Just bought a used 3rd Gen Prius

Instead of paying $50 to read codes that probably aren't there I'd use the money to buy a Scangauge or mini vci. If you have nav you may be able to see a maintenance reminder. You are probably overdue for a tranny drain & fill. When the oil change reminder pops up will the oil change be DIY?

 

About $30 for the 5 quart jug and filter at Amazon but there's an upfront cost for the ramps and tools that you'll need. It's very simple to do the oil change that I'd bet you can get it done faster than driving to a shop and waiting.

Maintenance items don't always show up on Carfax. I just got the timing belt replaced and transmission fluid changed on my Sienna but it doesn't show up on Carfax. I also got a tpms kit changed on a tire on my Prius and that shows up as "vehicle serviced" on Carfax. It's best not to rely on those reports.

 

congrats! i would do all the fluids, spark plugs, filters, brakes, tranny and anything else in the o/m. a little at a time if you don't have the bucks. maybe invest in a grid charger? all the best!

 

truthfully, nobody knows. but i can tell you, there has never been a report here of a tranny dying after the fluid was changed.
toyota does call it lifetime, but some here, after testing the fluid and finding metals from the internal parts in it, determined that it was a marketing ploy by toyota to show less maintenance costs than other cars. they only care if it makes it beyond warranty.
but there has been no lab testing that we or the dealers know of.

 

Nobody knows for certain whether changing the transmision lubricant will extend the life of the transmission. It might. It certainly won't shorten its life, unless you badly mess up that relatively easy project (i.e., by using the wrong fluid, not adding enough, leaving the drain plug loose, or some such gross error). It's a lot simpler than flushing a conventional automatic, more like changing oil in a manual transmission or engine. There is no filter to change.

Dealers have been known to tell people all sorts of ridiculous nonsense on that topic.

 

This is a very timely post! I also just bought a used 2010 Prius with higher miles (162,000) this week, I live in NW OH and I am in my mid-late twenties I was scrolling through and saw your questions and got a little freaked out by the similarities!

If it's any help, the Prius I bought was maintained meticulous at dealerships by the previous owner, so I can tell you the most recent service on mine was swapping the spark plugs out around the 160k mark. If yours haven't been done, it might be a good place to start. Also, I'd advise you to at least get in the habit of doing your own oil changes. The startup cost is about the same as a full-price synthetic oil change, and every oil change thereafter will be ~$30 for high-quality oil. I am mechanically dysfunctional and I can do it without breaking anything, so I know you can too! All you need to learn is here on PC!

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Welcome yortlecti! Let us know how it goes.

 

@ElectricCarFan Transaxle fluid change is cheap to do, and about on par with an oil change for complexity. I'm likely going to do my third one this fall, it's been 3 years, and (wait for it) 25,000 kms since the last one.

If you were to DIY a transaxle fluid change, you'd need:

4 quarts (or liters) of Toyota ATF WS fluid (don't get talked into alternatives, not worth the risk)
2 washers (for drain and fill bolts)

The above shouldn't cost more than $40~

For tools:

Whatever it takes to get the car raised and roughly level (requirement to get fluid level right), and safe. Say a floor jack and four safety stands. Or ramps for the front, a floor jack and two safety stands for the rear.

Torque wrench. (fill and drain bolts are 29 ft/lb)
Ratchet wrench, 3/8" is adequate, or 1/2" with reducer (long arm, "breaker" style makes life easier)
Ratchet wrench extensions, say 3" and 6"
10mm male hex socket driver (drain and fill bolts are female socket head)
Funnel with three foot hose extension (keep hose diameter down, say around 1/2" OD)
Good sized drain pan of some sort, plus used oil storage bottles.

It's a good idea to remove the engine under shield, for access, and to avoid a possible splashing mess. Also a good opportunity to check things. Stay organized with the fasteners, there's two sizes of the push-in ones. Two are bigger, have grey caps, near the oil change access flap. My suggestion would be to never use this flap, remove the entire under cover instead. Also, always wash the push-in faster in hot soapy water before re-install, to sluice out grit that can jam them, cause them to break.

Remove the fill bolt first, then the drain bolt (just in case there's a problem breaking them loose). Reinstall the drain bolt (with new washer), then snake the funnel hose down through the engine bay from above, and have an assistant pour in the new fluid. It'll take around 3.5 quarts (or liters) before it starts coming back out. Stop immediately when that happens, wait till it stabilizes, stops coming out, maybe splish-splash with a pinky to get the level down slightly. Then install and torque the fill bolt with fresh washer, you're done.

The attachment intimates that you should recheck the level within a day. I did this the first time I changed the fluid, it's a lot of work for nothing: just ensure everything's torqued, and there's no leaks.


Incidentally, my car is one of those which would show nothing online for maintenance, having done it all myself. As you said, it could be the previous owner was diligent, but just didn't use Toyota, or was DIY.

 

Thank you, will do!

 

Change the trani fluid. It's a big gear box......can't hurt anything.

 

My prius is in the shop for updates and an issue i have with HVAC. I requested a price quote for the tranny fluid change and they quoted me 280ish. Looks like i'll be doing it myself once i do an oil change.

 

Once you change the transmission fluid you will appreciate how much money you saved.

 

That's robbery. Or they haven't a clue. Either way: DIY is the way to go. Unless you can find another, more honest/competent dealership. It should be around $80, no more than $100.

 

Here's the repair manual instruction; basically drain and fill. It's not explicitly mentioned, but during the refill process, you basically add fluid till it starts coming back out the fill hole, so the car should be level, to get it right. Also, the instruction says to check level after a drive, which I've found to be unnecessary: it's doesn't change if you got it right to begin with. Simplest method to fill, imho, is funnel and hose extension, you'll need about 3 foot extension.