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100K mile club maintenance Question

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by pbratt, Jan 17, 2011.

  1. pbratt

    pbratt Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    I'm a new resident of the Dallas Fort Worth area, and moved with my trusty 2004 Silver Prius. The Prius has 108K miles on it, and has been doing just fine on the road and with millage.

    When I moved to Dallas, I went to one particular Toyota dealer, which will remain unnamed. I got some of the worst service I've ever received, and I've taken my car to 5 different dealers over the course of its life. The said the serptine belt was original and needed to be replaced (actually replaced at 75K when water pump cracked), quoted me for a fuel injection cleaning price of $151, and offered to change my engine and air cabin filters for $75 (I do this myself for $30). I wasn't very impressed to say the least.

    I've been pretty type A about keeping track of the maintenance records for the Prius over the past seven years, and this has proved to be helpful when dealing with money hungry dealers. I become a very frequent reader of this forum, and having just crossed the 100K mile mark earlier in 2010, I have a couple of questions I'd like to throw out to the group for some feedback.

    1. Wheel alignment. I've never had a wheel alignment, in part because I've never felt that the car handled poorly or veered of course when I take my hands off the steering wheel. I get my tires rotated and balanced at Costco, and I always ask if there is a sign of uneven treading (there never is). Should I get an alignment anyway?

    2. Fuel Injector cleaner. I've used the Chevron stuff from Costco, and I've been very pleased with my millage over the past few years, with an average of 45.6 mpg. Do I need to have the dealer do anything in the future?

    3. Engine/Inverter Fluid drain/fill. I had this checked at 100K when I lived in Philadelphia, and the mechanic said that neither needed to be changed. I know that most people recommend that this be changed at 100K, but is there an interval that I should have this looked at in the future? I'm thinking of the 120K service.

    4. Transaxle fluid. I have checked my records, and this was checked at the 60,75, and 105K service appointments. Should I request that that a drain/fill be done at 120K?

    5. Brake Flush. I had the brake fluid checked at 75K when I had new brakes (shoes, pads, and rotators) put on the car, and the tech said it was just fine. I don't think that this was checked at the 105K service along with the brakes (which were cleaned and adjusted). Should this be something I have looked at the 120K mark?

    6. Throttle plate cleaner. I'm thinking about doing this myself. From Mr. Wilson's work, it looks relatively simple. Worth doing or should I let someone else do this?

    7. Finally, I'm having my Toyota serviced at the same dealer to replace my water pump through the free replacement. I'm wondering if I should a) go to another dealer, and b) see if I can get the belt replaced with minimal labor costs (they take it off to change the water pump, right). The belt is pretty cheap ($25), so I'm happy to have it replaced as long as I don't get hammered with dealer charges.

    I would ask all these questions of a dealer, since I don't have any trustworthy mechanic in Dallas yet, I'm grateful for the forum feedback. Thanks!
     
    #1 pbratt, Jan 17, 2011
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Green Valley, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    1. If your tires wear evenly then there is no need to obtain a wheel alignment.

    2. If you don't note driveability issues then there is no need to pay for a fuel injection cleaning service.

    3. 100K miles is a long time for the coolant to be in service and I suggest that you have this replaced soon. As your car is a candidate for the inverter pump recall, the inverter coolant should be replaced at no charge.

    4. The transaxle fluid should be replaced immediately since it is original.

    5. You can have the brake fluid changed if you wish at 120K miles, but I would say this is a lower priority vs. #4 above.

    6. It is a good idea to clean the throttle body interior and throttle plate. However I suggest that you observe the use of minimal throttle body cleaner by removing the air cleaner housing first. Then spray the cleaner on a clean cloth or paper towel, and use the cloth/towel to wipe off the throttle body interior and throttle plate. This procedure is specifically recommended by a recent TSB for Classic Prius, which needs throttle body cleaning more frequently (see the following if you wish to have a copy of the TSB.)
    http://priuschat.com/forums/generat...0-09-copy-sought-p3191-p3101-error-codes.html

    7. The inverter coolant pump is the subject of the recall, not the engine coolant pump. The inverter coolant pump is electric, hence there is no belt to be replaced. Your OP indicates that the engine serpentine belt only has 33K miles on it, so that should be in excellent shape.
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, Jan 17, 2011
  3. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2010
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    Location:
    Santa Fe, NM
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    If your engine water pump was changed at 75K, then you don't need to change the engine coolant. The factory procedure for this is a complete drain/refill of the engine cooling loop including the thermos.

    The inverter coolant is supposed to be changed as part of the recall, but, as some have found, techs are clamping the hoses instead of draining the inverter coolant. I don't think there is any way to tell what happens one way or another.

    Now, if you request that they drain/refill the transaxle when you go in for the recall, they are not as likely to upsell you on other services. If you ask for this and hear the word "flush", ask why you need an expensive flush when the trans does not have a torque converter?
     
    #3 seilerts, Jan 18, 2011
  4. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Carmichael, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    I would be very wary about having the dealer do a "fuel injector" service. If they don't do this correctly, they could overheat and damage the catalytic converter. There is no reason to have this type of service done if you use top tier gasoline (gas with a good detergent additive).
     
    #4 dogfriend, Jan 18, 2011
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