1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Just got serviced and turned a lot of things down

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Pulse07, Aug 26, 2022.

  1. Pulse07

    Pulse07 Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2020
    273
    137
    0
    Location:
    East Bay, California
    Vehicle:
    2020 Prius
    Model:
    XLE AWD-e
    I just got serviced at my selling d(steal)ealership. This is the first service outside of ToyotaCare and oh my goodness the upsell is big. This was for the 25k mile (basically inspection and tire rotation no oil). The service advisor (SA) tried to sell me Ethanol treatment, fuel injection cleaner , (annual) wheel alignment, and battery filter. All to a total for $500. I turned them all down, and just did the tire rotation for $40 (I know it seems 2x price of what a tire shop would charge). Is ethanol treatment a thing? I assume it's basically a gas additive and is it really necessary?
     
  2. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2016
    6,058
    5,783
    0
    Location:
    Columbia, SC
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Personally, it's just a money maker for the dealership.

    Modern fuel has ethanol in it. Sometimes 10%, sometimes 15% or more. Ethanol will absorb moisture, if it's exposed to it. There's always a chance that if left sitting long enough (years) that ethanol may absorb enough moisture to cause a bit of water to settle at the bottom of your gas tank. But, it's hard for ethanol to absorb moisture if it's not exposed to air, right? Modern fuel tanks don't exactly have ventilation fans blowing fresh air into the tank.....
    If you drive your car like a normal person, you consume the fuel plenty fast to have nothing to worry about with moisture. If you have any concerns, there are a variety of "ethanol treatment" products available at just about any store, including walmart, that you can buy for about 10 bucks and add it to the fuel tank yourself. It's just chemicals that absorb any water that may have formed in the tank. I believe most also include chemicals for "fuel system cleaning" like injector deposits that may build up. All the dealership is going to do, is pour in a $10 bottle of treatment and charge you $75.
     
    #2 TMR-JWAP, Aug 26, 2022
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2022
    Pulse07 likes this.
  3. Doug McC

    Doug McC Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2022
    940
    343
    0
    Location:
    Midwest
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius
    Model:
    XLE
    Short answer “nope”. Take a look at your owners manual and you will see Toyota telling you not to use fuel additives (I’m sure, tho’, there is a conspiracy theory someone here believes, that says Toyota is up to something giving that advice). If you only use TopTier gasoline, you won’t need the additives or the injector cleaner either.
     
    Pulse07 likes this.
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    just follow the maintenance schedule and change the tranny fluid
     
  5. Pulse07

    Pulse07 Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2020
    273
    137
    0
    Location:
    East Bay, California
    Vehicle:
    2020 Prius
    Model:
    XLE AWD-e
    Im glad to know, they wanted $199.99 for the injection cleaning and ethanol treatment. I could have just swung by Autozone and purchased Techron in a bottle and use that for $10.99 .

    I'm a believer of Top Tier gas and only use it. Thanks
     
  6. Doug McC

    Doug McC Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2022
    940
    343
    0
    Location:
    Midwest
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius
    Model:
    XLE
    The only thing I would add is checking the battery filter, and cleaning it (which is too simple to do to pay someone else to do it).
     
    Pulse07 likes this.
  7. ColoradoBoo

    ColoradoBoo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2019
    902
    592
    4
    Location:
    Monument, Colorado USA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Dang they must be hurting for money....none of that is needed. I agree with Pulse07 about only filling up with Top Tier gasoline...you won't have to worry about cleaning out fuel injectors. (There's websites to find one near you.)
    Have you checked the engine air filter? I've found the smaller ones in our Prius needs replacing more often so mine usually get replaced every 8-12 months, depending on how dirty they look.
     
    Doug McC likes this.
  8. CooCooCaChoo

    CooCooCaChoo Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2015
    886
    493
    0
    Location:
    Cow-lee-fornia
    Vehicle:
    2023 Prius
    Model:
    LE
    Ethanol treatment: No. The engine can take up to 10% ethanol fuel mix. Even if you park for a long time (weeks to months), you should just use a bottle of fuel stabilizer.

    Fuel Injection cleaner: No. If you had to, just run a tank of Techron or buy an additive like Berryman's or Techron.

    Wheel alignment: No. Unless you hit something too hard and fast, did work on the suspension, have uneven tire wire, or no longer track straight. I never did alignments on the OEM tires and still got some 45k miles out of those.

    Battery filter: No. Unless your car is perpetually dirty or you have long haired pets, this filter would last a long time. When I changed it, it probably had 95% life left. I keep my car's interior clean and have no pets BTW. Plus it can be done in under 5 minutes.

    Fuel injection cleaner additive is a hot topic issue. Some people say if you use top fuels only (Chevron, Shell, Costco, etc.), you won't need fuel injection cleaner ever. I disagree. Fuel combustion generates a lot of byproducts and will inevitably get dirty. My take on this issue is thus: It's much easier to keep a brand new engine clean than it is to clean an engine that has been dirty after years and years of use. I use Berryman's twice a year.
     
  9. Pulse07

    Pulse07 Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2020
    273
    137
    0
    Location:
    East Bay, California
    Vehicle:
    2020 Prius
    Model:
    XLE AWD-e
    I googled as I was waiting in the lounge, their coffee machine was broken but I learned all you need is a phillips head.

    My engine air filter is replaced by myself (no tools needed) every year regardless of miles. Sometimes I use Wix filter or OEM. I guess if I change it yearly it doesn't really matter which brand.

    A bottle of techron every not and then . Like a deep cleaning from a dentist even if I brush every day, wont hurt.
     
  10. thomassster

    thomassster Member

    Joined:
    Nov 2, 2015
    238
    80
    0
    Location:
    Colorado, US
    Vehicle:
    2019 Prius
    Model:
    XLE AWD-e
    These are good data points from this dealership. Dealerships may run like typical auto repair shops and do stuff like this. If your car is still running, and they recommend various things, do the homework and decide whether it’s worth it. Never agree on the spot and be blindsided. Good job on not being tempted. Definitely do battery filter yourself. Wheel alignments are good to do every couple years for mileage efficiency, depending on how bad condition they are…but best to shop around.
     
    Pulse07 likes this.