battery losing charge whilst driving

too soon for brake fluid and coolant. read your maintenance manual from the manufacturer of the vehicle.

fuel economy maximizer? ru as fast as you can.

never say the word jiffy, on these forums. if you don't have a local mechanic, shop dealers for tranny fluid replacement.

if he looked at the cabin air filter, and it was dirty, he could have replaced it with no additional labor.

 

just the tranny, and only because most of the experts here agree that toyota's 'lifetime' terminology is for marketing, and not because there aren't contaminants.

generally, dealers come up with their own very profitable maintenance schedule. they are independent businesses, with only a superficial connection to toyota.

if you can find one to do the tranny fluid for under a hundred dollars, that's reasonable. it's a simple 4 qt. drain and refill, with new crush washers on the plugs.

 

Those items are inspected at the 60k service. There is no recommendation to replace those fluids, just check them. Repeat: Toyota does not recommend changing any fluids other than the engine oil.

 

What the heck is a "fuel economy maximiser"? It could be the procedure of charging a naive customer a high price to do absolutely nothing, in which case you should take bisco's advice to "run as fast as you can" from that shop. At best, it could be a particular shop's marketing term for some combination of procedures that might or might not be needed, e.g., filter replacement, throttle-body cleaning, etc.

 

They are ripping you off. Pay them if you like but its all hogwash. The "maximizer" is the tip-off that these people are crooks.

 

Classic 'Stealership 101' scare tactics. 'Are ya feeling lucky?'

 

the best way to get first hand knowledge of dealership practices, is to go to another one, and see how their recommendations vary. then you will know what they are making up, and what is actually necessary.

if the second dealership recommends the 'fuel baloney maximiser', go for it.

 

The big question is do you think you will get $250 worth of "fuel maximized" improvement? If you are using top tier gasoline (there was a thread posted in another forum yesterday), you should not be generating a lot of carbon buildup. With the egr though, carbon deposits will occur, requiring attention at some point. The feedback has been question this and get another dealers input for comparison. Have you asked the dealer the time involved or what they will be taking Apart to do the service? The more things they touch, the more risk you run of something else going awry. Remember, they are a business and some are only looking to get more money without offering the value for the service provided. iMHO, I would not do the service as you will not get $250 worth of improvement.

 

LOL, that fuel injector cleaning scam is a dealer favorite for ripping people off.
Don't know what else can be said, but this dealer is a crook. Toyota has recommended service for a reason, either follow it or don't. Unless you are towing trailers, spending a lot of time off-road or some other "heavy use" scenario there's no justification for replacing tranny or coolant fluids. Even then its arguable at 60k.

 

The manual does not say "replace" anywhere for those fluids, so what's the confusion?
There are some folks who say you should replace to err on the side of caution. But Toyota does not recommend replacing. Why do you think they need to recommend NOT doing something? Look through the maintenance schedules, do you see anywhere where they say replace?

Actually in a high mileage car the fluids should last a lot longer. Its low mileage cars you need to watch out for - lots of short trips.

 

the only hard info we can gove you is the manual. you are correct, 'inspect and adjust' means to check the levels and top up as necessary. even though the systems are closed, there is no system that can completely contain fluid, and over time, there may be small amounts needed to top up. if during inspection, a large drop is noticed, it's time to look for a leak.

regarding the tranny fluid, again, some knowledgable people here have sent it out to blackstone labs for testing. due to the amount of contaminants in the fluid, the lab recommended changing. however, toyota calls it lifetime, and it's really up to you.

the reason we come to priuschat is for more detailed knowledge and experience, that dealers just don't take the time to do. but there is no scientific consensus here, and we're all left to make decisions ourselves.

there is one thread you probably should read. it was done by the wife of a certified prius mechanic, back in the day. and while a few of the systems have changed over the years, most still apply. it is called 'what services you need and what you don't'. the members name is 'galaxee' and you can find it in the gen 2 prius forums, in the 'care maintenance and troubleshooting' forum. pinned near the top.

all the best!

 

Does it come on every 5000 miles? Then it's really only saying "some" service is due. US oil change interval is 10000 miles or 12 months, whichever comes first. And, with all the intervals being distance or time, the maintenance light could be completely out-of-sync. It's just counting clicks.

As far as maintenance, what's needed and when, the manuals with all the info are available for download (if they're missing): just google "Toyota Techinfo", click on the "manuals" tab on the first link, fill in your vehicle info.

Regarding the engine and cabin filters: you're not obligated to change them; you should just check them. If they're in good condition there's no reason to change them. When the engine filter is moderately to heavily grunged I would change it. With the cabin filter in similar condition, I'd be much more inclined to knock the dust off, and hit it with compressed air from the reverse direction. Even a vacuum cleaner that you can reverse the hoses to blow would do the trick.

 

yes, you can upload dealership names and statements. they are for public consumption, shame and embarrassment.
dealership is fine for the tranny fluid, as long as it's a hundred bucks or so.