Just bought a Prius - What kind of maintenance things should I do?

congrats and welcome! what kind of mpg's did you get on your test drive?

 

Do you have any access to service records?
Others will chime in, but if I remember correctly, it's probably due for:

Engine coolant change
Inverter coolant change
Spark plug change
Maybe an MAF clean
Maybe a PCV valve replacement

The transaxle fluid may be a debate. Many say to replace it but I read one account on here of late replacement possibly leading to transaxle failure, possibly due to loosened debris/solids.

You might also explore doing some items yourself or researching local, independent facilities. Dropping the car off at a dealer service department could get quite expensive.

Let's see what else gets posted here. Hope you got a good'un.

 

First of all "Welcome to Prius Chat!"

For other's who are looking at this string, refer to the following link to view the Ebay sale on the car. We all know new users have to make at least five posts before they can post links and stuff.

Toyota Prius Prius IV | eBay

What I saw is this. The individual appears to be in business selling used vehicles for the past five years. Also the Ebay Feedback Rating is good. So that is two good things in your favor.

Now to answer your question about maintenance. At 120K several things should have been done or need to be done. These are as follows.

Change Spark Plugs. Be sure to use the correct Iridium Denso or NGK Plugs. Normally changed at 120K. Also, inspect igniters while you are doing the plugs. Look for arcs, corrosion, cracks etc. Replace any suspect igniters.
Drain & Refill both Coolant Loops. That means the coolant for the engine AND the coolant for the hybrid section (inverter/transaxle). There are two separate loops that utilize one radiator which is divided into two sections. When doing this procedure care must be taken to bleed ALL of the air out of both systems. Detailed instructions can be found here on Prius Chat for those who DIY. Otherwise, I strongly urge you to contact Toyota for the coolant change.
Drain & Refill Transaxle. NO flush needed, just a drain and refill.
Replace ICE Air Filter.
Replace Cabin Air Filter.
Clean Throttle Bore.
Clean MAF.
Change Engine Oil & Filter.
Rotate Tires.
Inspect Brakes and other safety items for proper and safe operation.
Check voltage on 12 volt auxiliary battery. Consider replacing if voltage is less than 12 volts after sitting overnight. When checking the 12 volt battery use a digital volt meter at the battery posts with NO load or at the jump post under the hood. A fully charged AGM battery should measure 12.8 volts with NO load. Anything below 12.0 volts is getting borderline. 11.5 volts and below is history and should be replaced immediately.
Inspect ICE Water Pump for leakage and Serpentine Belt for Cracking. Repair if needed.

After that just basic oil and filter changes, along with tire rotation every 5000 miles.

Be certain to use only the fluids that Toyota specifies. For best results I also recommend Toyota filters, especially the oil filter. Skimp on the other filters if you so choose, but use a good quality oil filter for the Prius.

You can also register the car by VIN # at Toyota Owners Official Web Site: Service Coupons, Owner's Manuals, Service Scheduling And More once you have done that you can download the maintenance schedule, review any outstanding recalls, plus look to see what records are there that shows all work that was done by Toyota dealerships. Any owner done maintenance will NOT appear unless they had a Toyota dealer do the work for them.

There are probably more items that need to be addressed above that I might have overlooked as I listed it by memory.

Learn about hypermiling for best MPG. Links are in my signature below that pertain to Gen II Prius. Click on the links in my signature below to learn more about the Gen II Prius.

Best of luck to you and again "Welcome to Prius Chat!"

Ron (dorunron)

 

Here's some good ideas on service;

Prius 30k Service

 

did you see the eBay ad ?
120k miles?? ... Without even a 30 or 60 day warranty? That Prius has more than 4 times the mileage recommended at 30k miles. The worst thing is the seller only has 97% positive feedback. That means more than 1 out of each 50 of his customers felt ripped off from their transactions with him .
We've purchased 2 cars on eBay but the sellers never had less 99% positive feedback. You can do a lot better then buying a Prius with no warranty.
.

 

Yeah, I saw the AD.

What makes you think that continuing service uses any method different than the procedures used in 30k service?

I'm giving the OP ideas on how Prius Service is different than servicing a regular car.


There's always jerks like anywhere else on eBay. My own feedback rating is 99% plus with closed to 5,000 positive feedbacks. I've done over 15,000 transactions. A lot of people don't leave feedback.

