100k miles service--just checking

I am puzzled, normally it would be a loose tie rod end. If it is frozen, you will have a difficult time turning the wheels or it will make noise.

 

frozen tie rod ends happen when you don't get your alignment adjusted often... they can be freed up with a blowtorch. but the extended warranty is of course better. make sure they clean off the rust from the inner tie rods and put some anti seize in there.

 

I hope you've worked a few extra ER shifts to help pay for all of that. Speaking of which, the following is poorly pronounced German with English subtitles, "R" rated, but is so funny you will poop yourself

But seriously, I have never heard of "frozen" tie rod ends. They almost always wear out and are loose.

Frozen ball joints, now that is another matter. Those "lubed for life" ball joints will commonly freeze up after 5-7 years up here, due to the climate and salt on the roads in winter

If you have old fashioned ball joints with zerks, and keep them greased all the time, they will last the life of the vehicle

 

That is what I was wondering: the threads are rusted so they can't adjust?

 

I picked up my prius with like 92k on the clock a couple months ago and its already seen 10k of absolutely brutal delivery boy driving (gotta pay for college), maybe I'm just a bad owner but I'm treating this car like every other car I've had...now i did all this by myself but i can understand the need for some to go to dealers, but here's all that's really necessary IMHO.

change plugs
change coolant for inverter and engine
change trans fluid
check belt, replace if anything even looks slightly strange about it.

no unusual wear when you get your tires rotated? no strange noises from the suspension? no abnormal car behavior? my personal experience is if its not broke dont fix it.

i dont work on brakes, i hate working on brakes, but when you front pads start making noise get them replaced, they will flush the brake fluid for very cheap while they are there and I'm sure they wouldnt mind looking at the rears and letting you know if anything needs to be adjusted or replaced. (i go to pep boys honestly)

personally for 1k i think you are getting ripped, i do the work myself and my 100k maintainence cost is <100 dollars, i cant see spending but maybe 400-500 at the dealer if that to get those things done, and maybe cheaper somewhere else, the prius is nothing special to maintain, unless you are having issues with the hybrid components (like your warranty work) any regular mechanic can work on it. You could save maybe 500 dollars and just go somewhere else besides the stealership, think about it, thats what....~10k miles worth in gas in this car

 

Has the repair estimate changed?

I was with you up to this point. It would be a big mistake to ask Pep Boys or anyone who is not a Toyota hybrid specialist to flush the brake fluid.

 

This is an issue when front toe-in is being adjusted. The outer tie-rod end attaches to the rear of the steering knuckle. The inner end of the tie-rod is part of the steering rack.

If you take a look at the tie-rod end you will see that it has a threaded shaft. You can loosen the lock nut and rotate the shaft to increase or decrease the effective length of the tie-rod. As the tie-rod length is increased, the wheels become more toe-in.

Apparently the lock nuts can't be removed due to corrosion. They are tightened to 54 ft.-lb.

If you can get all this work done for <$1,000 I would say you are doing well, considering I recently paid $900 to have the fuel pump on my Mustang GT replaced by a local independent... That re-motivated me to DIY where possible.

 

Oh cah-rist, don't even think of trusting pep boys for something like that. I posted the shop manual section on how to properly bleed Prius brakes here

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...em-rear-brakes-no-pressure-when-bleeding.html

Let me know if you still want to trust a "good 'ole boy" to do it.

If you intend to wrench on your Prius, consider All Data DIY. A subscription covers 12 months, is usually $16, and has the correct repair procedures.

 

I've got a 2007 Prius with 156,000 km. Nearly 100,000 miles. I guess I should be inquiring about inverter pumps so I'm ready to change it. Perhaps one from the wreckers would be the answer, if I knew the mileage on it. Should I be aware of any particular storage care when I go looking for one or would it be best to go with a new one?
Of course new is always best, but if the price is significantly better used, I might consider it. Here in New Brunswick, there aren't many salvage yards with newer vehicles, and there might not be much of a savings anyway, but just in case...thanks

 

I bought a new inverter coolant pump for US$88 plus shipping.
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-.../65173-how-replace-inverter-coolant-pump.html

Since the idea behind a preventive pump replacement is to reduce the risk of the inverter overheating, and the cost of a new pump is nominal, I don't see the point of using a salvage part.

 

The counter-argument might be that if you didn't request the alignment, then there would be no need to replace the tie-rod...

 

Well, if the toe has never been adjusted, probably the tie rod is seized/rusted.

One thing I have done on my vehicles is to apply a liberal coating of Fluid Film, or LPS 3, to the adjusting sleeve for the tie rod end. We have potholes up here that can swallow a tire, so at least with my former Prius, it needed an alignment twice a year

So far the FJ has not, except for an initial adjustment: it wandered left when new

Did you show the video to the ER staff?

 

Oh, the web we weave sometimes ....