5,000 service question

There was a similar topic the other day. Same thing -- $100 for 5K service. Here is a link to that thread: http://priuschat.com/first-oil-change-serv...100-t34081.html

The bottom line is that the dealer is screwing you. There is no way you should be paying $100 for an oil change in the Prius, even if you are using synthetic oil. The 5K service is not comprehensive and is simply an oil change.

The other thing is that the dealer can't threaten your warranty like he did. His statement is a clear violation of the Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act. You do not have to use the dealer for oil changes, even on a brand new car, in order to keep your warranty valid. If a dealer tells you that you are required to use their products or else have your warranty voided, then the work is considered warranty work and must be provided for free.

Either take your car somewhere else or do it yourself, but make sure you keep a record of your work. As long as you follow Toyota's service interval recommendations and use an oil and filter that meet or exceed their specs, you will be fine. Changing the oil on the Prius is incredibly easy and won't take you more than 30 minutes, even if you have never worked on a car before.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Swanny1172 @ Jun 7 2007, 12:49 PM) [snapback]457413[/snapback]</div>

This link (to a .pdf) should help immensely if you are going to change oil, filter, drain plug gasket YOURSELF:

http://john1701a.com/prius/documents/Prius...hanging-Oil.pdf

It's 12 pages....... download it, save it, PRINT it out !! And THANKS to JOHN, the guy who took his time and effort to write it and take pictures !!
His MAIN pages are here: http://john1701a.com/

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Kory HAnsen @ Jun 7 2007, 11:16 AM) [snapback]457393[/snapback]</div>

To quote Monty Python's King Arthur, "Run away! Run away!" In my book high pressure deceptive sales tactics equate to crappy service. An oil change & tire rotation shouldn't be more than $40.

 

And truly, tires should not be rotated on a schedule. Rotate them only when needed to keep the less-worn tires on the rear wheels. This enhances safety by reducing the possibility of fishtailing or spinouts. (Yes, I know that tire makers advise rotating tires regularly. Tire makers like to sell four tires at a time.) Less handling of the wheels also means fewer chances for them to get banged up by the tire monkey.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(richard schumacher @ Jun 9 2007, 10:05 AM) [snapback]458717[/snapback]</div>

You're the first person I've seen that agrees with me on this. I have the original Goodyear Integrities, with 33,000 miles, and have never rotated them. They are worn a bit more on the front than on the rear, but I estimate I still have another 5 - 8,000 miles left. I'll probably replace all four when I need new front tires. My dealer wants $20 to rotate the tires; by now, I would have spent $120 rotating tires. By the time I'm done, I'll have 35 - 40,000 miles on the original tires, and will have saved enough by not rotating them to "buy" two tires.

For the OP, the only thing you need to do for the Prius is mentioned in the "Scheduled Maintenance" booklet in the glove compartment. I take it out and show it to the service writer at the dealership every time I take the car in for service. I say "Show me, in this book from the manufacturer, where I need all the things you are trying to sell me." They are not cheating you, because they really will do all those things they say they will, but they are misleading you. You don't need all those extra services any more than you need to gold plate the wheels. And BTW - they will still do the safety checks on the brakes, tires, hoses and belts, because they do that to protect themselves from liability (and they can charge Toyota for any in-warranty repairs ... most dealerships have a guy who's specialty is figuring out how they can charge more off to Toyota.)

At 5,000 miles, you only have to change the oil, and that should be about $20 (depending on your state's hazardous material fee for disposing of the old oil.) They also say to rotate the tires, but you don't affect the Prius warranty by not rotating them. I like the mechanics at the dealerships, since they earn nearly double what the guys at the quick lube places earn, and are more likely to be higher skilled. And the dealer will check all the Technical Service Bulletins (TSB) for any in-warranty updates your car needs.