What to maintain?

I have 72,000 miles (about 115,000 km) on my 2010, bought in Aug 2009, and have done nothing but oil and filter changes and one set of tire replacement.

Here is a link to the U.S. maintenance schedule:

2010 Prius Maintenance Schedule (US) | PriusChat

Until 100,000 miles (about 160,000km) , except for oil and filter change, engine air filter and cabin air filter change, there are only various inspections.

You can do cabin air filter yourself and it is never urgent.

 

In my opinion, you should be giving the brakes a quick once-over (to include checking freedom of caliper sliding motion and absence of any nicks/tears in the rubber boots) every so often, 12-15k miles or so (ideally, a few times already). Stay on top of those checks, which may cost you nothing, and the legendary longevity of Prius pads and rotors should not be spoiled for you.

Many on PC would have changed coolant(s) and transaxle fluid by now.

The easiest way to make sure these simple things actually get done, and done carefully, without a big pocketbook hit, is to do them yourself.

-Chap

 

You have about 50,000 miles. You should change your transaxle fluid. It's not difficult to change the transaxle fluid yourself, if you have a garage, jack stands, and a drain bucket. Otherwise, a mechanic should charge about $100 USD or less. It's just a drain and fill operation; no flushing or other steps are required. I believe the Canadian maintenance schedule also calls for flushing (replacing) the brake fluid about now.

No-one knows why Toyota leaves transaxle fluid replacement out of their maintenance schedule. They claim it's "lifetime" but there are people who have sent the used fluid out for lab testing and they concluded that it does break down.

 

I'd recommend transaxle fluid change as well. very easy. only special part required to do so is the allen key for a socket. but you can get that at lowes for like $5.

Really good video on how to do this in the sticky area by nutsaboutbolts

 

I found the 2010 Owner's Manual Supplement, the booklet from Toyota that outlines what needs doing, a hopeless mish mash. By 2014 they reworked it, to the point that it was easily readable. Have a look through the attachment, it basically outlines what's needed. It's still encompassing all Toyota models, so there's some stuff that is not applicable, but it is fairly clear, and has a grid format summary. The second page goes into more depth, as to what an "Oil and Filter Service" and "Maintenance Service" entail. The latter involves a complete brake inspection, btw. A periodic brake fluid change is also in the schedule.

The only exception I would make would make, would be to include an occasional transaxle fluid change. A first one cannot be done too soon, say at the one year mark, then subsequent maybe every 3 or 4 years. I'll attach a Repair Manual segment about that as well. It's very straightforward, the fluid's about $40, and it's an easy DIY with the right tools. I can go into more detail if you're interested.

 

I've got a 2010 Prius II with about 93,000 miles. I'm afraid I've done scarily little other than oil changes about every 10,000 miles. I just had the brakes replaced. I bought the car at a year old with 16,000 miles on it. Supposedly the original owner had just turned it in to buy a bigger car, I went to the dealer with a former employee who was still on great terms with the manager so I could only trust they were being straight with me and the carfax came up clean but that's probably not too relevant.

My problem is that my mileage dropped at about 70,000 miles approx 2 years ago. I had been getting a very steady 51 mpg avg mixed city/highway barely even changing when I made road trips out to the Poconos (I'm on flat Long Island NY). My mileage dropped that winter to about 42-44mpg over the winter of 2014 but I know the winter gas in the northeastern USA will cut mileage as will driving in snow and slush. I also needed 2 new tires the summer of 15 and switched from the dealer Ecopias to Michelin Defenders. I thought they were rated much higher for safety and are low rolling resistance. My mileage picked up over the warmer months to about 44-46 but hasn't gotten back to where it was for any extended length of time. I needed to replace the two front tires this past spring and got the Michelins again to match the others.

Last spring I changed the engine air filter (slightly more complicated than changing a lightbulb) and picked up a few mpg but I'm still only averaging about 46-48 with brief periods around 50mpg. My driving style is pretty much the same except when I'm in a hurry, I don't do jack-rabbit starts although I would guess that holds true for most Prius drivers .

