dealer maintenance service plans Prius v (lowercase v)

welcome! run as fast as you can from that dealer, they're unscrupulous ripoff artists!

the only thing you need at 30k is oil and filter, tyre rotation, air and cabin filter inspection and complete brake inspection. you may choose to do a tranny fluid change, but it's not required.

oil and filter $80. do at dealer if you want.
tyre rotation, $10.?
brake inspection, $20.?
tranny fluid (optional) $100.?
air filter, $40. only if replacement needed. (unusual)
cabin air filter $30. only if replacement needed. (unusual)

 

You are in the Bay Area. Start using Luscious Garage (San Fran) or Art's Automotive (Berkeley). Honest and knowledgeable hybrid experts.

I say you are overdue for a transaxle ATF-WS drain & fill. I am probably the only one who has this extreme view, but for valid reasons.
Read Post #1 for the rational to change already. Transaxle oil, recent analysis | PriusChat

Read post #473. ATF fluid changes ARE Required. | Page 24 | PriusChat

 

those links don't correlate to 30k being overdue, do they? also, doesn't it depend on how long you plan to keep your car?

 

exactly. they don't mention it, because it's not on toyota's list. they call it lifetime fluid, but some here disagree.

 

First thing to do is find your warranty and maintenance guide and study. Then do the oil and filter change along with the tire rotation at 10k intervals. Around here maybe $100 max, sometimes they give two for one coupons so get on all the dealer's email lists. The dealer should do a free multipoint check, but should normally recommend nothing. If he says change the brake fluid or some other bogus service, pull out your book. You can check and change your own cabin filter, it's easy on a v. The lower glove box has a door to access the filter. No tools and the filter will probably last 40 or 50k and usually can be cleaned with a vac.

 

Dealer service departments. This is a really sore subject with me.

It's pretty common knowledge that auto dealers make most of their profit from the service dept and parts. That's why they come up with a whole different list of "needed services" and a different maintenance schedule. (which is actually unneeded and unnecessary.)

They make you think you're getting a lot at that "50,000 Mile Service." But 80% of the "service" on that list is just check and inspect. I doubt they do half of that! I have always been puzzled as to why certain occupations have so much dishonesty... Plumbers comes to mind. And Auto Mechanics / Service writers. And any kind of Home Repair / Contractor Work. They really prey on the uninformed, naïve, elderly, and most women.

Why don't new buyers read their Owners Manual and factory Maintenance Schedule book?!
Instead, they just go along with whatever phony recommendations the 19yr old "service advisor" tells them. I can't believe how young some of those guys are, at the dealers in my area. They had an auto shop class in high school, and that supposedly qualifies them to be a Toyota service writer!? One young guy told me, off the record, that he is assigned a certain mechanic (now they call them technicians) and the two of them split a commission or bonus, according to how much repair work the service writer can phony up... and they are pushed to phony it up by the Service Manager, who also gets a cut of the action. (Every dealer is different, of course. But it can be a very dishonest game.)

In the past, I tended to over maintain my vehicles. And it turned out to be totally unnecessary. With my new Prius, I am going to do no more than what is recommended in the owners manual. Period!

 

One problem is the maintenance schedule is not in the owner's manual. It's in a separate "Warranty" document that no one thinks of looking at unless the engine quits.

 

Seems pretty easy to spot, rj. With a new car, folks need to take a couple hours, and study the owners manual and maint schedule. This is a skinny book, very easy to read. (Unlike that 800 page owners manual!)

 

Both the cabin and air filters are really easy to change, order them online or go to an auto supply or Walmart. Have the dealer do the oil change and oil filter and a multi-point inspection if the price is right. Call first and ask how much and go elsewhere if necessary as was suggested above. If you go to a third party just get the right 0w20 Full Synthetic (Mobil 1 preferably) and keep the receipt for warranty purposes.

 

vdriver, Thanks for posting that. I can't believe what I'm seeing! There is so much unnecessary stuff on there.
"Throttle Body Cleaning"?! And a special "conditioner" for the coolant?! And the oil?! And a "fuel treatment?!

I read an article some time back, "Biggest Car Maintenance Ripoffs", not sure of the exact title. It may have been in Consumer Reports Magazine. And "Throttle Body Cleaning" was specifically mentioned. I can't believe I'm seeing that, and for a Prius yet!

And do you really think they pour all that "conditioner" stuff in there? Horsefeathers! Let's assume they actually do... I wouldn't let anybody, pour anything, in my engine coolant! Or my oil. Or the gas tank. (Maybe a $5 bottle of Chevron Techron from Walmart wouldn't hurt in the gas tank once a year. Or easier yet, just buy Chevron gas!) And of course, if you need new wiper blades, fine.

Please just read your factory Maintenance Schedule book that came with the car, and show it to the service guy when you go in. Tell him: "This is all I want." And then he signs it and dates it. (I love my maintenance schedule for my new Prius. It's very minimal. Unless something breaks, hopefully not, it's basically just change the oil, rotate the tires, and throw in a clean air filter/cabin filter occasionally. Good to go!

 

And I'm not impressed with the Toyota "Free 25,000 Mile Maintenance Plan" that comes with the car purchase. One forum member reported that the dealer didn't even rotate his tires. And I think another member reported that the dealer didn't use synthetic oil in his Prius.

I apologize for sounding so negative. But if the dealers have to do that 2 years of service for free, I would bet a few are going to be dishonest and cut corners. (Use cheaper oil, don't rotate tires, and a few may not even change the oil filter. How are we gonna know??? I don't know if Toyota Corporate reimburses them for parts/labor. Maybe.)

 

I usually go to one of three dealers, especially when I can get a $35 full synthetic oil change. The multi-point inspection (always free) is the reason. Even when I pay full price for oil it's never more than $70. Almost everything else goes elsewhere. Walmart has a good deal on lifetime tire rotations although I don't recommend their oil change people. If I were in the Bay Area, I certainly would try Luscious Garage. Luscious Garage | Hybrid Specialists

 

i take ours to the local mobil station. competent mech, knows what he can and cannot do, prices aren't cheap, but fair. in the first 100,000 miles, there's nothing that needs dealer service.
once you start brake or coolant, the mech needs to have tech stream, or be very savvy.

 

There are so many things the dealerships trot out that are really pointless.

The "multi-point inspection": what exactly is that?

And "fluid top-ups": hopefully doesn't include the brake fluid, really no point in topping that up, unless it is leaking, and then you have bigger problems. So that's engine oil, coolant reservoirs, windshield washer fluid? Good place to start DIY?

Filter replacements? Whoa up: do they even NEED replacement? We're at 60,000 km, both the cabin and engine air filters still original. With the engine filter I can barely discern some dust starting to accumulate (and I'm myopic as heck, macro vision), and the cabin filter I've pulled and blown the dust off a couple of times. Maybe depends on your area, but they seem to go a long way in the Pacific northwest and BC lower mainland. Again, easy DIY.

Transaxle fluid level check? JUST look at the underside. Nothing dripping? No problems. Do consider changing it though.

Brakes? Consider a 2 or 3 yearly in-depth check, with the caliper lifted off, pins relubed, and so on.

 

I had a 2011 Prius. I checked and changed the air and cabin filters myself. When I took the car in for the 30,000 mile service I told the service person to change the oil and filter and rotate the tires and that is what was done. I have a 2014 Avalon. I will be taking it in for the 30,000 mile service in about two weeks. I check and change the air and cabin filter on it. When I take it in for the 30,000 mile service I will do the same as with the Prius. Tell the service person to change the oil and filter and rotate the tires. It's my car. I will tell them what to do to it. Not the other way around.