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Got two different lists of recommendations (2010, 93k)

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by feet, Feb 24, 2020.

  1. feet

    feet Junior Member

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    Hey! I know most posts are some variation of this, but I didn't want to hijack someone else's, and I do have an exciting new wrinkle here. :p The recommendations:

    Shop
    Egr service (?) 550
    "Complete tune up": transmission, spark plugs, pcv, fan service, oil change, air filter, cabin filter 540

    Dealership
    Replace front brake pads and resurface rotors 249
    Cabin filter 69
    Air filter 26
    Throttle body service 89
    Brake fluid system exchange 139
    Headlight restoration 99
    Mass air flow meter service 129
    Replace spark plugs 229

    Here's the story. Check engine light comes on, so I look up a Prius shop (I'm new to the area) and take it there. Ran some tests and that's what came up, the egr. He made the tune up recommendations based on the mileage but didn't inspect the car otherwise. A few things off fuel injector cleaner and a switch to more expensive gas and the light hasn't come back on yet (been about a month now).

    Have a prepaid inspection thing at the dealership so I took it in and that was their assessment. There's some nonsense in there (the filters), and maybe a few things I could do myself (headlights cleaning, throttle body cleaning?), but I thought I'd ask you guys to double check their work before I act on anything.

    To complicate things, I don't have tools here and sleep days/work nights, so it would be hard for me to find the time to work on the car to begin with, not to mention I'm not super adept at it. So for more involved jobs, I would have to invest in tools and time I don't really have, since I can't bang away at it for a few hours in the dark at 2am on my days off (it's an apartment complex, and the car is near other tenants). So there are things I'll probably have to outsource, judging by the nutz about bolts videos I watched. I have a long commute and the miles are kinda hard so I want to do this right.
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Follow the maintenance schedule that came with the car, add tranny fluid and egr circuit. Have the brakes inspected and slide pins lubed.

    Sounds like the shop has a clue
     
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    If you've got the EGR code you may be eligible for warranty extension.

    Either way you better get on it asap, the code is kinda 11th hour, head gasket failure could be just around the corner.

    If it ends up you don't qualify for warranty extension, DIY is MUCH preferable, both for cost and to do it right.
     
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  4. royrose

    royrose Senior Member

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    overall take, both places may be recommending some unneeded stuff but charges are not outrageous at either place.

    Would the shops EGR service include a complete cleaning of the cooler? If so, that is a reasonable charge.

    Personally, I wouldn't do the "complete tune up" until 120,000 when spark plugs are due. Cabin and air filters are super easy to change on your own. So I would do the EGR and oil/filter, wait on the rest.

    I'd ask the indy shop their take on the condition of your brakes. For reference, I have a 2010 with 98,000 miles and have plenty of brake pad left. So, the dealer may be recommending stuff that is not needed yet.

    I did headlight restoration myself with a $20 kit. Took some time but was easy. Your call whether to spend the time or the money. You would need daylight.

    One last thought. If you are now putting a lot of miles on the car, you could ask the indy shop what they would charge to replace the spark plugs while they are getting to the EGR system. Even though the plug swap would be early, it could save some labor charge later.
     
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  5. feet

    feet Junior Member

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    that's what I was afraid of :D I'll dig through the manual and compare notes.

    how do I go about a warranty extension? Go to the dealership and tell them that code came up, even though it's been cleared?

    I found this thread. Do I just go in there with the form linked there?
    /Warranty extension for the egr | PriusChat

    I watched the egr video and it seems a little involved for me. Maybe I can handle the flushing out the parts. Would be hard to pull off on my own given my schedule, but that's a lot of money. And maybe a whole lot more if I don't get on it quick. For what it's worth, the shop made no mention of extending the warranty or impending room.

    I'm out near Downey, Paramount, Lynnwood in Los Angeles if anyone can recommend a person or shop. The one I took it to was called hybrid auto tech, if anyone knows of it. Didn't find much about it online, but it was nearby.

    glad to hear the aren't too crazy, even if I think they are recommending a little much.

    My oil is good for another several thousand miles, the filters are fine and I'll attempt the headlights on my own. The fluids I can't do, I'm not sure if the fan service is needed, I know I can't get to the pcv on my own, which leaves the egr and plugs.

    Them maybe get a second opinion on the brakes, Mass air flow and throttle body? I might be able to handle the last two (if I can find a video for the mass air flow); dealership claims the brake pad measurement was 5mm up front.

    This has been helpful, and possibly tragic. Thanks!
     
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  6. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    All great recommendations, but what about coolant?
     
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    hybridfix
     
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Owner should be able to judge pad thickness, just pulling one wheel off. It varies.
     
  9. royrose

    royrose Senior Member

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    Neither the indy shop or dealer recommendations included coolant, so i didn't think of it. Replacement of engine and inverter coolant is indeed recommended by Toyota at 100,000 miles.
     
