Fluid Changes Cost

Drive it to Texas and I will do it for 1/4 the price and show you how to do it yourself and it will probably cost you the same plus you get to visit Texas! I can do all that on my Prius for about $50.

 

welcome!
if that includes engine and inverter coolant, it isn't bad. brake fluid is reasonable

tranny can be done for around a hundred bucks. buy the parts yourself, and take them to the local mech. it is the same drain and fill as any car. shouldn't be more than an hours labor.

there are many threads here and how to's on changing tranny fluid.
also, check out nutzaboutbolts youtube video, you can even show it to your mechanic.
it is a simple matter of removing the drain plug to let the old fluid out, than filling through the fill plug. done. and very easy with a lift.

all the best!

 

There are some videos that can walk you step by step to do all of it, probably pinned. I’ll do a search for it someday and hand feed it here.

 

That's a terrible excuse for a dealership. Hopefully you have others, a little less larcenous and pushy.

Read up what maintenance IS required, and when, in the Toyota warranty and maintenance booklet.

NOT mentioned, but still worthwhile, are the brake fluid change and transaxle fluid change. $130 for the brake fluid is not bad, hopefully they are competent. It's worthwhile to do every 3 years or 30K miles. This IS noted in Toyota Canada's schedule.

The transaxle fluid change is WAY overpriced: it is about the complexity of an oil change, with around $40 worth of fluid (4 quarts/liters of Toyota ATF WS). You shouldn't be paying over $100 for that. It's something that should be done early on in the vehicle's life, say at the one year mark, and then you can stretch it, say every 3 or 4 years or 30K miles.

^ Addendum regarding the transaxle fluid change: if they're asking $234.85, it really makes me wonder if they have any clue how to do the it on a Prius, how simple it is.

It's a not uncommon response from dealerships, who are familar with other, more conventional automatic transmissions in Toyota's lineup. Typically an owner asks for a transaxle fluid change, and dealership comes back with a long tale, how complicated it is, the special equipment needed, the critical parameters...

The Prius transaxle is about as complex as a manual transmission, and the fluid change is a dead-simple drain and fill. I seriously suspect the only reason they have the guts to charge $234.85, is they have no clue what's involved. And that's really not the caliber of people you want working on your car.

The engine coolant was due at 100K miles or 10 years. It should be maybe $125~150. The Inverter coolant is not due, till 150K miles or 15 years.

A screen grab from my 3rd gen US Prius schedule:



I've attached the excel spreadsheet, plus pdf and jpg.

 

Dealers price individual services -- the don't discount for doing multiple services when duplications occurs.

You want to do all the services at once with the cover off -- my independent changed me 1.5 hours labor. Oil/filter .. both coolant/trans change and Rotation . Keep looking for decent independent. e-bay is my go to spot for OE maintenance items .. coolant 22 wipers 21 .. trans fluid 35 ..plugs 44

 

just search our username on YouTube, all of the videos are on there gl finding a local mechanic, it shouldn't be hard for them.

 

Just taking that one: it REALLY shows their true colors. I've done it about 3 times (about two times too many, lol):

It takes me about an hour, fussing around with a floor jack and safety stands, getting the car raised and level. I also take the engine underpanel right off, more fussing, being real careful with the plastic fasteners, and washing the grit out of them. The steps:

1. Raise and level the car, and remove engine underpanel (The latter is not strictly necessary, there are openings in the panel at the transaxle, but it makes it easier, and avoids splashing I think.)
2. Remove fill and then drain bolt. It's good to do the fill bolt first, just in case. Catch drained fluid.
3. Install drain bolt with fresh washer (dealership has them, for $2~3 apiece), to 29 foot/pounds.
4. Run a funnel with hose extension down from the top to fill hole.
5. Pour in Toyota ATF WS fluid. It'll take around 3.5 quarts/liters: go slow near the end. It helps to have an assistant do this while you monitor. Stop pouring when the fluid starts coming back out, that is the correct level (as long as you have got the car roughly level).
6. Install fill bolt, per step #3.
7. Reinstall engine under panel, lower car.

Again, this takes me about an hour, with my funky DIY setup. For a pro shop with a lift, it'd be maybe 1/2 hour labour (of course they'd mangle/break/lose half the fasteners on the underpanel). The fluid and two washers costs me about $45~50. I'd be embarrassed to charge someone $234.85.

Yeah, watch @NutzAboutBolts video, this is doable by any garage.

I'll attach the Repair Manual instruction too:

 

can someone list prices from their dealership that are more reasonable?

i thought the prices were very good, except for the tranny, which actually does not have to be done.

