To dealership or not to dealership (Service)

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by presspony, Mar 11, 2018.

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  1. pilotgrrl

    pilotgrrl Senior Member

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    Yeah, this year I didn't get a Happy Birthday email from my salesman. He probably forgot about me since I moved, which I told him about. Can't take my car back to Crystal Lake, IL for those Toyota Care services from D/FW, it's a little too far!

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #61 pilotgrrl, Mar 21, 2018
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  2. Bay Stater

    Bay Stater Senior Member

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    I buy my oil and filters from Walmart. It's convenient 3 miles down the street. The nearest Toyota dealership is 15 miles away. I had great success with Fram oil filters and Mobile One advance Synthetic for fuel economy oil. The type recommend for Hondas and Toyotas.

    My car now has 121K and does not burn oil. (y)
     
    #62 Bay Stater, Mar 23, 2018
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  3. presspony

    presspony Junior Member

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    You guys are awesome and I am a total doorknob for not coming back to see these responses sooner! I didn't even think about the plate and now I can't seem to take the photo down. Oh dear!

    So it's been a few months later and we've still sat on this issue. Some info I now have that I didn't have then... They performed a brake fluid flush which was not part of the maintenance service I was due for. They claim they told us when I know for a fact they didn't. I have e-mailed the manager and had no response, but the clerk my hubby went to see said they would only give us $50 in "In good faith" service credit back because we couldn't prove it.

    So anyhoo, I went back to the inspection report and noticed that all of the brake pads are in the green zone - front at 6mm and back at 5mm. But they have still recommended back pads in addition to the back rotors which are in the yellow zone for excessive ridging.

    I am wondering if I just go back and tell them we just want the rotors and have them give us in writing down to the penny what we will be charged to avoid this nonsense again. But being a dealership they will charge $130 something an hour in Labour like they did the last time.

    Or we can go to our other mechanic who's shop is actually an import shop specializing in VW and Audi. They have one of the best reps in town and we are happy with the work they do with our Ford. I guess the whole concept that Priya is a Hybrid has me nervous about taking her anywhere other than the dealership. I was doing some reading on the forum and saw there are some special things to know like disconnecting the battery before doing work on it.
     
    #63 presspony, Jul 7, 2018
  4. presspony

    presspony Junior Member

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    I would like to be able to change my own air cabin filter! When I was younger I used to change the oil in my motorcycle but it was only a 200 twin star so it wasn't all that complicated. I am sure I could learn the simple things and am looking forward to learning from you all!
     
    #64 presspony, Jul 7, 2018
  5. presspony

    presspony Junior Member

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    Also, can anyone tell me what a Brake Service entails? they break down a lot of the other services like maintenance and oil and filter but not Brake Service. What exactly are they doing with a brake service?
     
    #65 presspony, Jul 7, 2018
  6. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    You can change the cabin filter yourself and anything mechanical can be done by another mechanic (I mean, I'm assuming he knows his way around disc brake systems regardless of manufacturer). As long as the mechanic doesn't touch any of the thick orange cables, they'll be fine.

    Brake service? No. My understanding is that it probably arose from the lack of use of the brake pads and calipers so Toyota decided to throw in preventative maintenance on the Gen 3/4 based on what they found out on the Gen 2 (which did not have a brake service). My guess is that it includes inspection, cleaning/degreasing and greasing/oiling parts (if necessary). If you don't use your brakes regularly, you'll benefit from it the most.
     
    #66 Tideland Prius, Jul 7, 2018
  7. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    I would ask whoever is doing the work what the consider brake service just to make sure you are on the same page. It's kind of a generic term.
     
    #67 padroo, Jul 7, 2018
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk MMX GEN III

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    Gen 2 had the same brake service interval as Gen 3: 30K miles or 36 months, whichever comes first.

    Brake service entails pulling off the calipers, removing, checking thickness, cleaning up and relubing the pads/shims, clean relube of the caliper pins, and (especially if there's any issues of pulsation) checking rotor thickness and runout (with micrometer and dial gauge) against spec.

    With drum brakes (2nd gen) I would think pulling the drums, checking shoe thickness and drum ID, releasing the hold-down clips on the shoes in order to relube the contact points, that's about it.
     
    #68 Mendel Leisk, Jul 7, 2018
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  9. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Hmm... my memory failed me. :(
     
    #69 Tideland Prius, Jul 8, 2018
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  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk MMX GEN III

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    Toyota has fairly traditional intervals, and (if you dig) the Repair Manual descriptions are pretty much the usual. However, their presentation of the brake maintenance in the published schedules is abysmal, really low-key, easy to overlook.

    Ditto for their brake maintenance descriptions in the Repair Manual: it's all mooshed together, hard to tell what's maintenance and what's overhaul. Honda Shop Manuals are much better in this regard: there's clear sections titled "Brake Inspection", and unambiguous step-by-step of what that entails.
     
    #70 Mendel Leisk, Jul 8, 2018
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