What services you need and what you don't

This is great! I found our little black beauty just at 100k and now planning for the 120k and beyond maintenance schedule. This post (and forum/community) will be a great resource in keeping this little Prius humming happy.

 

I'm about to hit 190,000 on my 2006. When I first purchased the car to replace my 2001 Gen I Prius, the gasoline engine was so quiet that it was hard to tell when it started up. I chose to service at 5,000 mile intervals, even though the type of driving that I do is generally very friendly to the vehicle. I do a lot of highway (over 50%) trips, travel at speed limit plus 1 mph (or less) 100% of the time, and always anticipate traffic lights way in advance, etc. My brakes show very little wear, and I have only just recently (20K miles ago) put on my third set of replacement tires. I have always serviced my vehicle at the dealership within a few miles of the 5,000 mile interval mentioned above, and have been complaining now for the last six services about the very loud valve noises emanating from the engine. The service manager assures me that everything is completely normal and to be expected, but the noise is very disconcerting, and intrudes on my peace and quiet within the passenger compartment. Also, I have had to initiate ADDING OIL (1 qt.) in between service intervals. Should I overhaul at least the top end of the engine, like in the days gone by, as I have done to some of my older cars? I have only owned a total of eight vehicles (including this one) over the last 43 years (and 950,000 miles). The major reason for discarding any vehicle has been rust. (I used to live in NY state.) The only exception to that rule was when I sold my 1977 Honda Accord with only 110,000 miles on it to my brother when my family grew too large for its safe passenger-carrying capacity. Now that I live in MD, I anticipate keeping this car for at least another 110,000 miles or so. Am I overreacting?

 

Paul, I suggest driving that motor until it just won't go anymore. I suspect part of noise/vibration and oil consumption comes from excessive main bearing clearance that develops over time. A top-end overhaul is not likely to be a long term solution. If you have a spirit of adventure, you could pull the head off a junkyard low-mileage motor, given that there are lots of them for cheap, and see if putting that in helps.

 

Hmmm..... The younger head would give me closer clearances on valve stems as well as less worn valves. I was assuming that this engine would wear much better than those in years past, since the control computer is seeing to it (I assume) that the least amount of stress is being placed on the motor for all possible driving conditions. My '84 Accord was purring like a kitten when I gave it to charity at 250,000 miles. (It lost fifth gear or I would have kept driving it.) This makes me very suspicious of the useless alcohol filler (called ethanol) that has been forcibly added to gasoline since 2007. I wonder if it has caused the abnormal engine wear. It sure has caused a 10% drop in fuel mileage. Also, I have been forcing the car to start out in EV mode ever since I installed the appropriate switch a few years ago, hoping that I could eke out a few more MPG. I thought that this action would also result in a little less engine wear, since the acceleration from zero would be minimized, and the gasoline engine would thereby not be subject to the worst of the acceleration tasking (and initial static friction).
Oh, is there a chat room specifically devoted to Ethanol? I think that I should be contributing my two cents there.

 

Please keep us updated on your choices and the outcome for the accumulated experience/knowledge of issues.

 

My Prius is 2005. I've done the dealer maintenance every 5000 miles. I replaced a battery and had the hybrid battery rebuilt.
I've got almost 160.000 miles on it.
The dealer wants over $500 for this upcoming service and another mechanic wants $400.
Is it really worth it to spend this much on such an old car?

 

What services will be performed for $500?

If you don't perform the full service, at minimum you need to keep up with engine oil/oil filter/air filter changes. Then you need to have the brakes, suspension and exhaust system periodically inspected for safety.

 

It's always good to know what they are going to do for 400-500 bucks. Is $80 of it an inspection of tires, hoses, wiper blades and fluids? I'll do that for you for free! Most dealerships have a "package" for various intervals, and half of that package ain't really necessary. Ask for an itemized list of what is included, and pick and choose what really matters.

That said, I would always pay $500 to maintain a car that is running well and still meets my needs. The alternative is probably paying about $8-10k for something only modestly newer. But then again, I'm a keeper....50 years old and on my 4th car.

 

One of my Prius is an '04 with 160k miles, and I consider it just entering middle aged

This past week I changed engine oil, ATF, filters.
When it cools down and the bugs go to sleep, I'll perform the inverter and engine coolant drain/refills, and at the same time put on a new thermostat and engine coolant pump as preventive measures. My labor is cheap (me), and the parts cost $142 for this extended service. The pump and thermostat, which are not part of Toyota scheduled maintenance, cost ~ $50 USD.

