Tricky service people

You mean tire rotation is at 15k right? oil and filter change is every 5k miles. I enjoy maintaining my Prius too.... It is approaching 8k miles for a 2nd oil change.

Dennis

 

Another advantage of pre-paid maintenance programs....

If any service person were to mention what was said to you I would merely show them the coupon.

 

that's where they make their profit from owners less informed than you. good job turning that down, you don't need it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Three60guy @ Jun 20 2006, 08:59 PM) [snapback]274499[/snapback]</div>

A better option is to whip out the service schedule book that came with the car and show them what Toyota says. That usually puts a frog in some service writer's throats pretty quick.

 

That sounds extremely expensive to me. When the brake pads start to go you will hear them. An oil change is an oil change. Air filters need to be changed when they are dirty and depending on where you drive that could be as often as every oil change or as long as 10,000 miles or so. What I do not know about is the air conditioner filter. Tires need to be rotated if you want them to all wear out at the same time, otherwise leave them alone and do them in pairs.

Maybe it is just that I look at the compenents as simply components....

I have my oil changed at the same place every 3500 miles. Synthetic oils can go up to twice as long between changes but every 5000 miles is reasonable, again... It depends on how you drive. In any case, most of the "service check" items are things that do need to be examined but are typically not mission critical to be changed at particular points in mileage. Age, climate, and use has more to do with wiper degradation than miles for example.

For warranty purposes all you really need are receipts. i'm sure someone will correct me if I am wrong but this is basic practice with virtually all cars and I see no reason why the prius would be any different.

 

Most places will try to rip you off somehow. It's very difficult to find a completely honest service shop. Prior to the Prius I had a great place I'd go, but with the warranty, I just go back to the dealer and have found them reasonable to deal with.

I think any good shop though will give things a quick inspection and it only takes a few minutes to check the brake pads and filters. A good question to ask - How long will it take? Then factor in their hourly rate and what parts might be needed and you can get a good feel on if you are being ripped off.

Case in point: My wife made an appointment for her Subaru to have a recall taken care of. Plus she needed an oil change, brakes and their was a rattle that was annoying me (not her). She brought it in and they first told her they couldn't do the recall, because of the weather (I guess I can buy this based on the issue) and then after an hour, they told her she had a cracked head gasket and between that, the brakes and oil change, it would be about $1600. She told them, to not do anything but the oil change. She left and that weekend we went to the Cape where her brother has a shop. He took a look and found no leaks indicating a head gasket leak - car looked fine. He also ripped of the heat shield that was causing the rattling and replaced the brakes (he stated he was shocked they let her leave with them the way they were - they were really bad!).

It took him less than an hour to do all this and was about $100 in parts. Oh.. I forgot to add - aside from the oil change, the dealer took the time to install a license plate frame advertising their place. Needless to say, we'll never go back there. And if you want to know, this was Natick Subaru.

 

Most oil changes take about 15 minutes in a shop, or 45 minutes on my front lawn...
The brakes can be chacked when they rotate the tires because they are visible when the wheels come off. The air filter should take less than 5 minutes to examine. I have no idea about the AC filter.

Basically a Jiffy Lube type of place could do all the work with the possible exception of havng the AC filter in stock... NAPA is a good source for parts and often the prices can be half what the dealer charges.

Parts in the automotive insustry are like often OEM parts. Car companies buy parts and brand them, change the packaging, and add a huge markup. NAPA, for example, uses Valvoline brand oil for their NAPA brand and I have used it for many years in an assortment of vehicles. However a different store, Pep Boys for example, may use someone elses oil but because I do not know where it comes from I would not trust it in my car. Catsrol, Penzoil, Quaker State, Havoline.... And other brand names all offer good consistent products. The trick is to pick one and just stay with it. When the warranty runs out and if you decide to go elsewhere for basic service, you may want to continue with the brand of oil used by the dealer. One of their mechanics will likely tell you the brand whereas the "service advisor" will simply tell you something.