Where do you buy reasonably priced maintenance parts (filters, etc)?

I haven't purchased any maintenance parts for my current 2021 PP. Just using free Toyota Care by the dealer. But the last time I did oil, oil filter, air, and cabin filters for my 2017 PP, I had OEM oil filters for Gen 3 I purchased in bulk from eBay. I think air and cabin filters were from Amazon. The OEM engine filter was a reasonable price, but the Toyota OEM cabin air filter was ridiculously expensive, I ended up buying an aftermarket one. I have read that there are quite a bit of counterfeit OEM parts on Amazon and eBay, so if their price is too good to be true, it usually is a fake.

 

This would be a great thread if people updated it with the latest great deals. I usually just go with Ebay if I have advance notice and buy from whoever has sold at the lowest price... I'm sure all you Amazon weirdos can have similar success. But shipping time is fairly unpredictable and quite often you just have to go to whatever department store or auto parts store has the best price and the time involved in price shopping ain't what it used to be. A couple few years ago you could find the best price in town on each item you needed to by and it would stay that way for a long time. But as we all know predictable pricing is no longer a thing anymore.

 

For engine air filter I bought a reusable aFe Power Pro DRY S synthetic media filter, which I can wash and reuse. I Google searched the part # 31-10228 for the best price, (from a reputable seller).

REVVL V+ 5G ?

 

Dealership parts department here. Their prices aren’t through the roof, keeps it simple, they know their stuff, and makes for an official looking “paper trail”.

 

Same here. I go to the dealer for consumables (filters, oil). Considering how infrequent the changes are (DIY oil twice a year, filters ~30K miles), it doesn't save me all that much shopping around for the best price.

 

Reminds me of the KISS principal: Keep It Simple Stupid. I like the advice you give and plan on following it!

 

When buying stuff at parts department they always ask my phone number, which ties in turn to a particular vehicle, so besides my paper receipts and log they have a record.

not like Walmart lol.

 

I usually go with Amazon but I do shop around. I like to buy wix oil filters and Amazon is always the lowest price so far. Usually the oil is the same price as Walmart so I just go ahead and order it with the filter. I have 2015 Prius v and a 2019 Prius base, so I buy 0-16w and 0-20w.

 

Check the condition of your current filters. Depending on the environment they can LAST.

 

Considering how infrequently those two need to be changed out, even at the dealer price (which I admit seems pretty steep even for California), it’s still pretty cheap. And one thing about Amazon is no matter what the write up says, you never really know what you are getting.
Yet at the same time, I don’t blame you for going the cheaper route. But then again, the price you pay for a Prius Prime, what’s $60?

 

Cabin air filter I don’t get too excited about; they didn’t exist say 20 years ago. Engine air filter I wouldn’t cut corners.

I changed both ours, finally, at around 90k kms (roughly 60k miles): cabin filter was looking a bit knackered; engine filter looked practically brand new. That’s probably it for that car, lol.

 

I wouldn't use an aftermarket part for something as crucial as the engine air filter. A slight misfit results in dust leakage, which results in excess engine wear.

OEM engine air filter is $13.63:

https://parts.culvercitytoyota.com/p/Toyota_2022_Prius-Prime/Air-Filter/62915036/1780121060.html

OEM cabin air filter is $15.41:

https://parts.culvercitytoyota.com/p/Toyota_2022_Prius-Prime/Cabin-Air-Filter/75489811/871390R030.html

 

I couldn’t agree more or say it better. For the security of a Toyota engine air filter over a possibility that something I bought over The Big A (and I used to work for The Big A, and you don’t want to hear those horror stories), that claims to be OEM, for me, Toyota is the way to go. But, having said that, my dealer is only 10 miles away, and the next one is only 15 miles away. So that probably influences my thinking. I have to admit I even entertained the idea of buying oil filters over the “Big A” and then reality struck and I thought “your not THAT MUCH OF A FOOL”, and decided even at twice the price, the engine is well worth the price.

 

Right, if you show up to Culver City Toyota, they will charge you at least the MSRP or perhaps more. However, if you order online at the deeply discounted price, you can go pick it up in person at the dealer without any shipping fee. It only works if you live near Culver City.

 

Sometimes paying a premium at a dealer is still cheaper than buying an aftermarket part at a local auto shop. I had to pick up a cabin air filter in hurry after finding it destroyed by mice.

A local Napa store charged me $34.49 for a regular paper (not even HEPA or carbon) cabin air filter. The closest Toyota dealer is ~2 hours drive. Buying at a dealer in person is not usually an option for me. Just in case mice destroy the cabin air filter again, I ordered aftermarket FRAM cabin air filters on Amazon for $24.49 for 3 packs. Yep, $26.33/each cheaper than Napa or `~80% saving, or 50% to 70% saving from OEM filter from a dealer.

 

Also note that if you go to parts.toyota.com, they list other dealers as well, and some others have decent discounts as well.