Question re: 75,000 mile service

that's not a horrible price, but they should do it for free when putting on snows. no problem waiting until then. your manuals show you where the fluid reservoirs are and toyota has provided a maintenance schedule in there. disregard any dealer advice beyond that. there are threads here detailing a few things you might want to do beyond toyota's advice if you plan to keep the car for a long time.

 

most dealers will try to upsell you. always refuse and do your research. you can always go back for anything at a later date. if they said anything to me about the optima, i would tell them to bring the car around 'as i'm leaving and will not be back'.

 

Julia2001,

When it comes to having your Prius serviced at a dealer, you have two choices:
* Let the dealer dictate what will be done. This usually comes in the form of a
dealer created "xxK mile service package." Typically it is not Prius specific and
has many "checks" and "visual inspections" of dubious value, if even applicable.
* You tell the dealer exactly what you want. For typical Gen II 5K mile servicing
that would be oil and filter, tire rotation, and cabin filter inspection -- you should
look at it, if it's not torn it can most often be cleaned with a vacuum or high pressure
air.

The key here is do not ask for a "xxxK mile service." Don't even tell them how many
miles your car has. Just tell them what you want, Period.

While I live in Maryland, each year I travel to my family's "farm" in the Turner, Maine,
area. I routinely use Emerson Toyota on Rte. 4, north of Auburn for 5k mile servicing,
even if it's up to 1k miles early, or I'll go up to 1k miles over just to use them. The service
writers don't bat an eye at setting my tire pressures at 42f/40r, they'll show you the cabin
filter without hesitation, and talking to the servicing tech is no big deal, no upsell pressure
whatsoever. I've had my car serviced at five different dealers from Maine to Florida, and
this dealer is my favorite.

Two weeks ago I did a 5k mile service there -- it just happened to be at 75k miles ;-)
It cost ~$65 dollars, so $75 isn't entirely out of line for the area.

[Edit] The first time I used these folks, I took the service writer out to my car before I paid
the bill. I then checked the oil level and tire pressures. They were both correct. This may
have "set the tone" for my subsequent positive experiences there. (I do this at all first time
dealer serviceings, they haven't all been so positive.)

 

As a corrective to the dealer's natural instinct to upsell, always check the Scheduled Maintenance Guide that came with the car. If you don't have a copy see here:
Toyota Parts and Service

 

ha, i thought you fixed it. i don't remember seeing the details before. cabin filter, oil and filter and rotation make it a great deal imo. you can wait until you need another oil change tho, it doesn't have to be at 75,000 miles.

 

The brake inspection should be free. This is because they will hope to sell you on a brake job, which you should resist - or at minimum, ask to be shown why your brakes need work. Don't accept the word of the service writer without going out to the shop and looking at the car yourself.

There is no driveshaft to lubricate so don't worry about that.

If you have not yet replaced your transaxle ATF, this should be done at 60K miles. This is a fairly easy DIY job if you have jackstands and the right tools including a 24 mm socket, 10 mm hex key socket, 1/2" socket wrench, torque wrench and breaker bar. Tightening torque of the drain and fill plugs is 29 ft.-lb. There are many posts about how to do that.

Engine compartment fluids, working from left to right as you face the engine compartment:

1. Windshield washer reservoir. This is a very large container that usually will hold bluish fluid. Fill this with windshield washer fluid. Since you live in an area with cold winters, buy fluid with methanol, rated to 0 degrees F.

2. Brake fluid reservoir. This is a very small container that has amber fluid. The side of the container has marks for MAX and MIN fluid levels. The fluid should be near MAX. If not, use brake fluid from a new sealed container with a DOT3 rating. The reason for the "sealed container" business is because brake fluid likes to absorb water. Hence it is not advisable to use old fluid that has been sitting around for a while.

3. Engine coolant reservoir. This is mounted behind the radiator and contains pinkish antifreeze. The reservoir has lines that show max and min fluid levels. If you need to add fluid to the radiator itself, you will first need to remove the large black plastic cover over the radiator since that hides the radiator cap.

To remove the cover, note there are six plastic fasteners holding it in place. To remove a fastener, use a Philips screwdriver to rotate the fastener while applying upwards pressure on the cover. That will cause the fastener to pop up and release the cover.

The plastic is somewhat fragile and you may break a fastener or two. No worries, just buy replacements at your local Toyota dealer's parts dept.

The correct coolant is Toyota Super Long Life Coolant. Do not be tempted to use a cheap substitute. Note that this coolant will cost around $25 for one gallon, premixed with distilled water.

4. Inverter coolant reservoir. This is mounted on the side of the inverter and contains pinkish antifreeze. It has max and min fluid level markings. If needed, remove the cap and add Toyota SLLC to the max fluid mark.