Honest opinion. Is this a bad idea? High mileage job

You're probably hearing some oxidation build-up on the rotors getting scrubbed off. Happens more in a Prius because the mechanical brakes are used less.

Fluid won't change the sound.

 

You've GOT to come up with a different term, lol.

Toyota USA says nothing about changing brake fluid. Toyota Canada recommends tri-yearly or 48K changes. Dealership charge should be $100~150 for this, I'd speculate. It's relatively easy. I've done it myself a couple of times, using the sanctioned non-Techstream method. @NutzAboutBolts has a video on this. It takes about an hour, plus the time getting the car raised and wheels off. Theoretically you could do it with the car on the ground, wheels on I think, but it's awkward.

That's probably (and hopefully) normal, depending on the sound. There IS sound I hear every so often, doing moderate to heavy braking, just as the car stops (picture coming to a full stop at bottom of steep hill), which I suspect is the brake booster. There is warranty extension(s) on that, it's a pain to get too, and expensive. Not a typical DIY repair either.

 

Brake fluid absorb moisture. If/when you plan on keeping car long definately change the fluids e.g. every four years. Not sure if you ever drive in snow or icy roads but if you do, you want your ESP work as it should and brakes have key role. But good thing is brake fluid change is super easy. I guess only special thing with Prius fluid change is to remember to disconnect the 12V battery first.

edit: noticed your brakejob was done at dealer. You can get good quality aftermarket stuff at fraction of the dealer cost. Just don’t buy the very cheapest stuff

 

Toyota DOT3 is about $7 CDN per pint at my nearby dealership. I've done a couple of brake fluid replacements, using a couple of pint bottles each time. I've never found a spec fro brake fluid capacity, but the amount I'm using seems ballparkish.

So $15 CDN, seems reasonable. And 100% compatible.

 

i mean the rotors and pads (New brake pads, rotors, drums: 4/24/20 @ 113,000 miles (~$850)). One can get decent stuff with much affordable cost

 

I'm a bit late to this thread but I want to reassure the OP that you have exactly the right car for the job. There will be practically no lower cost of ownership vehicle out there for what you do. Especially if you can claim mileage on taxes or as an expense for the job.

However, there is a reason they call it a "stealership". Its a good idea to maintain you car and it wont hurt to do the things you are doing, but you can get away with paying someone less money and also doing a lot less maintenance than they are recommending. This would be the case with absolutely any car out there.

I'd say you could have probably done close to none of the recommended maintenance that the dealership has sold you on so far and your car would make it to 200K without issues. Not saying that that would be the correct thing to do to ensure your car has a long life, but many negligent people do such a thing and dont even notice/think about it.