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DIY 90k Service

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by The Critic, Apr 4, 2011.

  1. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    90k Service

    This week, I will be helping my friend take care of a 90k service on his 2006. It currently has ~84k on it, but we are taking care of it now since I will be moving away soon.

    Since I currently live in an apartment, I cannot perform fluid changes and undercar work, even though I am more than capable of doing it. I plan to take care of the "easy" items myself and having a local shop handle the others.

    Here is what I have planned:


    • Oil Change and Complete Vehicle Inspection= $50 (Oil Change is $35, Inspection is $15)
    • Clean and Adjust Rear Brakes= $40
    • Replace Engine Air Filter, Cabin Air Filter and Drive Belt= $53 (DIY, parts from ebay Toyota dealer)
    • Alignment= $35 (1/2 Price Special from Yelp)
    • Drain and Refill Transaxle Fluid= ~$90 (Local Shop said $40 labor plus cost of the fluid from the dealer, which is $9*5=$45)
    Total: $268

    I am also going to try and convince my friend to approve replacement of the spark plugs w/new Genuine Toyota Iridium plugs ($40), having the shop replace refill the engine and inverter coolant w/ new Toyota SLL coolant ($100?) and adding fuel system cleaner ($10).

    What do you guys think? Am I missing anything? Are the prices from the shop reasonable? Keep in mind though, that the labor rates in my area are about $115/hr.

    Thanks.
     
    #1 The Critic, Apr 4, 2011
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Re: 90k Service

    Note that 4 US quarts of Toyota ATF WS will be needed.

    I would pass on use of the fuel system cleaner unless the car has engine driveability issues which would be improved with that product.

    Regarding the engine and inverter coolant change, that is a good idea but I would say that your cost estimate is low. You'll need 3 gallons of SLLC which will cost around $65, so with a couple of labor hours included, the cost for that service may approach $300 total. If the cost is too high for your friend, then this can wait until the car has 100K miles.
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, Apr 4, 2011
  3. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    If your friend has a 2006, then the car needs to have the inverter cooling pump recall performed, and that theoretically takes care of the inverter coolant. The terms of the recall spec a drain and refill of the inverter cooling system, though not all shops do this.

    Make sure the local shop understands the process of drain/refill on the engine cooling loop. Technically, they need a bidirectional scan tool with Toyota enhanced functions to fill the coolant storage thermos.

    Spark plugs and PCV can wait until 120,000. Skip the fuel injection cleaner.
     
    #3 seilerts, Apr 4, 2011
  4. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I agree with all of the above. I waited till just over 120k to do plugs and PCV and the old stuff was still in good condition.

    I wouldn't hurt to make sure the MAF sensor is clean and inspect the drive belt.
     
    #4 F8L, Apr 4, 2011
  5. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    Re: 90k Service

    Thanks for confirming the capacity of the transmission. I know the capacity is 4 qt, but I figured that having them order 5 qt in case of any spillage while pumping the fluid in. That was if I had it done at an independent shop.

    Earlier this morning, I contacted a smaller Toyota dealership in a rural town that is 20 minutes away. They had much lower prices than our local Toyota dealer. In fact, their prices are less than some of the independent shops. Hopefully they do good work. Here is what they quoted me:

    1) Oil Change, Rotate Tires, Clean/Adjust Rear Brakes, Basic Safety Check-- $55 ("minor service special")

    2) Drain and Refill Transmission Fluid-- $90 ($52.50 labor + fluid)

    3) Drain and Refill Engine and Inverter Coolants-- $120 ($80 labor + $40 coolant)

    At those prices, I think I should just go to the dealer?
     
    #5 The Critic, Apr 5, 2011
  6. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Re: 90k Service

    Sounds right to me. I had my oil and transaxle fluid changed at a popular dealer in my area and it cost me $120. Three other dealers were trying to charge me $285+ after claiming that a flush was required. They assume just because the Tacoma requires a flush that the Prius did too. :rolleyes:
     
    #6 F8L, Apr 5, 2011
  7. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    Re: 90k Service

    Was it Maita? :eek:
     
    #7 The Critic, Apr 5, 2011
  8. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Re: 90k Service

    Maita wanted $285 and Hanless in Davis wanted $290. I took it to Magnusson in Auburn. It worked for me since I work down the street anyway. I paid 1/2hr worth of labor and $38 something for the fluid I think.
     
    #8 F8L, Apr 5, 2011
  9. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    This is getting off-topic, but I feel that you should hear this story...

    It seems like the incompetence at Maita's Nissan dealership also extends to their Toyota dealership, which is really unfortunate since they used to be very good, according to our extended family.

    When I had our V6 Altima at Maita for an oil change, I used a $25 coupon from their website. When I got the car back, I noticed that they used a Nippon filter from worldpac, not a Genuine Nissan filter. :eek: When I called the advisor, he said that if you use a oil change coupon, your car will get a Nippon filter. Not that there is anything wrong with those filters, but a Nissan dealer using a non-genuine part is very unusual.

    I was not satisfied with the advisor's response, so I called the service manager. He said a genuine Nissan filter should have been used and using a coupon should not have made a difference. He offered to swap out the filter if I brought the car back, but I declined. He did put in my file that only Genuine Nissan filters are to be used on my car, lol, which he did because when I e-mailed them several months later to inquire about a pre-paid oil change special and they said that just for me, they'll be using Genuine Nissan filters. :cool:

    Nevertheless, that whole experience was just bizarre. The service manager did try to make the situation right, but I have a feeling he knew exactly what was going on and only tried to rectify the situation because I had question him about it.
     
    #9 The Critic, Apr 5, 2011
  10. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    update so far.

    I have ordered and received an engine air filter, cabin filter, drive belt, spark plugs and PCV valve. Total for those parts was about $85 from a dealer. I will install those soon.

    I dropped off the Prius today at the dealer for the oil change, rear brake adjustment and trans fluid drain and refill. My local dealer was able to match the prices of a neighboring dealer and discount some of the work so the price was $140 for all 3 of those items. When they started work, they did notice the infamous axle leak. Fortunately, CPO warranty is covering the axle seal leak for the $50 deductible, but the car had to say overnight for the service dept to complete the repair.

    I will update this thread once I finish the other items.
     
    #10 The Critic, Apr 16, 2011
  11. WolfB

    WolfB Junior Member

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    I just ordered an ATP brand cabin air filter (part # CF 49) from Rockauto.com for $9.06/each (plus $8.30 in shipping when I ordered 4). No Tax. Toyota OEM at my local dealer was $20! The ATP version looks like it will be perfectly adequate. Rockauto carries even less expensive alternatives but I thought the ATP was a reasonable balance between value and quality.
     
    #11 WolfB, Apr 18, 2011
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