Ten Thousand Miles or Near That Yet???

I'm at 9200 miles since 1/11/16. The car is holding up quite well, in fact it is still getting better.

 

I just went 5,000 last week. At 5,200 or thereabouts now. Going for my first schedule maintenance tomorrow. I've had the car since the 29th of Feb and the car is great. I love it, still and am very happy with it.

 

I had the oil changed at my first service visit (about 3,500 miles). I will have it changed again at 10,000 and then stay on the every 10K routine.

 

I was just going to follow the manufacturer's schedule. Do they change the oil at 5?

 

No, not unless you ask them to. I paid for the "extra" oil change. Just an old school thing to do to eliminate any manufacturing debris that could be in the engine - probably not really required.

 

I'm now at about 10,300 miles since 2/20/16 and the car performs excellently.

 

Kevin, any concerns about the dealer putting in the right oil? And are you positive they rotated the tires? I'm sure you've read the horror stories.

I think I will drive out to Longo Toyota for my first service. Where did you go? Thanks.

 

I went to Power Toyota in Cerritos. I have not had any issues with them. Toyota gives BIG credence with out-of-warrantee repair costs when you can show a history of dealer visits. So a little more to have the dealer do the service paid off for me in the past.

 

Oh no!

Kevin, I did have issues at Toyota of Cerritos. The young service advisor wrote up all kinds of phony repairs on my 2005 Camry. This guy couldn't have been more than 19 years old. What the heck does he know?!

I went in there for a simple oil change, three hours later, and he comes back with a huge laundry list of broken items, such as ... phony Power steering fluid leaks, broken motor mounts, hoses that are busted, a leaky Rack & Pinion… It was all lies. I think they purposely smeared some power steering fluid on the lines, to make it look like it was leaking.

I never, ever, had any fluid that ever leaked out onto the ground, and the reservoirs were never low, and the rack & Pinion was fine and the steering never made any noise whatsoever. And the motor mount thing was just plain ridiculous! I keep my car engines detailed and very clean, and I never ever spotted any leaks or low fluid or oil levels. That guy was just a jerk! I think they really try and stick it to older people, who are driving older vehicles.

After I read him the riot act, one of his coworkers told me that that Service writer lies his nice person off. I wrote a scathing letter to the general manager, but I never heard back.

I don't know what it is, maybe somebody can explain it to me, why there are so many dishonest people involved in auto sales and repairs!? (Reminds me of plumbers! And home remodeling contractors! All the ripoff guys go into those three careers!)

(Actually, Longo Toyota ripped me off too. LOL! Went in there for warranty work, and they claimed my valve cover gasket's were leaking. Again, no oil was ever found on the ground, oil level always was full. Yet they find this big leak in the gaskets. They had the car for three days! When they put the engine back together, the service advisor told me they found it was still leaking! Then I'm driving home on the freeway, and the check engine light comes on!! They broke the oxygen sensor. So I go round and round with the service manager and the service advisor,... about ready to belt somebody... so out of the kindness of their heart they took $200 off of the $700 bill.
That old Camry got terrible gas mileage, but it ran very well. Never ever had any leaks or engine trouble of any kind. Again, those guys just lied. Needless to say, I am sick and tired of Toyota Service departments. I sure wish I could find a good independent Prius mechanic.)

 

The best defense is knowledge. I have worked in the repair industry and have witnessed many things that were upsetting.
I have managed to build a relationship with the service manager at Power Toyota in Cerritos. I go see him each time I take either of my cars in and we review the situation. He has been a help to me a couple of times and I now give him a little trust.
Like I said above, if Toyota sees a history of dealer visits then they will be more likely to overlook the warantee ending period. I got expensive new headlights and replacement of a "melted" trunk latch by being a good customer. And having the ammunition from this website that showed me others had had the same issues and had gotten consideration from Toyota.
I had a bad experience at Longo when purchasing a car when I was a younger man. I will not go back there, but continue to use their lowball prices to negotiate with other dealers.

 

Are you POSITIVE they put in 0W-20 oil in your Prius? I always bring my own oil. But how can we tell if they used it???


I apologize for sounding so negative, but all the dishonesty is so damn ridiculous. It really makes me angry. Lots of those Service departments try and take advantage of elderly people, and probably lots of women, too. Heck, just about any customer!

 

I'll hit 10,000 on Wednesday, so I will probably do the change this weekend. Still haven't decided what oil to use and would entertain suggestions. No problems with the car at all -- a total gem.

 

I think I am the winner so far! I got my 2016/Two on 02/20/2016 and just hit 13,000 miles!! I've been to two different dealerships for my 5,000 and 10,000 mile services (dealership close to work/dealership where purchased).
I wish I would have read more reviews and tips and been more involved when dropping her off. I don't assume every service tech goes to work with intentions of doing a crummy job....but, I will be more aware at my 3rd service!

 

My work commute is 85-100 miles round trip. I have always lived in rural areas so a 30 min drive to town has always been normal for me. My Prius is my first new car so I never cared about putting miles on them before!

 

5235miles bought April. Still original engine oil.

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