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Mobile Mechanic San Francisco area Recommendation?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Taxi/Limo, Jan 15, 2020.

  1. Taxi/Limo

    Taxi/Limo Active Member

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    Do any of you have a mobile mechanic in the San Francisco area you can recommend ?
    I want to do my own work but I need someone that know what they are doing so the job doesn't take weeks to do
    Thank You
     
  2. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    What are you looking to do:whistle:?
     
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  3. Taxi/Limo

    Taxi/Limo Active Member

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    Change out my brake fluid (The dealer said I need to )
    Change out my front bumper cover replace the left blinker assembly
     
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Did dealership give you a quote? They'll typically charge around $100~125. If it's a lot more, try some others.

    It takes about an hour to DIY, plus the time to raise the car and remove wheels. Two pints of Toyota DOT3 fluid is what I use, costs around $7 (CDN) per pint for me.

    Have you watched @NutzAboutBolts video? Very helpful.

    You do need to be careful, have the car in "invalid mode". Don't just hire some cowboy who thinks he/she knows better.

    Some Repair Manual info attached. Note, they recommend to start with front/right go counterclockwise:
     
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  5. Chazman62

    Chazman62 Member

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    Brake Fluid gone bad already?
    How many miles and how old is your Prius?
     
  6. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Did you upgrade the 2010, or just add a Prime to your fleet? o_O
     
  7. Taxi/Limo

    Taxi/Limo Active Member

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    2010 with 79k miles no record of fluid being changed ever

    Thanks
     
    #7 Taxi/Limo, Jan 16, 2020
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2020
  8. Taxi/Limo

    Taxi/Limo Active Member

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    I don't understand
     
  9. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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  10. Taxi/Limo

    Taxi/Limo Active Member

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    Vehicle:
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    Walnut Creek Toyota gave me a 160 dollar quote
    Thanks for the information

    Out of curiosity do I really need to worry about exchanging brake fluid since this 2010 has 79k on it?
    There is no record of the fluid being changed yet
    Does the fact that the brake pedal goes down more than before have anything to do with fluid?
    Thanks
     
  11. Taxi/Limo

    Taxi/Limo Active Member

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  12. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    Model:
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    The real question: When if ever were your front brake pads changed out for new ones ?


    Rob43
     
  13. Taxi/Limo

    Taxi/Limo Active Member

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    No Record of this
     
  14. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    OK.

    Brake Pads:
    There's a reasonable chance that your front brake pads have never been replaced. "If" you have a brake pedal that has a bit more travel than you'd like, most likely it's due to pads that are near the end of their life.

    Brake Fluid:
    Let's assume that you have the original brake fluid. Yes, you are realistically past the lifespan of your brake fluid. So change it too.

    Rotors:
    Most likely they're within spec...


    Rob43
     
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  15. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Brake going down is likely due to water/air getting into the brake fluid? Pad wear should not effect pedal travel or firmness.

    Toyota USA recommends a "fuller" brake inspection, every 30K miles or tri-yearly. They don't really spell out what that entails, apart from a mention rotor inspection in the schedule:

    upload_2020-1-16_22-7-7.png
    upload_2020-1-16_22-7-49.png

    My interpretation is, that's a good time to pull off the caliper, clean/lube the pads and caliper pins.

    Toyota USA says nothing about brake fluid changes. However, Toyota Canada has, in the last decade, started saying to change it, tri-yearly or 48K kms (30K miles). This is an excerpt from the 2014 model year schedule:

    upload_2020-1-16_22-11-56.png

    Note too the Canadian schedule for brake service ("fuller" inspection) is 32K kms or 24 months. That said, I stick with the aforementioned US interval, we are low miles, months invariably come first. Also, our car is garage stored, and our winters are relatively mild.

    Nice schedule btw, I'll attach a pdf, it's an excerpt from the full Owner's Manual Supplement. With the advent of 4th gen, that same publication has completely deleted the service schedule; you have to go online to see it, and not graph format, just one service interval at a time...

    For a counterpoint: Honda Canada, for as long as I can remember, recommends brake fluid change tri-yearly, regardless of mileage.
     
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  16. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    Oh, it most certainly does.


    Rob43
     
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  17. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Model:
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  18. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    I want you to think about this...



    Rob43
     
  19. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Model:
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    Less able to dissipate heat?
     
  20. Taxi/Limo

    Taxi/Limo Active Member

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    Why only front pads?
    I still haven't heard any recommendations for a mobile mechanic