Ok, I just checked out what all is involved in the 30K - 24 month service for the 2003 Classic. The following is what is listed for the service at a Toyota dealer. Replace the following Replace engine air filter Replace engine coolant Replace engine oil and filter Replace Inverter coolant Rotate tires Inspect the following: Ball joints and dust covers Brake lines and hoses Brake linings/drums and brake pads/discs Differential oil Drive shaft boots Exaust pipes and mountings Fuel lines and connections, fuel tank band and fuel tank vapor vent system hoses Fuel tank cap gasket Radiator and condenser Steering gear box Steering linkage and boots Transmission fluid Additional Maintenance items for Special Operating Conditions: Inspect nuts and bolts on chassis and body Replace air conditioning filter The price I was quoted at a Northern IL dealership was $360! Traditionally I have done my own oil changes, fluid replacements and tire rotations myself on all of my past Toyota vehicles. I have never owned any other make of car my entire driving carreer of 30 years and never had any scheduled services performed by any dealer. I put a ton of miles on all of the cars/trucks. I just recently got rid of my 1985 Toyota pickup still running at 310K miles. The only thing I see real different on the 30K 2003 Classic list is to replace Inverter coolant. Can someone please explain a little about what the Inverter Coolant is used for and if its an item I may be able to replace myself without too much trouble? I have my tires rotated every 5k miles and my brakes get regular inspections while the tires are off the car. I know the Prius is of different technology but I really don't see the point of treating it any different than any of my past Toyota vehicles. Toyota builds them pretty darn solid and I have never had any of them have any parts just fall off because the bolts were loose.
It is my inderstanding that you should not pay anything for the 30k service. The first 5, 7500 mi service visits are supposed to be free for all "classic" years, AFAIK. Chemically, the inverter coolant is just like the engine (ICE) coolant, but it runs through separate plumbing to a separate heat exchanger (the little one out front). I have not changed it myself (in 65k mi) I let Toyo do it, but I have read that the loop is not the easiest thing from which to remove air bubbles. So plan A is to press them on the free service. Eventually we both (as handy-types) ought to be doing this ourselves.
My 30k was indeed free on my classic. I'm contemplating the 60k w/ the dealer due to the complexity of doing the coolant exchange. If you're confident in purging all of the air from the inverter coolant system, feel free to go at it. However like DAS said, it should be free regardless of age - as the service is based on mileage. If the dealer is billing, he very well could be double-billing to get the Toyota warranty money on top of yours :-/ I may invest in the $10/day at techinfo.toyota.com when 60k rolls around for the swap procedure to see if I can't save some cash.
Hmm... i think all that can be done by myself. I don't like the idea of someone else touch my car.. although i'm getting the recalls done sometime soon. hmm the air bubbles could be a problem. I'll have to pop the hood and check it out. I do all my oil changes myself. I have to rotate my tires sometime soon too. Only 6 months old and i already have 13k plus miles on it... i'll get to that 30k service soon enough.. but mine is a 2004.. maybe i should look into the techincals of my car. Maybe i won't have the air bubble problem since it's an 04 model.. hmm
Where did you hear of the 30K service being provided free? That's seems odd to me for Toyota to be paying for a 2 year service. Replacing oil, engine coolant, air filter and a/c filter are consumables that must be paid for. I most likely can buy all of these cheaper anywhere else besides a dealer. $360 is a lot of money to pay for mostly visual inspections. Besides I am not confident they really will do all of what is promised. When my 99 Camry went in for a Free oil change coupon I was using, they tried to convince me my Struts were leaking and needed replacement just because it had 30K miles on it (mostly highway). They also said they were leaking. When I asked them to show me, they could'nt. The service writer told me the mechanic wiped them down already. I took it to my regular mechanic at a shop I have used and trusted for years the same day. They told me to drive it for a week and come back and we will take a look. I did and they gave the Struts a clean bill of health. Do you have any idea what those cost to replace? It's stuff like this that makes me leary of letting a dealer touch my cars. Like I mentioned earlier due to the newness of this car and new technology, I may have to let go some as I do want the new technology looked after properly. Does anyone have any pictures of the engine where it shows the Inverter System or have maintenance the procedure that describes how to do it? Personally I feel dealers rape you for what the do. I would not feel confortable paying them $360 for this service if they did not allow me to stand there and watch them actually do the work. We all know that is not going to happen.
Rick, I just read your reply after I sent my last post. You did not pay a dime for all of the items I posted above? I have the extended Platinum warranty and my initial service plan only gave me 3 free oil changes at the 5K intervals or whenever I wanted to use them. I think I will give Toyota Care a call to get the scoop on this. I bought the car as a Certified used vehicle with 13K on it. With the warrantly I purchased it should not make a difference you would think.
All 2001-2003 Prius were given the first 5 maintenances free. It was a big letdown for those of us buying the '04 when they weren't included as well. It was an incentive to improve hybrid acceptance, and an acknowledgement that not everyone could or would work on them just yet. I did not pay a dime for my first 5 services. My next one, 45k would be the first one I have to pay for on that car.
You'll still have to deal with inverter coolant in the '04, but none of the coolant needs to be replaced until 100k miles on the '04, and then every 50k miles after. The maintenance intervals are different as they used longer lasting parts/fluid, except oil, which is changed a bit more frequently. On the '04, the more major intervals generally involve changing filters in addition to oil up until 100k. Toyota posts the maintenance guides (suggested services per interval) on their website for all vehicles now in their owner's area.
Thanks Rick, I called Toyota Care and they verified my Certified vehicle is elgible for the free services. I would imagine Toyota has charged for these services for many who have NOT asked because they were not aware they existed. This is just another reason why Priuschat.Com Rocks!
Hi all -- I'm new here, so please forgive any breaches of protocol. I bought a certified pre-owned 2005 Prius a little less than a month ago. It has about 58,700 miles on it. Taking a look at its "Scheduled Maintenance Guide" I see that its last service was its 55,000-mile/66-month service, done on 10/31/08, at 53,521 miles. The next scheduled service listed is for 60,000-miles/72-months: 72 months would have been 4/30/09, but there is no record that the service was done then. (The 72-month service is entails more than an oil change, tire rotation and visual brake inspection: it also includes replacing cabin air filter, engine air filter, other inspections.) My question is, since the car was likely reconditioned or given a service overhaul in preparation for it being considered "Certified Pre-Owned", should I assume that the work listed for the 72-month service was done? If so, any advice/recommendations as to how to reconcile this with the "Scheduled Maintenance Guide"/warranty? If not, do you think I should press the dealer to have this done for free, since it should have been done before I bought the car? (and what are the odds of being successful on that?!?) Thanks in advance!
I'd suggest that you start by looking at the engine oil dipstick to see whether 1) the fluid level is near the top dimple but not overfilled, and 2) whether the oil looks fresh or not. That will give you one indicator regarding whether the car was recently serviced. Next, I suggest that you remove the engine air filter housing top (the black rectangular container in the engine compartment) and then lift up the air filter and look at the bottom. Is the filter new or does it contain lots of dirt? This will give you another indicator. Finally, I suggest that you remove the cabin air filter which is hiding behind the glove compartment. There are numerous posts which explain how to access that filter. Is the filter new or is it covered with leaves and dirt? Unless you asked for the 60K mile service to be performed as a condition of sale, that service might have been done or it might not. If not, I doubt that your dealer would now agree to do it at no charge. If the filters had not been changed, now that you know how to access them you would save a reasonable amount of $$ by doing the replacements yourself. Good luck.
