My 2005 is coming up on 40k miles (don't laugh!), and I've finally had enough of going to Toyota dealerships for service. One dealer is too far away, and I tried a closer dealership last time who tried to upsell me service I didn't need, so I'm not going back there. I'm in Chicago, so have my pick of various oil change joints (JiffyLube, Oil Express, etc.), but being a first-timer w/ the Prius there, what should I specifically ask for? I noted in other threads to beware of over-fill/top off. What else? Also, I've been good with routine maintenance at pretty much 5k intervals w/ tire rotations, but it looks like my tires are starting to wear. How much life should I expect out of them? I wish I knew of an experienced Prius mechanic on the north side of Chicago, but can't really find anything from Google searches. tips on finding good non-dealership mechanic or service?
I would really not recommend one of the quick oil services. There are too many horror stories on here about the wrong oil being used, overfilling, using the wrong fluids, etc. Hopefully someone from your area will chime in with a good hybrid service site close to you.
I know very little about independent mechanics in Chicago, But I read Car Talk: Mechanics Files | Car Talk Which has a listing of 30,000 mechanics, like these: Motor Care | Car Talk Accurate Imports Incorporated | Car Talk http://www.cartalk.com/content/lin-mar-motors-0