 

Yes, definitely.

Sounds like you're well shut of them, they are incompetent. Have a read through the attachment I posted (post #9), and watch @NutzAboutBolts video. The one comment on the video: he uses a hand pump from below, but a funnel and hose is as easy as falling off a log, lol.

Whether you DIY or employ mechanics, it's good to know what's involved.

Good point, yeah: it is NOT on the schedule. Still, 120K on the odo, it will be looking pretty dark I'd wager. Best bet is to change it early, around the one year mark. I did that, and two subsequent changes (yeah, we're only at 77K kms now...) and each subsequent change it looked cleaner. The first change, at the one year mark, was the darkest.

Ditto for the brake fluid, not on the US schedule either. But as I never get tired of saying, Toyota Canada does recommend this, tri-yearly or 48K kms. Again, straightforward, once you put the car in "invalid" mode. Read the Repair Manual attachment, watch @NutzAboutBolts video. With the Repair Manual info and the video, I did this with my wife helping, in about an hour. Cost about $15, for two pints of Toyota DOT3 fluid.

Hopefully the dealership wouldn't cock it up though.

 

I am also about due to do my fluid changes. However, I have never jacked up the entire car before. Is there are video on jacking up the entire Prius? The pinch rails on the side of the car don't look like they fit my regular jack stands.

 

I just got three quotes today for a transmission fluid change

1) My go-to mechanic $260
2) Dealership $290
3) Another mechanic with more experience with Hybrids $60

Seemed like the first two wanted to drain and fill 4 times and use up 12 quarts of fluid in the process.

 

The pinch rails are terrible. I used them once I think, then started reading up for alternatives. I think it was hobbit's gen 2 site that showed me the best location for front, gen 3 has similar structure. At the rear I also found good points. Here's where I put the stands:



The sequence:

1. Securely chock rear wheels, fore and aft. Don't cheap out, use heavy, rubber chocks. Release parking brake.
2. Raise front with floor jack, using the front/center jacking point.
3. Settle front onto safety stands.
4. Raise rear with floor jacks, using the rear/central jacking point.
5. Settle rear onto safety stands.

(Reverse the steps to lower the car.)

You'll likely need to raise your rear safety stands a notch or two more to get the car (roughly) level. Be aware too, if your slab is not quite planar, you might need to fine-tune one of the safety stands, with a minor amount of shimming. I find on ours I need to put 1/4" of shim under the left rear safety stand; otherwse it's loose, the car bearing on the other three.

This is left/front I believe, looking from the outside:



And left/rear:

 

Watch our transmission fluid drain and refill video for the Prius, we showed where and how to jack up your front and rear vehicle and where to put the jack stands.

 

When I was looking to drain/fill my transmission fluid, I called 4 different Toyota dealerships. They quoted me:
$275, $315,$370, and $420.

I ended up paying for fluid myself ($40) and then payed the mechanic down the street to fill and drain it for $30.

I also believe the engine coolant is an equally simple procedure.

Inverter coolant and brake fluid, not so much.

 

I have thought of asking local dealer for hsd fluid change in couple of years. I only have 35k(bought it year ago with 11k on the odo) kms on the odo and 4y old car(prius gen 3 tech inside Auris). I wonder what kind a price tag im going to get here at Finland. If they come up someting like 200€+ i will be asking every part of the job how and why it costs that much.

 

welcome!
was the $60. parts and labor?

 

Bisco is skeptical about that good a deal, but if true is almost willing to drive from Bean Town to Lincoln for a fluid change!

 

You ONLY want to do that if there was contamination. Say someone accidentally poured motor oil into it.

The Prius transaxle drain is about 90% of the fluid in there, and a single drain and fill is plenty. I wouldn't even do that with a regular automatic (which typically only drain 50~60%), I'd just do a single drain and fill at the proscribed interval. That's the big issue: Toyota in their wisdom has deemed the transaxle fluid "lifetime", so there is a lot of confusion, mis-info.

That's a very good deal. Just: verify he/she intends to use Toyota ATF WS fluid, and will change the washers. Maybe just bring the fluid and washers (4 quarts, 2 washers), and just pay for his labour, say 30~40.

The Repair Manual instruction is attached in my post #9. Has the torque values, for example.

One thing, I use a dedicated funnel and hose for this, to avoid contamination. Not sure how important it is. Maybe bring him a funnel/hose too? Make it 4' of hose, and he can trim it as needed. With typical funnel 3' is about right.