I have had my oil and tires rotated at the dealer in the past, today I did this myself, man how easy was that , well the oil change anyway. Rotating the tires sucked, had to use the spare while doing the rotate since the floor jack I used has a large seat that there was no room to place a jack stand so out comes the BUTT UGLY yellow spare. Could they have used an uglier color or what. found I have a sidewall cut from driving in rocks at the lake while resetting tire pressures. Other than using the spare to aide in the rotation of tires, all went well. also I know it is not overfilled. May never take the car to the dealer again for oil and filter /tires Well except for in the winter time.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priussoris @ Sep 14 2007, 12:44 PM) [snapback]512644[/snapback]</div> Congratulations Craig. You can now sleep tonight--knowing that your "friendly" dealer hasn't fleeced you from some of your hard-earned cash.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priussoris @ Sep 14 2007, 03:44 PM) [snapback]512644[/snapback]</div> Doubtful!
:lol: OMG Do they put that side down in the storage area or is the entire rim that color? That's embarassing..... Oh! That's so you don't drive on it too long, right?
Craig How big was the seat on your jack? I am about ready for my first oil change but was concerned about rotating the tires as to how the jack stands would fit. My dealer as you know is the same as yours. Did you have any trouble with them overfilling the oil? Jim
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jcon @ Sep 14 2007, 07:53 PM) [snapback]512789[/snapback]</div> When I rotate mine I use my floor jack and the scissor jack and use 2 jacks so I can raise up both the front and rear at the same time, remember to bust all the lugs before raising, I then remove the wheels and do the swap. Just remember that when the car is on jacks not to let anyone get in the car. It should only take about 15 minutes.
I had my tires rotated for the first time yesterday. I went to the tire retailer located closest to my home. When making the appointment on the phone, they quoted $12 for the rotation. This retailer sells several brands of tires and is not directly affiliated with any particular manufacturer. When they finished the job they surprised me by telling me that they do not charge for rotating Goodyear tires (one of the brands they handle) so long as they are either original equipment or had been purchased from them. They emphasized that they would not extend that "courtesy" for tires purchased online. [For anyone who lives in southwest Utah, the retailer is Dixieland Tires.]
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RedRockPrius @ Sep 15 2007, 09:10 AM) [snapback]513016[/snapback]</div> Wow, sounds like they are really trying to earn customers.
It's a good opportunity to not only view the butt-ugliness of the donut in all its glory for yourself, but to also check its pressure and condition and sweep the random detritus out of the bottom of the spare tire well. And maybe even put a little mileage on the car's emergency jack if you use that for the tire swapping. . Raising one whole side of the car only helps with rotation if you're doing a pure front-to-back, mandatory if you own the directional Hydroedges. That doesn't work for the traditional cross-front- straight-back pattern recommended for other cars sometimes, but the Prius manual suggests keeping wheels on the same side anyways. . _H*
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Neicy @ Sep 14 2007, 06:30 PM) [snapback]512748[/snapback]</div> I wondered the same when I had to dig mine out. As though Toyota figures the American motoring public must be motivated more by appearance than safety. Of course they could be right. It's just the outside (i.e., downside in the well) painted Ugly Yellow. That's why I never knew it until I had a flat.
The owner's manual shows spots to lift each end with a floor jack. I haven't tried the Prius yet (it's new) but with other cars, I lift an end and then throw jack stands under the jacking points on the sides. Then lift the other end. Not too high, barely high enough to remove the wheels, so you don't have to lift them too high to replace them. I remove the drain plug first and then switch the wheels. Gives the oil a nice long time to drain and cool before I go back and button everything up. Has anyone tried the designated lift points? Marv
I have two inexpensive floor jacks. One is a larger jack and the other is a cheap lightweight one from Walmart. It is very light and it takes just a few minutes to jack one side up and swap the tires.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priussoris @ Sep 16 2007, 09:11 AM) [snapback]513272[/snapback]</div> The manual shows a cross over pattern for the tire rotation.
