100k-120k mile maintenance quote.

welcome! i think they are excellent, all the best! care to mention the name and location for the benefit of others in the area?

 

I would do the ATF fluid change myself.. it is super easy, if you can do an oil change, u can do the ATF fluid also. Really good rates otherwise.

 

Most all services can be done by the owner cheaper with the right tools, equipment, knowledge, time and motivation, but the prices you quoted are very fair and competitive when rated against most Dealerships. Good find.

 

all that stuff will take you not more than an relaxed saturday afternoon/
parts should be no more than 50 bucks/
so, is there an easier way to make a quick 400 bucks AND getting to know your car?

 

Spark Plug change seems reasonable: the plugs are expensive, maybe $15 apiece? And access is a royal pain: you need to remove windshield trim, wipers, wiper motors and the metal cowl at rear of engine bay. Lots of wrenching. You might want to DIY this yourself: here's a good video on the access process:

Coolant Flush seems reasonable, assume this is for engine coolant? The Inverter coolant change is later, if you look carefully at the schedule the difference is explained in the footnotes. This is something I'd much rather the pros do. While I've done Honda coolant changes for donkey's years, the Prius seems tricky, and the proprietory software Techstream makes it easier I believe.

ATF change you might want to try yourself. The fluid (4 liters required) costs me $9.32 per liter (can), and the washers (2) were $2 apiece. I've done mine a couple of times, and it's not that difficult. You need to raise AND level the car. The simplest delivery method is a funnel and 3' length of hose. DO use Toyota ATF-WS fluid: there's brave souls using alternatives, but why be brave? If you do your own oil changes, this is on par.

Hybrid battery fan cleaning is, I assume, what they're doing. Again, if you're into DIY you could manage this, for free. It's a royal pain popping the hatch floor off the battery the first time 'round. Leave more-or-less all the fasteners off, and it'll still hold fine. Just follow the rear seatback ductwork, you can't miss it.

 

I'm a huge fan of DIY car mx. Last week I replaced an axle, and the control arms and ball joints on my car. Several years ago I replaced the transmission (FWD car!) over a weekend.

BUT, those prices you quoted were pretty good. I think I would pay someone to do the work. I would probably end up doing the spark plugs and ATF change myself then have the guys do the other stuff. I hate dealing with coolant. There is no place to properly dispose of it.

 

Up here I just recently dropped used coolant off at a Mr Lube, one of those generic, drive thru oil change places. They'll also take any and all oils, ie: engine, transmission, differential and the like. And: used oil filters, empty oil bottles.

HOPEFULLY they don't just turn around and dump the coolant, but I think they're on the up and up.

Check online and via phone regarding similar stewardship program in the 'States?

One thing, the coolant change I did was on a Honda. With Prius I've read it's a bit nuts, agree, better to hand over to dealership.

 

Why? Is it more difficult to coax air pockets out than with other cars? With my Mazda, I eventually learned I had to disconnect a bypass hose to release trapped air, in order to prevent a bubble from blocking normal flow through the engine.

 

Maybe. The fill drill with any Honda I've done:

1. loosen bleed bolt and start pouring in coolant through coolant neck. You can hear air whistling out of the bleed bolt if it's loose enough.

2. Once a steady flow of coolant is coming out of the bleed bolt, tighten it, and continue adding coolant up to the radiator neck.

3. Start car, leave it idling, with the radiator cap off. Watch at the radiator neck with some sorta container and a baster. Every so often the coolant will well up. When it does, baste it off before it overflows. Then it'll sometimes drop down. When that happens baste the saved coolant back in.

4. Once in a while squeeze a coolant hose or two. Continue thus until the cooling fan cycles on twice.

5. Shut down the car, drain, clean, refill and re-install the overflow bottle, top up the radiator and install cap.