  10. feet

    feet Junior Member

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    I had contacted them a few times in the past and never got responses, but I guess I can try again. Their hours and location aren't very convenient for me, and they must be busy, if their yelp is to be believed.

    great. How much does that usually run? May as well if everything else is getting done.
     
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  11. feet

    feet Junior Member

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    Ok, I sent hybrid fix an email. Maybe I'll get a third list of things to consider, haha
     
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  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    In Canada yes. In the States, the first inverter coolant change is recommended at 15 years or 150K miles. The wording in the schedule is "tricky" to say the least: first they say change both at 100K. But there's a footnote 4, which delays the first inverter change (to 150K.

    After first change, both are subsequent change at 50K or 5 years. US or Canuck.

    There's a sticker on the side of my (Canadian) 2010 inverter coolant reservoir, that says not to touch it till 150K miles, looks like it was applied at the factory. Toyota Canada told me to ignore it, lol.

    But yeah, doesn't hurt to change both at 100K.
     

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    #12 Mendel Leisk, Feb 25, 2020
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  13. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    That, my friend, is the sound of the dealer trying to rip you off.

    The brand new brake pad thickness is 10mm and the replacement is recommended at 1.0mm, NOT 5mm. Even if you’re conservative and go for 3mm, the remaining 2mm can last years and 10,000’s of miles! Many owners get 200,000 from their first set of brake pads.

    Say no to that ripoff dealer.

    The Indy shop isn’t too bad, except they should do the spark plugs with the EGR service, not with the PCV. You see, replacing spark plugs on a Prius (and many cars these days) requires removing a lot of stuff that’s in the way of the plugs. But it’s the same stuff you remove to do the EGR valve. The plugs cost about $40 or $50 as parts, so if they do it with the EGR, there is some cost but it’s a lot less added added work.

    I’ve done all of the maintenance items in the NutzAboutBolts videos, but over a period of about 18 months. If you have a garage, start with basic items like an oil change and the engine coolant flush. Easy-peasy, and uses very few tools. Engine air filter and cabin air filters... also super-easy. Then, over time, you can tackle increasingly difficult tasks. You’re in LA, so you can always try to get a MeetUp group started like I did in California and Oregon. Somebody helps you and you help somebody...

    Before you perform or pay for the EGR service, look at the video about the EGR pipe. It’s a pretty simple procedure, and it will give you an idea of how much gunk, if any, is in your (upstream) EGR cooler. You can definitely do this yourself. The whole EGR cooler is a much bigger effort, though. The $500 estimate is pretty fair, I think.
     
  14. royrose

    royrose Senior Member

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    I see that now. They must think that the coolant systems are somehow more prone to contamination in higher mileage vehicles to recommend a shorter interval after the first change.
     
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  15. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I'm coming up on 10 years, in Canada with 86K kms currently. So guess I'm be changing both, at the anniversary (Nov). :rolleyes:
     
  16. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    If you do it yourself, changing the engine coolant takes a jug and a half of Toyota coolant, and the inverter coolant takes up the rest, so you may as well do both at the same time.
     
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  17. feet

    feet Junior Member

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    compelling arguments for changing both if you're already there and the price is decent. I do put some 70ish miles a day on it.

    brake pads noted, thanks! I do occasionally hear the slightest bit of grinding when on the first brake of the day, but it goes away, which is why I was mildly concerned.

    Good to note that the plugs and EGR valve are near each other. Given my lack of skills, tools and a place to work, it would take me forever to change them, assuming it's possible. But that's a huge chunk of change combined, so it's worth considering.

    I was hoping you could elaborate on this. Where do I go to find out about warranty extension? I drive a lot so if the clock is ticking, i need to act on this soon.
     
  18. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I wonder sometimes why I need to say this, but there does seem to be general amnesia on this front: Toyota dealership.
     
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  19. feet

    feet Junior Member

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    Lol, I guess I meant if there were forms online or a website or whatever. Does that mean that they would cover the egr stuff under warranty? I would think my car is too old to be covered, but I don't think they ever mentioned anything before. I don't recall getting a notice. Since I didn't get it from a dealership, I never think of them, though I have the occasional donut there.

    Update: I have a buddy who's a tech and is willing to help out. I just have to get all the parts, pray the car holds out until next week (if danger is imminent) and watch his kids (perhaps most difficult of all). He can tackle most of the list, including cleaning the egr and EGR cooler, spark plugs, transmission fluid change, the Mass air flow and pcv valves and clean the throttle body.

    That just leaves the brake fluid and fan service from the original lists, if the pad/rotor service isn't needed. And the engine/inverter coolant issue. My car meets the age requirement but not the milage. I might investigate and ask about them, but I don't want to overwhelm my friend if those can wait a little.
     
  20. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    Great news!
    Of course your brake fluid can wait, especially since LA is a dry climate. You’ll be fine.
    Tell him about the NutzAboutBolts videos. They’ll answer any questions he has.