 

This from their web site;

• Replace engine oil and oil filter
• Rotate tires, inspect wear and adjust pressure
• Visually inspect brake lining/drums & pads/discs
• Balance four wheels
• Replace engine air filter
• Clean and adjust brakes
• Install windshield washer solvent
• Parking brake adjustment
• Multi-point inspection

• Replace Cabin Air Filter
• Replace Wiper Inserts
• Install Fuel System Treatment
• Install Engine Oil Conditioner
• Throttle-Body Cleaning Service

• Brake fluid exchange service

Including the following inspections:

• Ball joints and dust covers
• Drive belts
• Drive shaft boots
• Engine coolant
• Engine inverter coolant (if equipped)
• Engine valve clearance
• Exhaust pipes and mountings
• Front differential oil
• Fuel lines and connections
• Fuel tank vapor vent system hoses
• Fuel tank cap gasket and tank band
• Radiator, condenser and/or intercooler
• Steering gear box
• Steering linkage and boots
• Transmission fluid or oil

For $530.00 I do the cabin air filter myself so that save $75.

 

In my DIY world that long list is worth $50.

The brake fluid exchange is interesting though; I wonder if they can do the work without fouling up the system. My plan in this regard is to buy a acustrip strip that measures copper content. I'm not going to mess with the system until the fluid is demonstrably old.

 

Ok, one more question.

From the above list what do I NEED done?

 

My post #707 above suggested the minimum that your car needs. If you can change the cabin air filter, you can also change the engine air filter and check engine compartment fluids like the windshield washer fluid.

 

I have about 92,000 km on my 2008. I have never changed the transmission fluid as I just followed Toyota recommendation. I have the extended warranty and I would like to decide whether I should keep it or trade it in at 95,000 km. I figure that I can get more money with 5000 km of warranty left. Given that I like the car, I am leaning towards keeping it but will trade it in at around 150,000 km. When I was at the dealer at 90,000 km, they wanted over $300 to replace the transmission fluid citing a lot of technical terms that I didn't understand. After reading this thread, it seems that many do think they it is wise to change but also indicate that this is not an expensive process. So at 95,000 km, I plan to ask them to

1) Replace transmission (transaxle) fluid. I will tell them explicitly to "drain and fill" and to use "Toyota ATF WS."

2) Replace engine and inverter coolant. I will tell them explicitly to use "Toyota Super Long Life Coolant."
Question: I am wondering whether I really need this as I replaced the water pump under warranty at about 81,000 km. The service record says
NamePart #QTY
HV ELECTRIC WATER PU 0400032528 1
SUPER LONG LIFE COOL 00272SLLC2 1




3) Replace serpentine drive belt

4) Replace spark plugs

5) Replace 12V battery

Any comments would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

Ed.

 

92,000 kilometers or 92,000 miles?

Assuming that you plan to keep the car until 150K miles, it is reasonable to perform the services you listed.

If you believe the service record for the inverter pump replacement then you don't need to have the inverter coolant replaced now.

The engine coolant and iridium spark plugs need to be replaced by 120K miles.

 

Thanks. My typo. km should be miles.

Thanks.

 

Hey gang, I need some advice for my older, and rarely used 2005 prius.

I just took it in to my local shop for the 60k service. After reading thru this thread I just had them change the oil, rotate the tires, and do the inspections. They came back suggesting that I change the transmission fluid and the front differential fluid.

1. I've read the back-and-forth on when to change the transmission=transaxle=CVT fluid. Sounds like it's relatively easy to do (drain and fill). I'm wondering if my car is overdue for the fluid change simply due to its age. It only has 60k on it, but the car is now 8.5 years old. Should that sway my decision on having this done now? They said the fluid had a burnt smell and was dark in color.

2. About the front differential fluid, mechanic says it's "dirty" and recommends I change it. Any thoughts?

3. Also, they said the spark plugs are showing wear. Are 8.5 year old spark plugs still okay at only 60k?

 

1 and 2: The transaxle ATF fluid and the front differential fluid are one and the same. Do not accept two separate charges. The drain and replace of the transaxle ATF requires 4 US quarts of Toyota ATF WS.

3. If you don't have any engine misfire DTC or driveability symptoms, then you can leave the iridium spark plugs until 120K miles.

 

Thanks for the quick reply Patrick! I think I might take the car into the stealership for the ATF fluid change since it sounds like my local shop doesn't really know what they're talking about here.

 

I read Galaxee's list and did gain some input from it. Thank you Galaxee.

My '08 Prius is due for the 120,000 service. I called the dealership and scheduled an appointment for Thursday morning 08/29/13. It's going to Toyota North in Mt Kisco NY. I spoke with Ronnie, and he told me it's a big service that will take 3.5 to 4 hours. The technicians will, aside from regular services items like oil, tire pressure etc...change all fluids (inverter, coolant etc...), they will change the spark plugs, they will rotate the tires, run diagnostics, update software and check for any recalls. Estimated total: $750.

I don't really want to spend $750. Ronnie told me if I didn't want them to perform the whole service, they would do a regular service, a point inspection and diagnostics, and if anything comes up they would tell me.

I would like someone to describe for me the bare minimum of services I could need at 120K, without having to spend a lot of money. I do want the car to last me as long as possible, and I understand that at 120K it's important to get a good service so the car lasts another 100K or more.