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Repair recommendations after a $30 oil change at the dealership

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Freeze Time, Apr 4, 2023.

  1. Freeze Time

    Freeze Time Member

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    My local Toyota dealership was having a great deal on an oil change for my 2015 Prius every Thursday in March. $29.99 so I was all over it. Took about 2 hours and I was expecting some upsell of course but I found it ridiculous. I attached the stuff they wanted to fix. I just hit 77,000 miles. What is actually needed and how much should it cost? He told me about a payment plan and I politely said I am only getting the oil change and that's it. Nothing else. I have the wiper blade already which I bought in a 3 pack with the 2 front ones for like $20 on Amazon.
    upload_2023-4-4_11-36-17.png
     
  2. ColoradoBoo

    ColoradoBoo Senior Member

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    Dealers never cease to amaze me! While those prices are ridonkulous, you do need a coolant change if it's never been done (every 5-years, 50,000 miles). But don't pay $469 for coolant replacement...check other mechanics who should do it at half that (or less) but make sure they ONLY use Toyota coolant.
    You do want to check the hybrid fan and filter...should have a plastic retaining screw you remove. Blow out or replace the flimsy filter and shine a light in there and inspect the plastic blades on the fan to ensure they are clean. Lots of videos on YouTube about this .
    Wow $95 to replace a license plate bulb??? I've never had one go out in my Prius (yet) but don't see how that price is justified. (I'd do it for you for a Mountain Dew!) :)
     
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  3. 2010moneypit?

    2010moneypit? Active Member

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    Good job telling them no thanks!
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    follow the maintenance guide that came with your car. inspecting the cooling fan is a good idea, but not for that price. same with the bulb. if you can't do anything yourself, find a reasonable private mech.
    same with the tires, inspection time will let you know.
     
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  5. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Nor really.

    Some of those things are easy to verify and NEED to be taken care of.
    Like the torn wiper blade.
    And the alignment if the tires are wearing unevenly.
    And the tires if they look bad (ALL 4 unles one is already new)
    And the license plate bulb(s)......which might cost you $6 to do both.

    The cooling fan cleaning could be important but their price is outrageous.

    Don't automatically think they are 100% trying to cheat you.
    Might only be 30-50%.
     
  6. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    There's no reason to change the inverter coolant at such low mileage.
    Those are the cheapest tires Walmart sells---at much lower prices than the dealer wants. If the tires are really as worn as the dealer claims, they genuinely should be replaced.
    I once got a similar list of repair suggestions from my dealer. The most absurd of their overpriced recommendations was replacing the accessory drive serpentine belt---which does not even exist.
     
  7. Freeze Time

    Freeze Time Member

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    I appreciated them going over everything but I knew the prices were a rip off. The tires aren't as bad as they made them out to be and it hardly ever rains where I live and again, I already had the wiper blade in a 3 pack from Amazon that I bought for $20. I almost said I'll pay you half of that but didn't want to get into anything with the guy. Oh and while driving today, the low tire pressure light came on so those knuckleheads didn't even check that or if they did, they didn't add any air.

    I don't know about the coolant but I knew right away about the price of the tires. The one tire I have replaced I got at Walmart and paid around $60 with installation. I have no doubt I can replace all 3 tires at Walmart for less than half of what Toyota wants to charge. I have no idea why they continue to rip people off like that and why people continue to get ripped off. I guess I answered my question though. As long as people keep overpaying, dealerships will keep overcharging. My oil change was a great deal though but I'm not a sucker. Oh and the payment plan thing was the kicker for me. We will rip you off but you can get ripped off over time instead of all at once.
     
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  8. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Maintenance guide is just a suggestion. No need that follow the manufacturer’s interval recommendations, lets go with oil shop recommendations. Because saving gas cost a lot of money
     
  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    They have balls for sure, regarding the inverter coolant change price, AND claiming it’s overdue.

    do check tire tread depth for yourself and if they are in fact 3/32” remaining, shop for your pick, likely elsewhere.
     
