What services you need and what you don't

[tochatihu]

A/C: the traditional advice is to run the system monthly to redistribute the compressor lubricant. That should be enough until/unless some coolant escapes.

Valve adj: Intake and exhaust valves, nearly immortal in the Prius engine. Unless you hear something clattery there is no advantage to 'letting them go in' and actually there may be disadvantages. I would not be comfortable using shops that press to hard for moneymaker services like this.

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by Drunken_Monk

...The toyota dealer would like me to clean my Throttle Body. They also want me to clean my Mass Air Flow Sensor and Cabin air filter.
I have an 07 Prius with 47,277 miles on it...

If you don't notice any driveability issues or symptoms then you can leave the throttle body and MAF sensor alone.

Regarding the cabin air filter, you can buy the filter from your dealer's parts dept and DIY replacement to avoid the dealer's labor charge; or else you can pay the dealer to do that very simple job for you. That filter is supposed to be replaced no later than 30K mile intervals.

[Drunken_Monk]

Originally Posted by Patrick Wong

If you don't notice any driveability issues or symptoms then you can leave the throttle body and MAF sensor alone.

Thank you Patrick. I don't notice any type of driveability issues however, when the car is done warming up the ICE shuts off (normal opperation) however it shuts off very forcfully. Could the throttle body or MAF be causing that?

I have already ordered the cabin air filter from Kragin.

[curiousdriver]

I'm sorry if this was covered, but my connection at work is a little slow so it would probably take all day to load up and read the 25 pages in this thread.

Why is it considered necessary to re-align when new tires are installed?

The reason I ask is that the alignment is independent of the tires. This would be the same as saying an alignment is needed everytime the tires are rotated, imo.

Or was it implied that it should just be checked?

[galaxee]

check alignment when you get new tires. if your alignment is out then you don't want to wear your brand new expensive tires unevenly, you want to fix it. if it's still good, then no worries.

[butchbs1985]

Seems like the appropriate thread for this:

So my 2005 Prius is almost at 90,000 Miles and the extended warranty will be up at 100,000. I have done regular oil changes and routine maintenance but is there anything that I should have checked before my warranty ends?

Thus far, my oil analysis' have come back normal and I haven't noticed anything odd with routine maintenance or operation of the vehicle.

Thanks!

[rusty houndog]

Originally Posted by butchbs1985

Seems like the appropriate thread for this:

So my 2005 Prius is almost at 90,000 Miles and the extended warranty will be up at 100,000. I have done regular oil changes and routine maintenance but is there anything that I should have checked before my warranty ends?

Thus far, my oil analysis' have come back normal and I haven't noticed anything odd with routine maintenance or operation of the vehicle.

Thanks!

As the old saw says, let sleeping dogs lie. Don't go looking for trouble or asking a service writer to invent warrantee repairs.

Enjoy your Prius and look forward to buying one that plugs in when Toyota starts selling them.

Is there an apocryphal message about the usefulness of expensive warrantee premiums in this question?

[rusty houndog]

Originally Posted by Drunken_Monk

Thank you Patrick. I don't notice any type of driveability issues however, when the car is done warming up the ICE shuts off (normal opperation) however it shuts off very forcfully. Could the throttle body or MAF be causing that?

I have already ordered the cabin air filter from Kragin.

Your question includes a relative assessment; one man's forcefully is another man's normal.
The ICE and electric motors are balanced against each other by the computer while the ICE is running at idle. When the ICE stops after heating to normal temperature, that balance is stopped. What you are perceiving is the motor and mounts reacting to the unbalance created when they both stop "fighting" each other.

It's in the programming which can not always match every tick in individual systems because it is a single program without advanced AI learning ability around ICE idle shut-down.

[bknd2rc]

My 2005 Prius just passed 100K. the dealer recommended changing the inverter fluid at $289.00 and spark plugs at $150.00 plus. I drive freeway early in the am an late at night 90% of the time. Are these repairs necessary?

[efusco]

Inverter yes....but the price seems high.
The spark plugs...yes, but @$150 he better bring the KY Jelly....that's ridiculous.