A few people have suggested that it might be time for a tuneup and that would be just getting new spark plugs? I've been seeing conflicting mileage on that, 100k and 120k. I'm going to try changing the coolant and transaxle fluid if I can find a friend with a lift. The shocks and struts are original and my mechanic has mentioned that a few times, I don't want to know...lol

Thank you, I'm not much of a car person but I'm glad you're here

 

Doing the servicing according to the manual is essentially oil changes and inspections.

At 93k miles and a dip in mpg, have you noticed any oddities:

• Rough transition between gas engine and electric motor?
• Any oil consumption between oil changes?
• Original 12v battery (or have you changed the 12v out since you have owned it)?
• Any lights on the dash appear requiring codes to be read to determine cause?

Some things to consider for a "tune up" (there are how to videos as stickies):

• PCV valve replacement
• Egr pipe inspection and cleaning (this can be a window into other issues in the egr system)
• Throttle body cleaning

Spark plugs in my 2010 owners manual were on the 120 k plan and I did them then for your reference.

Doing the transaxle fluid if not done yet is a good idea. Use only the Toyota ATF-WS. Engine coolant is the pink Toyota Super long life coolant and is the same as what is in the inverter.

Keep us posted

 

First thing to try: Replace the 12V battery

 

Ray is totally correct. I'd replace the 12V battery first.

 

I grew up on long Island, so I know the area well. A year round average of 51 is stellar. I consider 46-48 overall mileage to be normal. Short hops, especially in the winter, are mileage killers because the hybrid system doesn't get efficient until it warms up.

My mileage is similar to yours. Overall year round average mid 40's, over 50 on a nice day on a longish drive.

There is a law of diminishing returns to mileage. An improvement from 30 mpg to 40 is a 33% improvement while from 40 to 50 is 25% (and that is 25% of an already lowered cost). It is great to see that 50 mpg number but the actual difference over 45 is minimal, about $5.00 per month in fuel costs at today's gas prices if you drive 12,000 miles per year.

I have Michelin defenders also. They are not as low rolling resistance as Michelin Energy Savers but are a better deal because they last a lot longer, I have 47,000 miles on mine and plenty of tread left.

 

I live in NYS I don't have a choice in the annual inspection

As asked above:
Rough transition between gas engine and electric motor- no

Any oil consumption between oil changes?-no,get them done regularly- about to get it done soon, should i use only Mobile one or is Valvoline or Castro synthetic okay? (Pep Boys or Sears basic synthetic oil change, upgrade for Mobile One)

Original 12v battery (or have you changed the 12v out since you have owned it)? Original, How would I know if it needs replacing?

Any lights on the dash appear requiring codes to be read to determine cause? -none

Thank you again

 

Just as preemptive maintenance it's about time to replace the battery. For starters check it's at-rest voltage with a digital multimeter and post. At the jump start point under the hood or directly at battery, either works. You can pick up a cheap but good enuf meter for maybe $20.

 

I'll keep you posted. I think it's still under warranty to 100k

why would it affect my mileage?

I'm a tax accountant, great with numbers, not so good with cars but I'm trying to learn

 

I replaced the transaxle fluid on my 2011 Prius at 72k. I drive the car very hard especially on the highway. I was expecting it to be very dirty. To my surprise it was dark but you could still see some clarity unit as it drained. It's a good idea to replace it as preventative maintenance but I have no doubt it could have waited to 150k

 

Well I'm wondering what the etc is....

Because on a 6 year old vehicle with less than 80,000 km...there's no way a maintenance routine should reach "Thousands of Dollars".

So my advice?
Find a new dealer and service department.

 

Maybe you could make it 400,000 without ever changing the fluid. Maybe your car will go 100,000 without an oil change.

Maybe you'll change your oil every 3,000 miles and throw a rod at 30,000 miles.

The purpose of maintaining a vehicle is to improve the probability of vehicle longevity. Maintenance definitely works, but parts can fail -- or not -- for a multitude of unrelated reasons.

Several PriusChat members sent their used transaxle fluid out for chemical analysis -- they didn't just decide whether it was too dark or not -- and their conclusion is that the ideal schedule is 30K, and every 60K thereafter. 30/90/150/210 etc.