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New owner of an '08, have a few concerns

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by wowbobwow, Feb 28, 2013.

  1. wowbobwow

    wowbobwow Junior Member

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    Hi everyone! I bought a 2008 Prius with 59k miles from CarMax two days ago, and I'm absolutely in love. I traded my 2006 VW Jetta TDI for this thing after one too many major breakdowns, and the Prius feels like a big chunk of future on four wheels!

    I've been reading all the awesome info available here for newbs like myself, but I have a couple questions / concerns I haven't seen addressed:

    • CarMax did what they claim is equivalent to the 60k mile service before it was made available for sale. However, I just checked the oil (engine warm but not hot - it's about an hour after I drove home from work at freeway speeds for ~45 minutes), and the oil looks nice and new, but it's roughly 2/3 of an inch above the dot closest to the dipstick handle. I've been seeing many warnings against overfilling the oil on a Prius, both from a MPG and potential damage standpoint. Is this enough to be worried about, or do those warnings really relate to severe overfilling?
    • Also, according to the Toyota website, the car is under warranty till I hit 60,000 miles, which (at my rate of commuting) will be in a matter of weeks. I'm planning to take it to my local dealer to ensure that all the various recall services have been performed (the website is strangely vague about this - it lists the recalls, but never states if they were performed on this car or not), but will the dealer also give it an inspection to see if there are any issues that CarMax didn't catch?
    • I have several manuals in the glove box for the Nav system, warranty, etc., but nothing that looks like "The Manual" - no giant book crammed with all the details about the car. Will Toyota provide me a copy while I'm under warranty, or will I need to buy one?
    • Is it worth the hassle / expense of trying to upgrade the Nav system / stereo to support A2DP bluetooth music streaming for my iPhone? I see tons of modules available online around $100-$150, but few trustworthy reviews...

    Thanks for any insight you can provide into any of the questions above! I promise to learn as much as I can and provide help to the next crop of newbies, once I'm a Prius vet...

    Here's my new baby!

    IMG_5711.JPG
     
    #1 wowbobwow, Feb 28, 2013
  2. wb9tyj

    wb9tyj 2017 Prius Prime Advanced

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    welcome to the forum...to start with the oil level should be between the lower dot (closest to the handle) and the upper dot...however, the oil level should just be below the upper dot...farthest from handle...but not over ...
    as far as recalls go...the dealer can look up the VIN and see if the recalls were done...they can advise you if it was done or not...however, dealers also have a tendency to advise on a bunch of little things which add up...so just go with recalled items...also one thing to check is to see if the small 12 volt battery , in the back passenger side of the car has been replaced...i have an 09 and i just replaced mine...this battery starts the car when you push the start button...it gives you very little warning when it quits...($150-200) ...as far as a manual goes...you can download a manual or find one on line, or the dealer can order one...IMO the idea of an upgrade on the display can be done but its a hassle and probably not worth it...
     
    #2 wb9tyj, Mar 1, 2013
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  3. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    #3 JimboPalmer, Mar 1, 2013
  4. wowbobwow

    wowbobwow Junior Member

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    Thanks for the feedback and suggestions, wb9tyj and Jimbo. I spoke with my top-rated local dealer late yesterday (after I submitted my post), and they had similar suggestions.

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Toyota Owners website is both awesome and kind of annoying. They offer the owner's manual as a PDF (awesome!), but it's broken into dozens of separate files (annoying). They show the recalls that have been announced for any Toyota car (awesome!), but make it super vague if your car still needs these (annoying).

    I'm going to take my new(ish) Prius to the dealer tomorrow to have two recall services performed (water pump and steering column), and they're going to give it a multi-point inspection to see what else the CarMax guys may have missed. I'm hoping I can convince them to drain some of the oil too, but maybe I'd be better off having them do a full oil-change - I'm starting to lose confidence that CarMax did it right and/or used the right oil.

    Thanks again for the help, though - I appreciate it!
     
    #4 wowbobwow, Mar 1, 2013
  5. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    May consider a Transaxle fluid change. Not a flush. Just a drain and fill. Should be done every 60,000 miles. Maybe do it in a few months.
     
    #5 JMD, Mar 1, 2013
  6. wowbobwow

    wowbobwow Junior Member

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    Thanks for the suggestion, JMD, I'll be sure to look into that!

