$69.95 for an oil change?

What's so complex about the routine maintenance? Only thing to watch out for is how much oil to fill, but you should be doing that with ANY car. If the brakes need to be bled, OK, that's a little more involved. But that's not routine, and other cars have similar systems and requuirements. The only 'routine' maintenance that's complex is the coolant change, and you don't have to do that for 100K.

Now repairs may be another matter.

 

And it could be less. I bought my TripleTreds at Sears last night and he told me I get lifetime free balance and rotation. So the "5K" service for me would only be the oil change wherever I get it done.

The Honda dealer had a big sign in their service area - Oil change - $24.95. That included their oil and filter. Don't know what the local Toyota dealer charges, I have another 1000 miles to go.

 

I think a lot of dealers have "seen the light" wrt the profits built into "routine" servicing. If you can do it yourself, for the same money you can use top-quality synthetic lubes.

My local dealer quotes $29.95. It would seem to me that given the much smaller oil capacity of the Prius, they're really making money.

As far as adjusting the rear brakes, most rear drum brakes have a "self adjuster" cam. Note this only works in Reverse.

About once a week, try to get into the following habit: in a safe area, reverse at a walking pace and brake hard. Repeat 2-3 times. The hard pedal application will make the adjusting cam work better.

If you have a "normally" driven Prius, and you religiously use the parking brake, you may need a manual shoe adjustment every 6-12 months.

The cable can stretch with age too. Maybe every year or two, you will have to use loosen the locknut and twist the adjusting collar to take the slack out of the parking brake cable.

 

I had my oil changed at Olathe Toyota in Olathe KS and they charged $31. I think I'll stick with Toyota for a while until the Prius is a little more popular in these parts.

 

You are all very lucky there: in the Netherlands I pay euro 101.29 for the 'small maintenance service' without tax (which adds another 19%). Total euro 124.19, currently $164.20.
Oil is euro 30.56, filter+gasket 8.28 (excl. tax).

Now, on the other hand, our maintenance schedule only calls for a service every 15k km (9.32k miles).

Funny is that spark plugs are scheduled to be replaced after 90k km (56k miles), whereas the US-schedules has it after 120k miles. I know there are some differences, but some seem not reasonable to me.

 

Arnold & any other chat member.

Other than pollution control, all the motors are the same. I think. so any guesses why the difference in oil changes ?

Norm ºoº

 

I have a local shop that I trust. They charge me 22.95 for oil changes for my Tacoma. Since they will never have seen a Prius until I get one, will there be a problem asking them to change the oil? I'd caution them on the overfill. Is there a special oil I should watch for sales on just to have it on hand when I finally own a Prius?

 

First of all, the Europeans are very aware of the environmental effect of frequent and unnecessary oil changes. An environmental levy tends to be built into the price of an oil change. Here in North America, most of us were raised on the "every 3 months or 3,000 miles (5,000 km)" song.

There was a reason for that as here in North America, the oil companies set the motor oil standards. Among other things, an oil could thicken 500% in use, and still "pass." In contrast, ACEA specs, set by engine makers, limit the thickening to 25%. There are many differences in oil specs between North America and Europe.

More than likely, you're using a different oil viscosity than we are, and more than likely you're using a full synthetic. I do know that in Australia, almost all VVT-I motors require a synthetic 10W-30. Here it seems almost everything runs 5W-30, even 5W-20, to meet CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards.

While CAFE helps the car makers avoid EPA penalties for fuel consumption, nobody knows what the long-term engine life will be. Using a little common sense, I suppose there isn't much difference at North American speeds. Running flat out on a highway in Europe is a different matter.

Second, current Federal emissions are about as strict as California emissions from a few years back. It's also the law here to force manufacturers to warrant the emissions system for at least 5 years or 60,000-100,000 miles. The gasoline must contain detergents and must be a certain refined process to allow this.

Although most of the EU has low-sulfur diesel fuel, it's not generally available here yet. So perhaps the unleaded fuel in Europe is a different quality than in the United States.

For example, here in Canada, despite the WWFC (World Wide Fuel Charter) recommendations, our government continues to allow the use of MMT as a fuel anti-knock additive. Not only does it release manganese into the environment, it also shortens the life of emissions components.

