now i understand why free oil changes for life

A typical 15K/45K service consists of (not limited to) the following:
- oil & filter change
- transmisson fluid change
- tire rotation
- X-point inspection
- ait filter
When you add them up, $220 is normal.
i.e. 15K/45K is not your normal oil change only. Of course, the impact of a good maintanence is hard to measure in $$$. Your decision to go either way.

 

Not so. Transmission fluid change is not recommended until about 60m
check out this link to Edmunds Maintenance. It shows 15k service estimated at $163.87 in your area. Actually it just covers a regular oil change plus inspection of varius areas.
http://www.edmunds.com/maintenance/maintenance.do

 

At 15k, you definitely do NOT need a transmission fluid change. You can change it at 30k on the safe side, or at 60k. By 60k, the fluid is in pretty bad shape, see these threads, http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38609, http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38524

Both air filters can be changed by yourself within 5 min (cost of each is below $20). So you are left with oil + filter change ($25), 25-pt inspection (FREE), and tire rotation ($12 at a local tire shop).

 

Lot of dough $$$$

I paid just under $50 for oil change, filter, and tire rotation. It really doesn't matter you just have to watch the dealership guys like a hawk so they don't take you to the cleaners.

Cheers.

 

I had several of my first services done at Toyota of Wallingford, and as long as you ask for "an oil change and tire rotation" and *not* "the 15K service," the price is (at least somewhat) reasonable. They do the same thing that all dealers seem to do: they try to get you to pay for a lot of unnecessary service.

While we should expect better, we also shouldn't be surprised when this happens.

 

re

have free Oil changes for life from my dealer and that's what I get each time I go in there...and it's free. I let them rotate the tires for $20 while I'm there as well(they try to get me to balance them for $79 as well but I decline everytime)


Thanks

Josh

 

You need to take the Scheduled Maintenance Guide with you. Show the 15K (or whatever) page to the service writer and tell them to do exactly those items, no more and no less.

Every dealer service department has a pre-determined menu of "X miles services" which includes everything that can possibly be done on any car, including several things that cannot be performed on a Prius. If you walk in and say "gimme your X miles service", you're a rube asking to get screwed.

 

Y'know, if you went to someplace like Discount/America's Tire, Wal-Mart, or maybe even Goodyear (if you still have OEM tires) for your first rotation, you could purchase a plan for about $10 per tire for lifetime (of the tire) rotation and balance. Why pay a dealer $20 or $30 every 5,000 miles when you could get ALL rotation and balancing done for just $40???? My Integrities lasted 40,000 miles, so that was seven rotation/balance services for a total of $40..... BTW I got my current set on sale at Costco, and the rotations are now free for me.

 

It cost me one third of that price to do it myself and only takes 15 minutes of my time.

 

No way I would pay $20 just to rotate the tires. Taking a tire off is so easy it isn't funny. Granted a good jack comes in handy for the process.