  10. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    That's what happens when service advisors are on commission. Pre-pandemic my dealer had separate rooms for each service advisor with semi experienced people. Recently I went in and found they had replaced the old people with young kids, who essentially knew nothing. On top of that they put two of them in one room. It was all I could do to keep quiet while I was listening to some lady getting sold a bunch of BS similar to this. Luckily, she told him no, but you know it works half the time.
     
    #10 rjparker, Apr 5, 2023
    Last edited: Apr 5, 2023
  11. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    That might not be a correct ASSumption.
    You could have a leak.
     
  12. ColoradoBoo

    ColoradoBoo Senior Member

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    With one of our early Toyota's, I brought it in for an oil change and they came out and said my power steering fluid was "looking very dark" and they would be happy to change it out for me for about $150 so I said go ahead.
    Six months later I was in there getting the oil changed, again, and I was dumbfounded when the service guy walked in and told me the same thing!!! (I didn't yell at him but wasn't happy about it!) That was when I first learned to question EVERYTHING at the dealership!
     
  13. Freeze Time

    Freeze Time Member

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    True but they should have been able to find one if I did.
     
  14. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Shocked that you gave them the go ahead to still do the 2nd fluid change.
     
  15. Freeze Time

    Freeze Time Member

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    So none of those findings are things I need to get taken care of right away or my car will blow up correct?
     
  16. 2010moneypit?

    2010moneypit? Active Member

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    I would do the hybrid cooling fan. Super easy to do lots of YouTube videos. Also, I would do the license plate lights just to avoid getting pulled over.
     
  17. Gearbreaker

    Gearbreaker Junior Member

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    I think the best one is the $100 light bulb! I'm in the wrong business.
     
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  18. 2010moneypit?

    2010moneypit? Active Member

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    Especially since it just takes a few minutes to do and you only need a Phillips screw driver
     
    #18 2010moneypit?, Apr 12, 2023
    Last edited: Apr 12, 2023
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  19. Gearbreaker

    Gearbreaker Junior Member

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    When my wife's car goes in for a recall I always send her in alone and then walk in and sit nearby. Her last Hundai recall was to check the rear 12v socket because it may be loose and cause a fire! They then told her it would take $5500 to make her car safe again! Not only did they hit her with the "safe" buzzword but the other was "mold". Yes ma'am your air conditioner has mold in it! For $135 we will spray some chemical into the air conditioning system. What a deal! And the one that really pissed me off was that her oil was "dangerously low" and needed to be changed for only $80. It's best to take care of it right away because her engine will become damaged it's not going to be covered under warranty. Ready for this?..... I had just changed the oil that morning. I explained how each line item was untrue and everyone else waiting to get ripped off heard. One women waiting said that she just authorized $2,500 on services. We looked over her last and it was all BS. She was very very unhappy. One other time my wife's car went in for warranty service. The starter was bad. They told her that the variable valve timing was what was wrong, Huh? It's the starter. A week later she got a call saying her car was ready. She started it up to take it home and I heard the pistons hit the valves and one backfire. They purposely ignored the starter problem and destroyed the engine. No one is that stupid that they can't tell the difference between a bad starter and VVT problems. Of course the engine is under warranty. They wanted to put a used engine in a car with 20k miles. We screamed bloody murder and she got her new engine...... 3 months later! They gave her a brand new loaner car to use while she was waiting for hers. Not only were these people ripping off customers but they were also ripping off Hundai USA. They set up her car for disaster when she started it and made out like bandits on replacing the engine with a ton of labor at Hundais expense. They soooo take advantage of women. They no longer give her a bs list during a recall. I think they have notes on their computer saying to stay away from this one. And on happy note, we put nearly 10,000 ,miles on the new loaner they gave her. It was a "touring" edition so we toured the entire country over 2 months and no, we never changed the oil. :) Thank you Hundai.
     
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  20. Gearbreaker

    Gearbreaker Junior Member

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    There is a place on hell reserved for these people. It infuriates me. I run a pretty big business and if we get a big contract all employees get a substantial bonus. The last one was that everyone who works for me got a $15,000 Christmas bonus. I don't drive a an Escalade or even a Porsche. I drive a Gen 3 Prius with 300,000 miles on it. I can sleep at night.
     
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