Check any current owner manual index and you will probably find MMT in there.

Your taxes are comparable to taxes here in Canada. In every province except Alberta, you pay two taxes: federal and provincial. The GST (Goods and Service Tax) is federal, and the PST (Provincial Sales Tax) is provincial.

In Ontario, the combined tax is 15%. Here in Manitoba, the combined tax is 14%. Yet the governments are always crying they don't have any money. Yeah, right ...

 

The brake "adjustment" can be done easily yourself. The drum brake adjusts most efficiently during reverse braking. Simply get some clear space behind you, drive about 15 - 20 mph in reverse, then apply the brakes firmly. You will notice a reduction in the regular brake pedal travel after this also. The process simply causes the adjuster wheel to increment one more tooth than what is occuring during normal forward braking.

 

:| When I bought my 04 last August, I was given a certificate for the first oil change that is $19 if I brought back the oil filter they gave me. When the salesman gave this to me she said, "by the way, we charge $100 per hour for labor on all Prius work!"
I have not decided if I will either obtain my first oil change there or have any other work done at that dealer.
Bill

 

stop complaining. My Oil changes on my BMW cost me 171$. and That’s here in the US. Sure I could most likely take it anywhere... But then my computer would keep telling me to change my oil and since BMW computers keep account of everything I do with the car... It wouldn't look good on the resale. It does take synthetic oil so it should cost more…. But… It’s a hell of a difference from the so-called 29$ oil change and wash.

 

$100 per hour!!!! My Lawyer gets only $ 80 LOL

 

I just had my one-year (nominal 10K, but actually just over 7K) service done at the dealership (Corwin Toyota, Fargo, ND). Charge was $21.77. That did not include a tire rotation since I replaced the tires, and the tire store does free lifetime rotation. They checked all the stuff the book says to check.

 

That's easy enough to do, depending on the design of the PCV (Positive Crankcase Vent) system. Some motors are very sensitive to overfill.

My 2000 GMC had a very serious oil burning issue when new. The PCV was so strong in that truck, it would suck the oil right off the heads even if the oil level was kept near Add.

GM finally solved the problem by redesigning the PCV valve.

My Prius-certified tech has also warned me about overfilling the oil if I change it myself. He only puts in 3 litres before starting the motor to check for leaks.

He then let it sit for 15 minutes before checking the oil. He added almost half a litre more and called it good. The oil level is slightly below Full, which is where he claims it should be.

 

Lets get back to that oil in the intake manifold and
174 dollars...

Why is a little oil in the intake manifold bad
(it should just burn...) and what did the $174 get you?

Robert

 

Robert:

First of all, burning off a half quart or more of excess oil all at once can load up the plugs, ruin the O2 sensor, and probably destroy the catalytic convertor.

Depending on the design of the PCV system, some engines are extremely sensitive to overfill. If the motor happened to gulp oil, it could experience hydraulic "lock." The motor would be impossible to turn over. You could even bend/break a rod. The Prius has a very tiny motor, it's not a huge V8.

The intake manifold is a casting with "oddly" shaped passages to improve flow and efficiency. Like most modern FI intake manifolds, they are meant to operate "dry" and any liquid will settle out in the low points.

I would imagine they would have to remove the intake manifold and tank it in solvent to remove all traces of oil. They probably have to pull the coil packs and plugs, and crank the motor to blow out any remaining oil.

I've seen hydraulic lock in construction equipment and farm equipment. The turbocharger oil seal on the diesel motor blows, and massive amounts of motor oil are ingested. The motor locks up tight, sometimes blowing up in the process.

 

I'll bet that it's pretty exciting to watch you adjust your brakes.

Seriously though, there is no reason to be going that fast when you adjust them. You can be backing up at a speed you would normally use when backing out of a parking space. The key is to apply the brakes slightly quicker than normal. Keep in mind that the self adjusting brakes were designed to take care of themselves. The idea was that every time you backed up and applied the brakes, the drum brakes would self adjust. Unless you apply your brakes lightly, they are probably adjusting themselves properly. Also, keep in mind that this only applies to drum brakes, disk brakes do not need adjustment since they do not utilize a return spring in their mechanism.