Coolant Questions, Please

There are two coolant systems, one for the engine, one for the inverter. They both use the same coolant. Use the Toyota coolant. You won't need to buy it often, so the price is not ridiculous. The change interval has been extended recently as well.
Because of the hybrid parts there are different metals in the system. Toyota has developed their coolant for minimal corrosion in this car. Changing to a different formulation means -you- will be experimenting with compatibility. Can you afford that?
You shouldn't need coolant for at least five years. If she has the car serviced at a Toyota dealer, they will keep the coolant topped up at no extra charge, though neither system seems to loose coolant over a 2-4 year period.

 

She can register at the Toyota Ownetrs site and enter the VIN. The sire will then display the trim level and any dealer servicing.

Toyota Owners Official Web Site

 

^ What @David Beale said.

The Owner's Manual tells you what you can use, recommends "Toyota Super Long Life Coolant", but says you can use others if..., and here it goes into a long spiel, and this is where I tune out: Hey, all these cautions and provisos, I'll spend the extra $2~3 per gallon, get the kosher coolant. I'll know it's 100% compatible.

Almost as important: it's pink, and all the other stuff is green, it'll end up some strange colour, lol.

And, it took about 3~4 years before the coolant levels on ours inched down to the low mark, early days.

From page 585 of Owner's Manual:

 

there's no reason for her to be asking questions about coolant in a new prius. i would dig down to get to the bottom of what she is dealing with, before she does something foolish to her new car.

a non technical person should be addressing any questions to the dealer, while the car is under warranty.

what a non technical person should be trying to learn is how and when to check/add oil, and tyres pressure.
maybe how to change a flat tire, if she got a spare.

 

Has she seen the coolant level drop in either reservoir?

 

There is two tanks and they use the same fluid. One tank is for the gasoline engine and one is for the inverter. If one of the tanks is low take it to the dealership, most Gen 4 cars right now should still be under warranty anyways. I noticed the inverter coolant tank on mine was low from the factory, the dealer topped it off and checked for leaks for free.

Personally, when its vital fluids i stick to buying OEM. If the cheaper off-brand fluids cause any issues, you could end up spending more than what you saved from buying cheaper generic fluids on fixing those issues.

 

Technically, coolant top-up is the owner's responsibility. In the States, with the dealerships offering the first few service intervals free, maybe they'll top it up if needed. If they're unscrupulous they might just shoot in a little water.

Coolant levels don't drop for a year or two, and when they do, pick up a bottle of the Toyota coolant, top them up, save the bottle for the engine coolant change interval, which is 100K miles or 10 years. The inverter coolant change interval is 150K miles or 15 years. Refer to pages 50~51 of the 2016 Prius Warranty and Maintenance Guide.

 

Price shop the SLLC (Super Long Life Coolant).

Call various dealers around to see their pricing.
Check the dealers website; they might have a parts or coolant coupon discount coupon online.
Dealers will match other dealers service and parts discount coupons.
Costco and AAA (and possibly American Express) have agreements with dealers throughout US, for parts/service discounts for their members.
ASK if your local dealer will beat or price match Toyota dealers who sell online.
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Price shop dealers who sell online. Part number: 00272-SLLC2
Post #30 contains links to various Toyota dealers who sell online.
Here's a sampling:
Austin Autonation Toyota, in Austin, TX, $14.76; Super Long Life Cool - Toyota (00272-SLLC2) | Discount Toy
Camelback Toyota in Phoenix, AZ, has it for $16.37; 2007 Toyota Prius Parts - Camelback Toyota Parts - Genuine OEM Parts - Free Shipping
San Bernardino Toyota in San Bernardion, CA, has it for $19.01; 2007 Toyota Prius Parts - Toyota of San Bernardino Online Parts Store
Amazon has it for $26; Amazon.com: Buying Choices: Toyota Genuine Fluid 00272SLLC2 Long Life Coolant - 1 Gallon

Search "Toyota OEM Parts Boston Massachusetts" to try and find dealers near you who sell online.

Last time I bought SLLC, Oct 2014, a local dealer came down to $16.95/gal. Hopefully you can get your local dealer to come down.

 

Many dealers won't ship fluids, although they have them listed

 

Toyota could use this against you and deny a cooling related warranty coverage.

$35K car (or whatever she paid) and $14 Prestone on sale ($16 not on sale); Pep Boys
So for a few dollars more (say purchase price of $17-$25), approved coolant that won't be the cause of a warranty denial.

$25 Toytoa SLLC -$16 Prestone = $9 (daughter forgoes two Starbucks, for one week, to make-up the difference)
$17 Toyota SLLC -$16 Prestone = $1 (daughter gets a tall vs grande Starbucks, one time, to make-up the difference)

Stick with Toyota SLLC. No worries. No headaches. No hassle. Its just a few dollars more.

 

Something I'm buying once a decade, with price variations under $10, I can't be bothered to even comparison shop, request price match.

My wife and I will stop by CreekSide Coffee (nice local place, porcelain cups, no trash bins full of "recyclable" cups), maybe every 2~3 months. Other'n that, grind and brew our own, with a simple Melita filter cone and urn.

 

Call it a personality flaw.

I see it as a challenge/game for me. Very little effort to search online, and easy for me to do quickly. If I have to buy the part at a local dealer, a few quick phone calls to the parts dept, to see which one will match or come down on their asking price. So far, the few times I have had to go to a physical dealership, they have all come down considerably from their asking retail price, a couple times they have price matched.

 

coolant type
im getting confused here of which is the right one for that 2016 prius
1. 00272-1LLAC-01
2. 00272-SLLC2
3. 00272-1LLAC-LX01
@Mendel Leisk help ???

 

No clue. I think if you go to the parts counter of any dealership and ask for Toyota Super Long Life Coolant, and say it's for a 2016 Prius, they'll get you the correct one.

 

Of these part numbers, only 00272-SLLC2 is for Genuine Toyota Super Long Life Coolant, the pink kind used in all 2004 and later Prius cars. I believe the others are for the red Long Life Coolant used in older models.