Alright, so I'm good enough to change my own oil but balk at rotating my own tires. I don't believe that I have to rotate them every oil change as stated in the manual) I'd like some opinions - I'm thinking that for my second oil change (10k) I will bring the car to the dealer (paying the exorbitant $60 for the oil + tire rotation) My reasoning is that Toyota (as they did on the Classic) wants positive PR on the hybrid technology and may 'tweak' things that aren't right. If I brought it to the local shop (1/2 the price) they won't have the knowledge/skills to 'tweak' things. Does anyone have an opinion on this? Experience? I just want to do what's right for my baby...
I just rotated the tires on my car. It wasn't very hard to do. According to the book you just move the fronts to the back on the same side of the car. A couple jack stands and a floor jack are required to lift and support the car. Also you need a torque wrench to re-tighten the lug nuts. I rotate every 5000 miles. The car sees almost all city driving and that's a lot of turning on the front tires. I also am running the tires at the upper limit of inflation pressure (like I did on my classic) and am not seeing any wear yet.
I don't like paying the dealer prices for maintenance but prefer to do so on my Prius. Being such a "specialized" car, I don't want anybody else messing with it except Toyota. I just paid (today) $50 for oil & filter change plus tire rotation. A little high but worth it, at least in my opinion.
I was at the dealership last week, and was talking to my brother, a toyota Tech, and some of his co-workers. Jim, the guy who has gone to Prius school, made a comment about the left front tire. This tire has more "weight" on it then the others. The main reason for tire rotation is get even tire wear.
$24.95 for the oil change, but to add another $25 to rotate the tires is rediculous... I know Toyota calls it their 5k miles service, but the things they're inspecting aren't typical wear items at this stage of the game for a Prius. I'm contemplating doing my own change at 10k miles and switching to Mobil1 - or taking it to a quick-lube place that doesn't charge nearly as much - the only caveat being that they'll need a crush washer, and to ensure not to overfill. Provided one has a floorjack handy, jackstands available, and a torque wrench to make it all right, a tire rotation isn't too difficult either. -Rick
15 years ago I bought my Honda Civic from a really good dealer, and i trusted them. I had them do ALL the service and maintenance. They only charged a couple of bucks more for the oil change than the discount places, and they probably used better oil. And they were just as fast. Now with the Prius it's a new dealer and i don't know anything about them, but I'll probably have them do all the service. I think I'd trust a new (and therefore unknown) Toyota dealer a lot more than I'd trust an equally-unknown independent garage. As for doing it myself: I'd rather pay than get my hands oily, or break my back rotating tires. Ain't worth it! The bottom line is the dealer's mechanics have had Toyota training and will use genuine Toyota parts. As Tom & Ray always say: "It's the stingy man who pays the most."
One other thing I would like to add. Since most Prius owners are somewhat concerned about the environment, remember that the dealerships, and other reputable service stations are better equiped to dispose of the "used fluids" much better then the 'average joe'.
Thanks everyone for your opinions. Wolfman, I believe that Costco will only rotate (and balance, repair) tires that you purchase from them for free. I had them do that on my old car and recall having to show the receipts for the tires. Have they changed this policy or am I incorrect?
They must have changed the policy before I got my membership. I've had my old Daewoo, my borthers Daewoo, as well as my Prius in for tire rotations. They even advertise on their gas pumps that they will do the service for free, and I've never been asked for receipts.
I checked around to different Toyota dealers in the area. I found that some give free oil changes for Toyota cars, I haven't had to pay for one.
