***My First Prius***

Oil changes and inverter coolant changes.

 

Be sure the front disc brake caliper bolts are re-lubed every so often, say every 24,000miles/2years.

Already drain/fill the transaxle. Consider getting a magnetic drain plug for the transaxle. Ready post #473 below.
ATF fluid changes ARE Required. | Page 24 | PriusChat

Read this for some additional insight.
What services you need and what you don't | PriusChat

Since you are in a snow environment, a spare set of wheels and snow tires.

NEVER FILL the oil above the top dimple on the dipstick. If you don't DIY oil changes, nearly all oil change places, tire stores, independent shops, and even some Toy dealers, overfill the crankcase. Horror stories and big dollar repairs have resulted.

CHECK the OIL LEVEL regularly and frequently! Realistically, you won't start burning oil until you get closer to 100,000 miles. Many stories of people coming here for help b/c the "low" oil light came on. That is actually a low/no oil pressure light. Appeared momentarily when the driver braked hard, or took a turn hard, causing the oil level not to be in contact with the oil pump pick-up tube, thus no oil pressure. If you never check the oil level, you will not know the car is telling you hey, I'm consuming oil, be sure to top off as needed.

 

Welcome--nice find!

In addition to what's been mentioned, the mechanical engine water pump sometimes develops leaks on the Gen II. It shows up as pink, crusty buildup around the water pump pulley (low, on the passenger side of the engine). If it's not leaking, it doesn't need attention, but if it starts, the pump should be replaced (about $100 DIY).

The life of the high-voltage pack is often best measured in years than miles, so even though there's not much on the odometer, there's question as to how much longer the pack will last. It's been theorized that the pack lasts longer when driven more frequently, which yours may not have been. It might not take to you 200,000 miles (unless you rack those up in the next few years). You might want to start setting aside a fund. Also try to keep the pack cool--park in the shade, if possible, use a windshield shade and the cargo cover if in the sun, etc.

Since your commute sounds like a highway one, one of the best MPG strategies (although it sounds like you're doing great already) is to moderate cruising speed. Wind resistance increases dramatically above about 60 mph.

If you do run into any issues, search or post on the forum before taking the car to a service department, if possible. You're likely to find much more cost-effective solutions here.

Enjoy!

 

The tyres play a big part in the economy of the car. Although the dealer put two new tyres on the car what actual tyres did they fit? and what are the other two tyres? The OEM tyres although reasonable for economy are certainly not the best.
Your also at the ideal millage to change the transmission oil. This is considered a lifetime fill, but through oil analyse has been found to contain high levels of metal from the bedding in process.

John (Britprius)

 

no, you need an appropriate scanner such as mini vci or pay the dealer to do it. figure and 09 battery to have the equivalent of 60 or 70,000 miles. peanuts. all the best!

 

Yes, you should use the Toyota WS ATF and most find that full syn oil does a better job of cleaning an lubricating youe engine than "dino" oil.

JeffD

 

For your safety, a spare set of wheels and snow tires would be a good thing. I forget the slightly larger tires sizes you could go on the 15" or 16" wheels, which would be cheaper than getting the exact size listed in the door jamb.

I think BritPrius knows interchangeable tyre sizes well, maybe he'll chime in?

 

The True Contact looks like an excellent tire, and it's classified as an "EcoPlus", so it should roll nicely and deliver good MPG, as well as traction. That tire has such high ratings in all conditions, including snow and ice, that I imagine there's no need for a second set of tires for winter. I was originally debating a second set but instead went with an all-season tire that is rated well in ice and snow (although not as well as the True Contact) and it does great, year round, without the cost, storage need and inconvenience of a second set.

The Goodyear Integrities are fairly disastrous tires. About the only thing they do well is roll, but they wear fast, get noisy and have pretty awful traction.

I didn't mean to concern you too much about the HV battery. I debated editing that post. They usually last a long time, but if you do start setting aside a replacement fund, it might sway Murphy's Law so that you don't experience a failure. Signs of a failing battery include fast changes in state-of-charge and the battery cooling fan often running at high speed (the vent is in the rear seat side bolster). There are also other things that can go wrong (transaxle, inverter, ECU, multi-function display, etc), so a rainy day fund is never a bad thing. Some might consider it overly-cautious thinking though. Overall reliability has been very high and cost of ownership, low. It's usually best to be prepared, but relax and not worry.

Choice of lubricants and fluids is a personal thing. There's various debate about it. I would use Toyota fluid in the transaxle but I've never used full-synthetic in an engine before. I did a few synth-blend changes with the Prius, but have since reverted back to dino oil.

 

Thanks for posting a review of the Continental TrueContact. We are having a set installed on the summer wheels today, but they won't be getting mounted on the car until old man winter decides to call it quits for the year. We've just received another five inches of that that fluffy white stuff today.

For what it is worth, our last set of summer tires were the Continental ProContact with Eco Plus. These were vastly superior to the OEM Yokahamas, and the fuel economy was unchanged. They had 4/32 tread remaining at 48,000 miles. Hopefully the TrueContact will be an even better tire. We will post an update after running a few tanks of gas on them.