    BTW - for those of you who are out of the Toyota warranty (as I will be soon), do you still go to your dealer for service, or do you work with independent shops to save money?
     
    #6 wowbobwow, Mar 1, 2013
  7. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    Great Question. Many people are divided on this issue. Some call Dealers $tealers and others enjoy the Dealer experience.

    This is my take. The dealer charges more in some but not all cases. Is that worth it? You get back a Team of experts with the right equipment and training. Not all Dealers are created equal. Some are down right awful and others exceed my expectations.

    Some independants are great at routine maintennace but give them a complex problem and they cannot deliver. However some are very talented. Avi has a shop in Los Angeles and is a regular on Prius Chat. He works on Prius only. He is an expert. You can trust him to deliver. Dewpends on where you live and what is available.

    Your a smart guy to get the car inspected and the recall done. The 2 pieces of advice the board suggests is:

    1) Pull the dealer service report for the vin # of your car and see how well you car was cared for or ask the dealer to print it out for you.
    2) Change out the 12V battery if the report says it was never changed. It will fail so best to be proactive.
    3) Change the Transaxle fluid unless the service report says it was done. The transaxle is a major expense and can go at the 100,000 to 150,000 mile mark. To prevent this drain and fill at the 30,000 mile mark and every 60,000 miles therefater. That seems to be the show stopper for many older Priuses. Worth to get that done.

    Best of luck!
     
    #7 JMD, Mar 1, 2013
  8. billinmd

    billinmd Member

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    I was told by CarMax in Laurel, MD, just last month when we bought our 2009, that if the car did not have an owner's manual in it I could order it and they would reimburse. You might want to contact CarMax and see if your local CarMax will do the same.

    I agree with you about the Toyota Owner's site... Having the manual in so many small chunks can be annoying!
     
    #8 billinmd, Mar 1, 2013
  9. billinmd

    billinmd Member

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    One more suggestion - check and see if it was ever sold as a Toyota Certified Pre-Owned automobile. I found out via CarFax that mine was, and I called Toyota to confirm (1-800-228-8559). Since mine was once sold (in 2011) as CPO from Toyota, the power train warranty is extended to 7 years from the in-service date, or 100,000 miles, so I'm covered until April 2016.

    Good info to have, although you'll hopefully never need it.
     
    #9 billinmd, Mar 1, 2013
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  10. billinmd

    billinmd Member

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    Sorry for one more comment :) I took my 2009 to the dealer for service three days after purchasing from CarMax, for a couple reasons. First, I wasn't sure that CarMax did the service properly, or used the right oil. Second, you have a seven day period in which you can return the car to CarMax with no questions asked. I wanted the dealer to take a good hard look at the car and make sure I didn't miss anything.... that way I could still return in my seven day window if need be. Lastly, I didn't know if any of the recalls had been done - - even though this particular CarMax is also CarMax Toyota Laurel.

    Too cautious? Maybe... but it made me feel better.

    It turns out that they hadn't done any of the recalls, so I had those done. Other than that, nothing major was found.

    We're loving the car and couldn't be happier with it.
     
    #10 billinmd, Mar 1, 2013
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  11. ewxlt66

    ewxlt66 Active Member

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    This is helpful stuff.
     
    #11 ewxlt66, Mar 1, 2013
  12. wowbobwow

    wowbobwow Junior Member

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    Wow, you guys rock - thanks for all the awesome info! I'm booking my dealer appointment today, and I'll report back with their findings (if you are interested).
     
    #12 wowbobwow, Mar 1, 2013
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  13. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    Let us know how it works out
     
    #13 JMD, Mar 1, 2013
  14. wowbobwow

    wowbobwow Junior Member

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    Quick update: Dropped the car off at the local Toyota dealer on Saturday, and I sprung for the $165 "Used Car Inspection." They went over all the major (and some of the minor), and gave it a completely clean bill of health. I also had them drain the oil to the correct level, and the engine seems to be running more smoothly and quieter now, though that might all be psychosomatic. The battery tested fine as well, and I'll set aside some money to have the transaxle fluid changed ASAP as a preventative measure.

    The dealer also gave me a full printout of the entire service history of the car for my records, which is nice to have.

    Thanks again for all the helpful suggestions!
     
    #14 wowbobwow, Mar 4, 2013
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  15. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    Nice. Enjoy the car !
     
    #15 JMD, Mar 4, 2013
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