Hybrid Specialist or Dealer ?

I noticed a similar post was written here back in 2006 and I am interested to see what the thoughts are now. If your area had a Hybrid Specialist would you take your Prius to them instead of the dealer? I"ll be honest I'm considering opening a hybrid shop that will specialize in Toyota Hybrid Vehicles. I'd considered this a few years ago yet decided that the time was not right. The vehicles were too new and they all were going back to the dealer. Even now I find many Prius owners expect the dealer to cover items that are well out of warranty. Yet recently I've been getting more and more calls for help with Prius vehicles. The dealers are starting to get strict with customers on warranty and they are charging a premium for Prius maintenance/repairs.

The Prius has been an all around great vehicle with much lower maintenance costs than many other imports. Yet when a Prius does break it can be very expensive. Though most of the expensive repairs such as battery replacement don't hit until 150,000 miles. So far I've seen many Prius owners going to the dealer and getting sticker shock on the first repair that is not covered by warranty. This is where I believe a Hybrid specialist could save you time and money. For example if your MFD Screen, power steering or trans-axle failed would you be interested in a second opinion and a lower price? Basically is the timing correct now for a Hybrid Specialist? In such states as CA this is not a new idea. Many of you may already know of Luscious Garage which is a good example of this. .So if a Hybrid shop were to open in your area and offer free loaner cars and lower prices than the dealer would you switch over?

All suggestions welcomed.

 

Thanks for the response. The interesting thing about this is that there actually is some very good training available to the aftermarket. Better than the factory training. For example many dealerships will replace the Prius transmission when it has an issue. While in the aftermarket they have developed ways to repair the transmission. The reason you currently do not see many Hybrid shops is that most shop owners at this point in time have the perception that Hybrid owners are "cheap". They believe that Hybrid owners do not do preventative maintenance such as the 30, 60, 90k services. In addition they believe that as soon as a Hybrid needs a major repair that they simply want to get rid of the car. Therefore most shops will not invest in the training or tooling required for Hybrid service. Basically they do not feel as though they could turn a profit.

I too used to believe this. Now that Hybrids are getting up there in age. I believe that times may have changed. The dealerships are charging a premium for Hybrid service for the simple reason that they can. They really don't have that much competition. Just due to the sheer numbers of Hybrids out now I see it as a good market to tap into.

 

You are correct about doing other Hybrid lines. For the purpose of this forum I was trying to keep it dedicated to Prius. You are also spot on about the Prius being reliable, in my opinion Toyota is the best Hybrid manufacturer. I've actually done both Honda and Toyota hybrid service. What is interesting is that most civic owners would not own another just too many problems. While Prius owners have no issue with purchasing another.

Even though the Prius may be the best Hybrid available they are not without there issues as we all know. I did a Gen 2 this week that had lost it's power steering and the buttons on the steering wheel intermittently did not function. For the power steering it was simply a module that had failed. And for the buttons the clock spring had failed. Both fairly easy to diagnose and replace. What I do find interesting is how many complain about the cost of battery replacement. Even though most tend to go 150,000 miles plus. Really the cost of battery replacement is not that bad when you compare it to maintenance/repair costs of other car lines. For example Subaru owners are now aware that they need to have head gaskets replaced and of course the timing belt. This repair alone can equal that of a battery replacement. Thanks again for your response. Just don't go trading in your Prius for a Civic Hybrid anytime soon, LOL.