The dumbest thing you were told at a dealership or repair shop

I was told by the dealership that a Prius transaxle fluid change would cost $350.

 

I was told by my Service Advisor that you cannot trust these car forums such as Prius Chat since you can post anything on the internet

 

the dealership parts department told me i couldn't buy wiper blade refills. you could only buy the whole wiper blade.



i walked out. bought the refills from parts.com.

btw if you have a 2010 prius use the numbers for the 2011 at parts.com. the passenger number is for an 18" when the real size is 19"

 

He was projecting.

 

I had my 2010 IV in to the dealer for an oil change and their '27-point inspection' listed my front brake pad as 6mm, but the rear was just noted as 'drum'. Maybe they did a real careful inspection of the rear of someone else's car, since the 2010 has 4-wheel disc brakes.

 

Does the Prius have transaxle fluid? If so, how much does it cost to change it?

I'm asking because my CR-V has rear differential fluid, which I was told lubricates the all-wheel-drive system and has to be changed every 30,000 miles. The cost is $200. I'm due for it in a couple of months.

 

If you don't mind crawling under the car and getting a little messy, the rear differential fluid is straight forward to change. The cost of a hand oil pump and synthetic gear fluid should under $50 for the CR-V.

My Toyota dealer wanted $80 to do a visual inspection of the Prius.

 

Thanks, Trollbait. Not an option in my case, as I am nowhere near mechanically inclined and have no tools. I also live in an apartment complex. Nice that the pump and synthetic fluid are so cheap, though.

Eighty smackers for a visual inspection, huh? Wow. Guess you can't blame him for trying.

 

The dropped off my BMW at the dealer because the engine sputtered when I started up the car in the driveway. In the afternoon, the service advisor called me and told me the engine sputters because the rims are bent!!!???!!??? He said everything was reported to be OK by the tech now after he took it out for a drive. I asked him how the sputtering went away if the wheels were bent? He told me that they probably straigtened themselve up after the test drive.

 

Friday - I change all the air filters as part of my normal DIY maintenance.

Saturday - Take Prius in for recall. Get call that the "free inspection" has found "Blah, Blah, Blah, Air Filters are dirty and need replacement, Blah, Blah, Blah."

One of the very few times I started yelling at someone on the phone......

 

Many years ago I had a mechanic bring me a dirty air filter in the waiting room to show me how dirty it was. Same story as yours, except the dirty air filter he brought in wasn't even from my model of car.

 

A strip fuse for the A/C blower motor blew on my afore-posted '91 MBZ. I took it to the local dealer parts dept and showed it to the monkey behind the counter after waiting in line for 10 minutes. He looked at it and said "what's that?" This is a true story, I'm not making this up.
I was taken aback and lost my words for a moment and said "the blower fuse". He started looking at his computer screen and punching away asked for the year and model of the car. Then he asked me if the car was a sedan, coupe, or convertible.
I said it doesn't matter because all the cars shared the same fuse. Then he asked me if the fuse came from the engine compartment, trunk or interior of the car. After 15 minutes, he couldn't find it and said "I'm sorry but without a part number we can't help you".
I almost lost it here but went outside to find a service "concierge" taking in cars driven in for service. He was dressed in a white coat with a tie and holding a pad. He looked at it said he didn't know what it was either but an older mechanic working there could perhaps identify it.
However he was on his break right now and would return in another half an hour. I almost stomped out but I caught a working mechanic and explained to him what had happened. He laughed real hard and said he'll be back. Well he came back with a part number and I finally went back to the monkey to get the fuse. They charged me $3.93 for something that costs 50 cents. From the time I parked my car to the time I left, it took 1 hour. What happened to parts guys that know parts?

 

Between $75 and $150 at a dealership, every 60,000 miles (Toyota has no scheduled interval, but 60,000 is fine. 30,000 miles suits some folks better.)

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...iy-transmission-fluid-change.html#post1119627 for DIYers.

 

Ah, thanks much.

 

If your spark plug looks like this:

Then it's time to have the dealer fix the lean mixture

If your spark plug looks like this:

Then it's time to have the dealer fix the rich mixture

If your spark plug looks like this:

Then it's time for a new dealer (if not a new car).