Fraud at the dealer on transmission service

I couldn't even find the fluid local! had to put it off till next oil change. Oh well....

 

You can order it on Amazon.

 

Thanks for the heads up. Prime it is...

 

Never mind that....I just googled it and the best price running is....you guessed it...Wally world again! $6.85 a quart free shipping for Genuine Toyota ATF WS! I'm starting to think they should be paying me for this advertising they're getting. But I'm just cheap and want to share savings with others.

 

I just searched and yeah, in the states, you can get it at Walmart. Have a hunch it's shipped web purchase only, like Amazon?

Different situation here in Canada. OTOH, here Toyota ATF WS is readliy available at dealerships, at least at our nearby one. I always favour them: if they've got something, that where I go.

 

Can't be worse than my experience: Dealership transaxle fluid change nightmare | PriusChat

I only paid 90 for it, I told them and they verified 3 times it would only be a drain and fill. Driving to work the next day I get a scary "Hybrid system failure!!" and the car shuts off on the highway, open hood and there is smoke and transmission fluid everywhere. I had extensively checked the car when I got it back from the dealer, that fluid was expelled from the system to due pressure and temperature because apparently what they finall told me was they managed to cram 6 quarts into the transmission under pressure somehow. Who knows if that's even what really happened.


There response was "Even though we told you we would drain and fill it with 4 quarts, it's not what we normally do, the mechanic must have been confused, even though I told you we've done it before and know the process. What are you mad about we already refunded you what you paid for the service!"


Never again, dealerships are just barely good enough for the free oil changes. I'd rather light my Prius on fire than take it to any dealership for anything!

So just keep in mind, even if you've done everything right and triple verified everyone understood what was to be done you still can't verify the dealership will do it properly.

In my mind the ATF change is not necessary enough to justify having someone else do it and the potential of them wrecking your hybrid system. If you're not doing it yourself just skip it, there are plenty of Prii that have gone beyond 200k that have had nothing but oil and filter changes.

 

Actually it could. I had the cops called on me at the Toyota dealer in 1990. I had a starter go out on my then 4 month old car, that I bought new. The starter was about $100 and I figured it was under warranty, so I just took it to the dealer. The cruise control had stopped working anyway so figured I might as well just have it fixed as well. Went in and they told me it would be $60 an hour to look at the cruise and that it wasn't covered under the "Bumper to bumper" warranty because it was a dealer installed item, not a factory installed item. Never mind that they were the dealer that installed it. I said forget it just replace the starter, which they agreed was covered under warranty. TWO days later I come back to pick up the car and they give me a bill for $175 for "diagnosing" the bad starter. The one I came in and said the starter on this is bad, please replace it. Long story short, I had to pay the bill and leave when the cops got there, and I have not purchased anything from Toyota since. I did consider a corolla back when the "cash for clunkers" deal was out, but the dealer again lost my business. Needless to say it was not the same dealer and that one has long since gone out of business. This used Prius is the first thing I have bought since that experience in the summer of 1990, and no car I or anyone in my household drive will EVER see a Toyota service department. And Toyota Motor Credit was no better. For the first three months I had the car they were crediting my payment to someone else's account, and constantly calling me about my lack of payment. I sent the cancelled checks and they still came to repossess it twice. I had to send the cancelled checks three times before they figured the whole situation out. Then they gave me $20 off of the bill for the "inconvenience". If I just knew then all I know now.

 

sold out, not being restocked according to customer service Toyota Genuine WS Automatic Transmission Fluid - Walmart.com

 

Well that sucks. I did see it on Amazon as well. Price was similar.

 

Does Prius use same transmission fluid as other Toyota cars like Corolla or Camry?

 

It uses Toyota ATF WS, not sure about the others.

 

I believe that most newer Corolla and Camry are using WS now, you can check your dip stick to make sure though.