Reasonable or Money Grab? Dealer's Recommended Maintenance List

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by c.ortiz108, Oct 1, 2025 at 8:08 PM.

  1. c.ortiz108

    c.ortiz108 Member

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    Here's a list of things Toyota said were need for a 2016 Prius at 123k miles last October. They owner declined, believing the service center was just trying to make money off him. He has since driven the car another 33k miles. This a car I'm considering buying, but this is giving me pause. It seems like an awful lot to ignore, especially given that the seller admits he doesn't know much about cars:

    REPLACE INVERTER COOLANT
    REPLACE BRAKE FLUID
    ALIGNMENT - FRONT END
    CATALYST WITH GASKETS
    PERFORM FUEL INDUCTION CLEANING SERVICE
    ENGINE COOLANT FLUID EXCHANGE SERVICE
    TUNE-UP - MINOR
    MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR CLEANING SERVICE.
    PERFORM THROTTLE BODY SERVICE
    FUEL INJECTION CLEANING SERVICE
    TRANSMISSION SERVICE DRAIN AND FILL TRANSMISSION FLUID
    ADS AND ROTORS (REAR) - REPLACE (BOTH)
     
    #1 c.ortiz108, Oct 1, 2025 at 8:08 PM
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    it's a mix, some good, some bad. i just follow the maintenance schedule and advice here, rather than fall for dealer yacht payment nonsense
     
    #2 bisco, Oct 1, 2025 at 8:56 PM
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  3. a2058

    a2058 Junior Member

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    Catalyst with gaskets point to heat exchanger leak… either suspected or detected…
     
    #3 a2058, Oct 1, 2025 at 10:04 PM
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  4. c.ortiz108

    c.ortiz108 Member

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    I was afraid of that, actually. I know that can be a really costly issue. Considering that the driver put another 33k miles of driving on the car after that was flagged, it's even more concerning.
     
    #4 c.ortiz108, Oct 2, 2025 at 1:01 AM
  5. a2058

    a2058 Junior Member

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    If the leak there was small yet and if the driver kept an eye on it and if he topped it up like daily, it might be still ok. I did that for about 6 months before doing the bottom side bypass. But of course that’s big IFs….
     
    #5 a2058, Oct 2, 2025 at 8:21 AM
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  6. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

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    We're just speculating on the EGHE unit. If this is a CARB state car, that unit should still be under warranty - so those gaskets should also go with the warranty.........
    IMHO; both coolants needs to be replaced, brake fluid needs flushing out, ATF and spark plugs needs replacement and get a second opinion on the rear brakes. It has more than a 100K on the clock. That's the minimum that needs to be done. The TPMS sensors are also near EOL too; if they've never been changed.

    Hope this helps.....
     
    #6 BiomedO1, Oct 2, 2025 at 12:28 PM
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  7. c.ortiz108

    c.ortiz108 Member

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    Yeah, he didn’t…. He said a few times he knows nothing about cars but that it’s okay because it drives fine.
     
    #7 c.ortiz108, Oct 2, 2025 at 2:38 PM
  8. c.ortiz108

    c.ortiz108 Member

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    It does, thanks. That seems like quite a lot of maintenance to have deferred for 33k miles, even aside from the potential gasket issue.
     
    #8 c.ortiz108, Oct 2, 2025 at 2:41 PM
  9. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

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    You don't know if the guy is lying to you and/or pretending. It drives fine????? How does he know??? Sounds more like he's deflecting and setting up an excuse; if you find something major wrong with the car after purchase....

    Just my 2-cents
     
    #9 BiomedO1, Oct 2, 2025 at 2:43 PM
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