How to take care of my 2014 Prius for a newbie

Well, I wouldn't recommend buying a Prius for students as it can have some unexpected expensive repairs (especially those related to the hybrid drivetrain). The odds of the expensive repairs are low because the Prius is generally a reliable car, but don't be surprised as it can happen.

As a newbie, the best thing to do is follow the owner's manual maintenance schedule as a guideline. However, since you bought used, you have suspect if any of the previous maintenance has been completed or not. The rest is monitoring the parts that wear such as your brakes, tires and 12V battery.

The Toyota dealership generally costs more but will ensure a certain quality of service. Toyota dealerships will always use parts manufactured by Toyota (OEM) that are made for your car. Independent shops generally costs less, but may (but not necessarily) use aftermarket parts to lower costs. There is no correct answer because there are good and bad shops out there. You will have to decide which service you would rather pay for. In the end, you are just looking for a reliable mechanic to keep your car running.

As a new owner, there are some relevant things you can read up on:
1) how to get in the car with the key
2) how to start the car if the keyfob battery is dead
3) what happens when it runs out of gas
4) how to open trunk if 12V battery is dead

I would also recommend some easy DIY videos you can find on youtube:
1) How to replace keyfob battery - I do this so often it is not worth going to mechanic for
2) How to replace cabin filter
3) How to replace air filter

I bought a Prius because I used to commute more than 100 miles per day. The worse case scenario is when your car cannot start. In my case, I am prepared as I have an auto assistance membership that can be used for towing. You don't need a membership as it can be costly for a student but just get a general idea of what to do.

 

Something that's plagued 3rd gen Prius (2010 through 2015 model year) is the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system. It's new for 3rd gen, and is prone to clogging up with carbon.

There's a possible connection between this carbon clog-up and head gasket failure, which typically manifest as a coolant leak into cylinder one or two (standing at front of car, cylinders are one through four, going left to right).

More info:

Bad Flywheel | PriusChat

Another issue is transaxle (aka transmission) fluid change. It's not in the North American Toyota maintenance schedules, but worthwhile. Using only Toyota ATF WS fluid, from freshly opened bottles, is the recommendation by Toyota. The transaxle is drained, then filled while level till it starts coming back out the fill hole, then both fill and drain bolts torqued (with replacement washers) to 29 foot/pounds. More info in attachement.

Yet another service not in the Toyota (USA) schedule but worthwhile, is a brake fluid change. The non-Techstream method is shown in an attachment.

One more, in the schedule, but widely neglected, is an in-depth brake inspection. Note: many unsuspecting mechanics seem to be putting the rear brakes together incorrectly, causing troubles down the road. It is imperative to orient rear caliper piston so that pattern on it's face is oriented like an X, and well-seated thus. More info in attachment.

Sometime through model year Toyota apparently revised the pistons and rings, went to higher tension rings, due to cases of high oil consumption. You may have revised ring/pistons, depending on your VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). See attached (TSB168/169) for more info. Either way, check your oil frequentlly, especially at first. To read the dipstick easier, remove and wipe it, and wait about 5 minutes before doing the check. The dipstick tends to draw oil up the guide tube, messing up a clear reading. Waiting allows that oil to drain back down.

 

You picked a good car. Don't be too concerned about the negative stuff people say about the Prius.
EVERY car has it's problems!
If the mechanic you choice is familiar with the Prius, he may be worth sticking with.
He SHOULD know about cleaning the EGR system, completely. That is the most important thing to
have completed. If you have the records you can look through them and see if it has been done.
Also, you can talk to the person you bought the car from and ask if they had the EGR Cooler cleaned.
If they don't know what you're talking about, probably not.
The intake manifold is part of the EGR system. There is a small how for the gases to be sucked into
the cylinders, they get clogged.
It all sounds like a massive thing, but it really isn't. It should be easy for your mechanic to do.

See when the engine coolant, inverter coolant, and the transmission fluid has been changed, if it has.
The 2 coolants you could probably do yourself, not really hard, with a few tools. The transmission is a little
tricky because you need a jack and jack stands to get it high enough and level. Something your mechanic can do easily.

As was stated, engine air filter and cabin air filters are easily changed by you.

How is it running? Does it seem smooth? If you drive it like a Prius, not a formula 1 car, it will give you many
miles of usage.

 

you are fortunate to have a trusted hybrid mechanic, i would stick with him. dealer is unnecessary unless he is at a loss.

congrats and welcome, all the best!

 

big statement there but provided no consequence if the cleaning is ignored.

 

Yes and no. General mechanics, not specialized in one brand, ARE very smart and adept; they have to be, covering such a width-and-breadth of cars. But they don't know everything. They might, with the best of intentions:

1. Put the wrong oil in your air conditioning system. Prius have an electric compressor, take a somewhat special oil. The wrong oil will toast it.

2. Put an alternative transmission fluid in the transaxle, That may or may not be ok, but Toyota strongly cautions against using anything but Toyota ATF WS, and cautions alternates may cause damage.

3. Mess up the brakes.

There is a specific "gotcha" on the rear brakes, and it gets missed, and the outcome reported here, with tiresome regularity. Sometimes by DIY'rs, other timed by owners who had "professionals" do the brake work.

Besides that, when the caliper's off the rotor, if anyone opens the driver's door, with a Prius there's a very good chance the system will start pressurizing, and pop a caliper piston out, which leaves you with a mess and a lot of warning lights. The cure for that is to always disconnect the 12 volt negative cable before starting, but maybe the mechanic hasn't heard about that.

Further, if replacing pads, if you just retract the pistons, install the new pads button everything up, reconnect the 12 volt, you may still get warning lights, because: you need to tromp the brake pedal multiple times, take out any excess pedal travel. Or the car may detect it and get upset.

 

must be the heat^