Ongoing Service

i respect your opinion.

 

Why should change brake fluid tri yearly ? I doubt it's recommended by Toyota .

 

In the Toyota Canada 2014 warranty and maintenance booklet the recommended brake fluid change interval is 3 years or 48,000 km.

Toyota does not mention brake fluid change in my 2010 booklet, but looks to be now adopting a policy that has long standing with Honda, for one.



(Note, Toyota Canada's booklet covers all models, not just Prius, so this is "across the board" maintenance. Hence the mention of "AWD" and "Propeller Shaft" too.)

 

3/30K miles is industry standard for brake fluid.

 

my '04 with 140k has never had the brake fluid changed. anyone know what the recommendation was back then? probably getting to be time.

 

One thing, if and when you get a brake fluid change, stress that you want them to road test it after, express concern that they check it, do it right. I've had a car returned to me with bleed valve caps missing (trivial) and one of the rear brakes completely dysfunctional.

 

at your favorite dealer?

 

Because the rewards ($$$$) are far greater generating additional (and unneeded service) revenue. When the customer "falls for this" the customer is all too often satisfied (which is reflected in the surveys) because they don't recognize that they have been conned.

 

Have you worked in a dealer service department before? I love how everyone who ISN'T in this industry seems to be an expert on it. An industry I've been a part of for 15 years. I've met NUMEROUS technicians from other dealers, not just Toyota, and the vast majority take pride in their work and their dealer takes pride in the way they treat their customers. But let's label them all crooked and deceiving. If that's the case then I can label all customers as ignorant morons that can't read the book that comes with the car and comes to me to pair their phones, unlock their power windows, put air in their tires to turn the "horseshoe light" off, etc. I could go on and on. Good thing we're not labeling here or anything though, right?

SM-G900V ?

 

i feel the same way about my dentist.

 

This was a Honda dealership. They finally got it sorted. It wasn't our usual car so was sorta unfamiliar with the braking behaviour. Took about 4~5 days to realize we were in a deathtrap.

 

Well put toyotechwv. Two sides to everything.

 

Some dealers are very competitive when it come to the oil services -- mine is often offering a "special" it for around $60.00 w/ free rotation. I'm sure they have found it's a good way to get cars in the door. My local guy ends up costing about the same. I have many cars to maintain so I have a good local mechanic.

The key is to know what's required at any given time and miles. Dealers often have lists of recommend services that are not necessary -- Tbody cleaning -- injector cleaning .. fuel system treatments -- all are expensive and unless the car is experiencing some issue .. not required. Same goes for changing the spark plugs at 60k or any other thing called a "tune up". Both the HVAC filter and engine air filter are easy to replace -- I think every owner should learn to switch out these items -- not only save some $$ ......it gets the owner more familiar with the vehicle. Another common recommendation is to say you are going to need brake pads -- well of course .. eventually every car is .........the question .. what is the pad thickness currently and what is the thickness of new pads -- and how many miles does that equate to. My dealer told me I was going to need pads - recommended I replace them -- they were 1/2 down at 90k?? The car now has 126k and the pads are maybe at a 1/3.

 

Might I point out that this sounds like the rhetoric one would hear if in a conversation with a police person about police brutality.
It's the odd dealer that's even close to honest, and then there's doubt. They have an overhead and ride the fine line between pirate and prince.
The bbb doesn't even look at the automotive repair market, it's to rife with fraud...
Look around the forum, every post relating to toyota dealer service is full of corrupt deed's, it's the odd dealer that even close to honest.

 

perhaps we're a more skeptical bunch up here in the northeast, or perhaps our dealerships are run differently.

 

...or perhaps people just need to learn to work on their own cars.

 

It's not Toyota repairs your car on dealership, but hired mechanics. You don't know who of them even repair it. They work with a range cars from trucks, SUVs to sedans, and Prius may be even not a big segment. Of coarse dealership should compete on the market, otherwise you would ripoff even more. Also Prius is not overly complicated car and most services are related to mechanical, not very specific hybrid electric issues.

 

I really love my Prius! So I do something myself, too!

 

They ARE good cars...but in the end they're still just metal, plastic and glass to me.

 

Yet again another internet expert. Feel free to walk in my shoes for a week since you're flawlessly high and mighty. Maybe I should just hold myself to your standards so I fit the stereotype. And with a police officer as with a technician, it's easy to bash them until you need one.

SM-G900V ?