2017 Prime: Coolant exchanged at dealership

Welcome to Prius Chat.

The engine coolant reservoir (the reservoir on the passenger side) is empty and that is not good.

Not sure what they did, but they didn't do what you paid for.

Hope you can get back there on EV range as I would not drive the car without the proper amount of coolant in it.

 

The smaller coolant tank on the right is for the inverter, and it looks fine. As long as it stays above the MIN line. The larger tank on the left is the ICE coolant and is definitely low. I would return to the dealer with the invoice for the coolant service and have them top it off. It's important to only use Toyota pre-mixed "pink" coolant in these systems.

 

I agree with the Ray and the miser. Take it back and tell them to finish what they started.

 

any dealer that recommends a coolant flush at 70k should be arrested nd thrown in jail

 

Yeah, there's that, too. It's not due till 100k miles or 10 years.

 

It doesn't look like a coolant flush; but a drain & fill. On a flush, your tapping into the in-n-out hoses - reducing the likely-hood of large air bubbles being trapped in the coolant passages. On a drain and fill; you will get large air pockets in parts of the coolant passages/pathways. This requires "burping" the system, a slow and tedious process; especially on a hybrid - because they will have to force the ICE to run continuously to properly purge all of the air out of the system.
I'm going to assume that the dealership did everything correctly on a drain-n-fill and just rushed the "burping" process. Take it back to the dealer to get it topped-off and checked; but first look for the over-temp icon on the dash board - when powering up. On my 2013 Prius C; that icon was deleted. the only way to tell if the engine was overheating is by hooking up an OBD2 scanner. I'm sure a DTC code will eventually pop up; probably after I've ruined the engine... If there's no over-temp icon; make them FLATBED-TOW; it back to the dealership; because you can't tell if the coolant was topped-off to begin with. If the dealership is within 25 miles; top-off the traction battery and take it back in; EV mode ONLY. After the dealer service, check the coolant tank there. Place the car in HV and power mode and drive home; then check the tank again - to make sure they didn't rush the "burping" progress again. The dealer's service department is what keeps the "lights-on"; so time is money to them.

BTW: On a So. Cal only car, a litmus test should've been performed before recommending a coolant flush. If this was a region that actually sees all four seasons; this recommendation wouldn't be out of line (ie. Maine, Dakotas, or Canada).

Congrats. That was a good catch. NOW how do I get the kids to check under the hood once in a while

hope this helps...... Good Luck.

 

For Sale by Ford Owner:
2017 Prius Prime.
Great Condition.
Low miles.
Dealer Maintained.

Need new engine.
All offers considered…..


Seriously…..its time to replace your dealer!!

 

If this car is in No. Cal and the price is cheap enough: I'd seriously consider it. I can get a used 2017 motor cheap; because they don't fail - unless it was dealer maintained
These are usually rock solid motors; probably because they were abused by a dealership the first 24 months of their lives

hopefully this thread isn't going to get me in trouble.....

 

And if you follow sub-note 3, likely says inverter coolant ok till 150k miles or 15 years, in the states. There might be a decal on side of inverter coolant reservoir saying the 150k mile interval. Our 2010 says that, though Toyota Canada says 10 years or 160k kms, for both.

I’d concur, apart from jumping the gun, looks like they messed up.

 

I just got my car back from the dealer after having the exhaust pipe coolant heat exchanger replaced per the attached TSB. No charge.
The TSB also applies to the 2017-2019 Prius Prime. This may be part of the issue with no coolant in your ICE reservoir. Mine had a very slow leak where I had to top the reservoir off every week or two, using Toyota's Super Long Life Coolant (SLLC), the pink stuff.
In any event, your "coolant flush" seems very suspect.

 

Have them fix their mistake, by correctly filling / topping off the ICE coolant reservoir and ask to speak to a "higher-up" and determine why exactly they suggest you perform a service prior to what is recommended by Toyota. Raise enough of a stink to get a credit for your next service.
Also refer to your owner's manual for service intervals. Dealers like to shorten them to make more money.

 

Just editorial: service intervals state-side are in the Warranty and Maintenance Booklet, the slim volume that accompanies Owners Manual.

 

Sure would like to know why Toyota charges 680 for a coolant flush on my 2017 prius 4?

 

The dealership is charging that, not Toyota. Take it to another dealership that knows there is no transmission flush on a Prius. It's just a drain and fill. Or, cheaper yet, just do it yourself. Very easy if you have a flat place, a jack, and four jack stands.

Edit to correct my boo boo. I see that it's an engine coolant flush that's in question, not transaxle. My bad. Thanks, @Mendel Leisk for so politely alerting me.

Still, that's a hefty sum for a coolant flush, IMHO. But it's the dealer to blame, not Toyota.