I went all out with maintenance today....but...

I'm the type that believes in the saying "if it's not broken, don't fix it". There is absolutely no benefit in changing out your coolant at 37,000 miles but if it's done wrong, you can do damage to your car and leave you with a headache if something goes wrong.

Isn't it just simpler to leave it alone and enjoy your car? I would use my half day's time to watch some football than to work on a car that doesn't require any work done......but that's just me.

 

That would be the GM forum.

Joking aside, Toyota says that the recommended maintenance is programmed for the 'life of the car.' That time is open to interpretation but I think clearly exceeds the warranty period. Is it 500k miles ? Doubtful, so by all means maintain your car to a higher standard than Toyota specifies. And if you waste a couple hundred dollars along the way, well that is peanuts in the long view.

My opinion ? Follow Toyota recc's except where data or reason suggest a more aggressive schedule. I also want to say that while maintenance is extremely important, it is not the only part of car ownership that leads to a long car life. I also add:

1. Non-aggressive driving habits
2. Behaviors that prevent/reduce battery over-heating
3. Timely removal of salt from winterized roads
4. Keeping the car body clean and waxed

Lastly, I don't really buy into JC's rationale regarding mistakes better later than now. I'll say they are annoying whenever they happen.

 

So, I'm getting psyched up to do the engine coolant replacement on my 2010 gen III Prius. The steps in the .pdf look pretty straight forward, except for step 4(d), which says (d) Connect the hose to the air release valve. ". What hose are we talking about? Is this some external hose I attach for a drain off?
thanks for all the great tips,
chuck