Repair recommendations after a $30 oil change at the dealership

Wont lie, tried to clean the hv fan twice and never could go pass the 10 mm bolt removal step. And I drive without rear seats on a regular basis also

 

I am constantly amazed by how MANY people think that their view of the world is the only right one.

Hint: Not everybody is the same.
I don't understand why some people just don't GET that.
Well.......I guess that's really not true. It just goes to prove that you can't fix stupid.

 

My local Toyota dealer is pretty good about the easy fixes. If they notice a bulb out or if wipers need new blades, they'll replace them just for the cost of the part. They will tell me prior to replacing and ask if I want them to go ahead. (And they don't jack up the parts prices either.)

 

I agree. Not everyone wants to diy because they can afford to have someone with experience do it. But very few want to overpay a billionaire owner who encourages his managers to extract every possible dollar from their customers. I guarantee the dealer mechanic won't spend three hours of labor but the dealership will end up grossing $200 or more on the fan clean alone.

Since you are in Southern California I would suggest pricing services at Hybridpit, 7314 Melrose Street. Buena Park. Ca (855) 492-4440. I am sure there are other hybrid shops in your area as well. It makes sense to establish a relationship with an independent before its time for major work.

 

How do you absolutely assure the customer your raping them? : Charge $100 to replace a light bulb!!

Ok so now you know. Your a mark at that place.

Never heard of Douglas tires. Whatever they are they have a good markup at that place.

Go to a tire store and buy a name brand tire. I have been running Cooper's on my cars and love them. Great handling & Very quiet.

 

You are correct everybody has different abilities/capabilities. I like doing mechanical things myself, and I find it easy while some will not. I have seen people struggle with changing the lightbulb. I stand corrected!

 

That is actually very good advice on these engines. They suffer from excessive blowby which causes oil contamination. I would go with 5k oil changes.

No. Nothing on the fan. It can be clogged and your hv battery might not overheat until you are driving uphill in very hot weather. At that point you may get a battery temperature code but you won't get a specific battery temperature light. Just a general hybrid alarm many ignore since they have not seen it before. Then you are hurting the battery.

Look for an independent hybrid shop and use them for the small things like blower cleaning and oil changes. Then you have a resource when the multi-thousand dollar issues hit you hard. Pretty sure you will find one due north of you near 39 and I5.

 

Thus prompting the eternal "what are they thinking?" question. "Hmm, a warning I have not seen before. I'll ignore it."

 

It does look a little like the tire pressure light.

 

Do every 10,000 mi oil changes so the earth stays green and forget the spin on mod

 

Uh oh…

 

Grit is looking for new quotes

"Someone was ahead of me driving slower than the posted speed limit. Told my wife that according to the Prius group I can flip this person off for delaying us a minute or two. She was like wow that's crazy...Did it maintaining the posted speed limit and it felt great!" - PriusMPGenius

"Also, are there really high mileage cars in Europe?" - Bill Norton

"My rear lights beeped and flashed once, saw sparks and smoke." - pstuebs03

"Does anyone know of an CARB certified oil catch can?" - kehyler

"$7,500 is pretty much close to paying off so." - neel

"Just because I don't check my dipstick doesn't mean car has been neglected...But I will be trading it soon because I want something a little more fun." - BrianPB

I'm sorry but If I go to a dealership and get oil changes every 4000 miles, then I shouldn't have to check to see if I am completely out of oil in less than 4000 miles." - Tedh1979

 

As stated before, since you live in Huntington Beach, give Hybripit a call. They will treat you fair!

 

That remindsr that I need stop slacking and post the new batch of quotes that others have provided.

 

Go in for the $29.99 oil change, end up with the old bait and "OMG HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY BE DRIVING THIS CAR HERE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT WILL KEEP YOU SAFE!!!"

 

Not sure if we're doing sarcasm or what, but definitely don't do that. My car started burning oil almost exactly when I started doing 10k oil changes.

 

let's start over. how many miles on your car, and have you been following the maintenance schedule that came with it?