 

My 07 prius was in an accident about 5 years ago, but I have not had a problem since having it repaired at the auto body shop. It was crushed by a huge 4x4 truck at the front end. It now has 220,000 miles with a new water pump, and now needs a catalytic converter. All other maintenance was done as mentioned above.

 

hill,

I am not trying to nitpick or discredit you, but if you look at the feedback and read the entries you will see a history of five years of selling vehicles, plus other items. After that you see various items and no vehicles. In the five years of selling those vehicles on Ebay, the seller had one negative out of 175 transactions.

Below is the negative feedback. Read what it says. Note that the seller was actually trying to help the bidder since there appeared to be a problem with a title. Yeah, seller's error but maybe it wasn't discovered until after the auction had closed.

I Bid an win, seller sold the car Under me , seller is a crook, to bad for eBay Buyer:
g***a ( 66) Jun-19-13 17:32

• Reply by cte2005 (Aug-25-13 13:20):
  I saved U mass prblms sending car back 2 auction house when I couldn't get title

Dodge : Viper R/T 10 (#151057264500) US $20,250.00

Source: eBay Feedback Profile for cte2005

I am not trying to defend the seller, but I think the feedback is pretty good for the time the seller was selling the vehicles.

I just hope that Rxgolfer has good luck and good service out of his/her 2008 Prius.

Ron (dorunron)

 

The 30k mile frequency things are not all there is. That's all I'm saying. Since its past 120k miles, you'd wana know if any or all of the high mileage services had been done ... like if the inverter coolant had been changed ... Plugs ... pollution control valve, just to mention a few. Here's where I recommend newbies look for important maintenance goodies relating to Gen II's

What services you need and what you don't | PriusChat
.

 

Where does it say it's been in an accident?

 

If it's the service quotation you posted that's not an accident but something electrically failed most likely a dead 12 volt boot battery which is the most common malady ever on a Prius.
Thousands and thousands of posts about a dead 12 volt battery on this site. People jump start there dead 12 volt incorrectly apparently and blow the electrical system up resulting in $ xxxx.xx bill.
Especially tow truck drivers.

In fact its really the first thing you should replace. About $200.

 

My understanding is that the OP made the winning bid on eBay, prior to any inspection. That is highly risky behavior and I would discourage that practice.

Now that he has won, he is wondering how he should inspect the car and what to look for. Here are the items that would be on my list:

1. What does the title look like? If the title is "salvaged" or "flood damage", then I would back out of the transaction.
2. Look carefully for VIN stickers on the hood, hatch, four doors, and both front and rear fenders. If you don't find a sticker then you will know that the part at minimum was repainted and perhaps is a replacement of the original equipment body panel.
3. Look at the engine compartment. Are all fluids at the correct level? Look at the engine oil dipstick. Does the oil look in reasonable condition? Remove the black panel over the radiator and take the radiator cap off. Is the pink coolant in normal condition or do you see any oil contamination? Look at the tire tread depth. 10/32" is new while 2/32" requires replacement.
4. Make the Prius READY. If you see any warning lights remaining on, that is a big problem. Back out of the transaction.
5. Test all electrical accessories to verify their functionality. Bring a CD along to test the stereo system. Make sure the power windows and locks operate. Make sure the heater and the air conditioner function in the cabin ventilation system. Make sure that the MFD controls and the steering wheel controls all function.
6. Note the accumulated mpg displayed on the MFD and clear it. Then see what the mpg is during your test drive.
7. Drive the car. See how the powertrain responds when you floor the accelerator pedal. Any visible tailpipe emissions?
8. See if the car stops smoothly. See if the steering tracks smoothly. When you are on a smooth surface, driving on a straight highway, is the steering wheel centered? Do you have to constantly move the steering wheel back and forth in order to drive in a straight line?
9. During the city driving portion of your test drive, make sure the drivetrain behaves as a hybrid should. After the engine has warmed up, when the car is stopped, the engine should turn off. When you slowly accelerate, there should be a smooth transition between electric power and gasoline power.

Good luck with your purchase.

 

Ok thats not good. I don't see the accident mentioned in the eBay ad and it took frame damage. Thats very hinky.

And a repossession to boot. Car has been through some shite for sure.

Very rare a Prius accident resulting in frame damage that the insurance company did not total out. Very rare indeed based on what we see here on this site.