1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Went to dealership for Brake fluid flush/bleeding but not sign tires removed

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by tttran, Feb 8, 2016.

Tags:
  1. tttran

    tttran New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 8, 2016
    4
    0
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Hello all,

    I just recently got a brake fluid service from Toyota dealership which includes bleeding of the brake fluid. However, when I got back the car I noticed that the tires were virtually untouched. The reason I know this is because the dirt that was no the tires was left without any hand marks.

    My question is, is it possible to bleed the brakes without removing the tires to get to the bleeders?

    Also, it looks like the bracket covering the brake fluid reservoir was untouched as well.

    Does this look
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    welcome! sounds like you got scammed.:mad: is the fluid the same color as when you brought it in?
     
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,468
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    I think yes, you can avoid tire removal. Look, see where the bleed screws are, from around the back. Should be possible to see even with car on the ground.
     
    tttran and sprtent like this.
  4. tankyuong

    tankyuong Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2012
    1,555
    659
    0
    Location:
    Central MO
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    II
    lazy way to flush
     
    sprtent likes this.
  5. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2012
    7,842
    3,099
    0
    Location:
    Honolulu, HI
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Why take the wheels off if the bleed screws can be accessed from the inside while the car is on the lift? Also, tubing can be placed over the bleed fittings to neatly drain fluid into a container.
     
    Dyjital, tttran and sprtent like this.
  6. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2014
    2,489
    2,153
    49
    Location:
    Top RH Corner of RH Coast on L side of The Pond
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Welcome to PriusChat, BTW - also consider that the mechanic at your dealer might have been wearing nitrile gloves! (…no fingerprints! (…heh heh!) :rolleyes: )
    …but be warned! I learned (from one of the lectures at 2GoB4 (2014)) that correctly bleeding the brakes on a Prius can be somewhat difficult for the average DIY-er since it requires specialist equipment and so might be best left to someone with the necessary gear such as the local Toyota dealer. :(
     
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    agreed. o/p should have taken it to a dealer and avoided potential scammation.
     
  8. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2012
    7,842
    3,099
    0
    Location:
    Honolulu, HI
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    The OP did take it to the dealer, but felt he got scammed because he didn't see any signs that the wheels where taken off.
     
    tttran likes this.
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    whoops, thanks, i missed that. probably no need for concern then.
     
  10. NutzAboutBolts

    NutzAboutBolts Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 5, 2013
    1,476
    1,551
    0
    Location:
    Bay Area
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Yes, its possible to bleed the brakes without removing the wheels. Dealership technicians are on flat rate pay so some of them don't want to waste the time to remove the wheels.

    Better yet, you should do this job yourself. It's too easy not to since you will be saving $$$, here's a video on how to do it. Have fun! :)
     
    Maroon, kc410, frodoz737 and 3 others like this.
  11. FuelMiser

    FuelMiser Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2008
    1,263
    858
    0
    Location:
    Monument, CO
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    What's the recommended interval for a brake fluid flush/service? Is it three years?
     
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    in the u.s., there is no time interval. 120k maybe?
     
  13. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,468
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    The latest Canadian Schedule I have (2014 Prius) says 48,000 km's (~30,000 miles) or 36 months.

    With our 2010 it was 64,000 km's or 48 months.

    So I guess the current mindset is 30K miles or 3 years.

    FWIW, Honda says every 3 years, regardless of mileage, for quite some time, decades I think.
     
    sprtent likes this.
  14. frodoz737

    frodoz737 Top Wrench

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2010
    4,297
    2,347
    33
    Location:
    Texas
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    With a lift, bleeding the brakes is much easier to do without taking off the wheels...but be advised...it's also known that "some" dealers just suck the fluid from the top of the reservoir and refill. This does happen with the Prius because doing it "by the book" takes a while.
     
    tttran and sprtent like this.
  15. sprtent

    sprtent Member

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2012
    104
    75
    0
    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I would go with 30k-40k or 3 years as well, as mentioned. Also, use the proper DOT#. A higher DOT# isn't always better.
     
  16. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,468
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Can even be disastrous I think?

    Safest fluid would be Toyota's, for compatibility.

    I'm inclined to just let the dealership service department do this. Also, ensure they will test drive after, make sure it's ok. I think just asking for this assurance will keep them on their toes.
     
  17. NutzAboutBolts

    NutzAboutBolts Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 5, 2013
    1,476
    1,551
    0
    Location:
    Bay Area
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    I know you can do this service yourself Mendel.
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  18. tttran

    tttran New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 8, 2016
    4
    0
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Wow... thanks for all the advice everyone, its been real educational. I think im going to do this myself next time. I took it to the dealer because i thought you need the techstream software which i do not have or have experience using.

    I still feel a bit iffy about the whole service. Dealership recommended replacing a dirty cabin air filter for $33. And marked my windshield wipers for replacement because they were aftermarket. I only put them on two weeks ago.
     
  19. tttran

    tttran New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 8, 2016
    4
    0
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Btw i believe i saw somewhere on the internet that brake fluid service should be done every 60k. However i did mines at 90k.
     
  20. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2011
    3,159
    988
    0
    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Since we're on this subject, lets talk about why brake fluid needs to be flushed/changed out. I'm convinced that this is a service that doesn't need to be accomplished at all for the following reasons:

    1) Brake fluid is nothing more than hydraulic fluid. What goes bad in the fluid?
    2) There is very little wear since brakes are a closed system. The fluid is simply a medium to transmit force. With regen braking, it transmits very little force and the pistons see way less wear than conventional brake systems (that see very little wear).
    3) Since it is a closed system, there is virtually no opportunity for contamination or water forming from condensation.
    4) I have personally never flushed a brake system and have experienced no problems. Many of my cars have exceeded ten years of service with no brake fluid flush

    Now, can the proponents of this service list the reasons to change it?
     
    bisco likes this.