bought a new car either. But this one drives like a dream.
