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New Owner of 2017 Prius 3, Maintenance history question

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by Paprius9, Feb 23, 2021.

  1. Paprius9

    Paprius9 Junior Member

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    Hi! So I picked up a 2017 Prius 3 this past weekend. It has 89000 miles, but is in good shape. Got a good deal and hoping it lasts for a long time. It has regular oil changes. Some mystery on the recent maintenance history. All Toyota dealer. Looing on the Toyota's owner website, It had an inverter coolant flush and fill in May 2020 at 80000 miles under. In October 2019 is says "PERFORM PROFESSIONAL COOLING SYSTEM CLEANING AND FLUID EXCHANGE". This was at 70000 miles. Would this be the ICE coolant? Why were the coolants recommend by the dealer to be done so early? The previous owner was putting a lot of miles on it - including 10000 miles from May 2019 to October 2019 (must have been an epic summer road trip).
     
  2. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    The car may be good but the dealership wasn't.
    You probably have an owner who took their car to the dealership regularly and doesn't know very much about cars.
    I would treat this car like it was owned by a 16-year-old kid who failed driving school and thinks that the Fast and Furious movies were documentaries - but that does not necessarily mean that the car was abused......just neglected.

    Download and LOOK at the warranty and maintenance guide.
    There's probably a lot of maintenance that will have to be done in the next 30,000 miles or so.
    You can do this smart....or you can throw the keyfob at the dealership's "maintenance advisor" every now and then and hope that they will be gentle with you.
    .....sounds like that's what the previous owner did. ;)
    If you got this car from the same dealership that made the entries in the service log, you may want to start seeing other people when it comes time to MAINTAIN the car.

    Show them this thread. ;)

    ......other than that????
    Sounds like a fairly high mileage G4 that's at least had regular oil changes....which is DIFFERENT than oil CHECKs.

    Drive it with confidence.....BUT...remember that you're car is about 40 in human years.
    Lots of life left, but it's time to stop eating cheeseburgers and laying around the house.
    THINK about regular maintenance and ask specific questions about the items listed in the Warranty and Maintenance Guide here in PC.

    ANYTHING that is not specifically listed (other than perhaps transaxle flush) is not maintenance.....you're either getting ripped off or it's a REPAIR.
    Repairs deserve research.....and second opinions.

    Good Luck!
    Let us know how it works out.


    PICTURES.
    (Or it never happened!)
     
    #2 ETC(SS), Feb 23, 2021
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2021
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  3. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    That second one would be the engine coolant.
    The dealer recommended them for profit most likely, but there is likely a mileage component to the coolant life.
     
  4. Paprius9

    Paprius9 Junior Member

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    Thanks for the thoughts! I think I'm good for maintenance till 120K for spark plugs? Besides regular oil changes. Speaking of which, they went 10,000 miles between changes, I might shorten that timeframe up. The dealer gave me 2 free oil changes. Might as well take advantage of them. Tires look good. Brakes feel ok, just a little rust. Both just passed PA state inspection. I'll be taking off the plastic hubcaps as soon as I get center caps! Here is a pic.
     

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  5. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Nice!

    BTW....the dealer didn't "give" you those oil changes.
    They want to see you in their service department....... ;)

    I would shorten the oil change interval on the back 9 to once every 5,000 miles.
    I'd also review your warranty and maintenance guide to remove the question mark after the spark plug change.
    Consider watching @NutzAboutBolts excellent maintenance vids.
    You may not DO the work yourself, but it will give you a much clearer idea about what should be done.
    Those vids are G3 specific IIRC but they 'rhyme' with your G4.....

    Finally and most important.....ENJOY THE CAR!