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Service advice for Prius Prime after 2 year warranty ends

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by ridprius, Mar 30, 2019.

  1. ridprius

    ridprius Junior Member

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    Hey all, I was wondering how often you guys take your car in for oil change and where you go if you don't go to Toyota dealership? Coming up on needing my first servicing at 27k miles without having the complimentary 2 year warranty and was looking for advice. I am sure they probably tell us to come sooner than we need to, but I also want to make sure my car continues to drive like new so any advice you have to give would be appreciated!
     
  2. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    The warranty is 3 years bumper to bumper and 5 years power train the complementary service is 2 years. You probably want to have it serviced according to toyota’s recommendations to protect those warranties.
     
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  3. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    Tire rotation every 5000 miles
    Oil change every 10000 miles
    Air filters every 30,000 miles

    Any mechanic or DIY can do that.

    At 120,000 miles, see the dealer again.
     
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  4. will the engineer

    will the engineer Active Member

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    Are rock chips considered "bumper to bumper" the primes paint is soo thin that even the smallest rocks are enough to chip off the paint.

    I miss the 60's paint quality. These water base paints are too thin

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  5. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Nop! Unless you can prove it is caused due to a manufacturing defect.
     
  6. will the engineer

    will the engineer Active Member

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    FML!!!!!

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  7. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    There is a 60 month unlimited mileage warranty against corrosion perforation but there are a lot of escape clauses so I consider it pretty weak but it is something I guess.
     
  8. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    I take mine to my driveway for oil changes. I'll stick with the specified OC interval till the warranty expires. But it'll only have a couple thousand miles on the engine. I usually change sooner than spec anyway.
     
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  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i go to the local mech at the mobil station. oil and filter very 10k, tires very 5. lube the caliper pins every 30k and give everything the once over. i do the air and cabin filters, keep an eye on oil level, tires pressure and 12v.
     
  10. PT Guy

    PT Guy Senior Member

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    What service at 27,000? None is specified unless required by time.

    Did the dealership con you into some unneeded service like 3,000 mile oil changes?

    Anyway, any licensed auto repair shop can do the required work and cover the warranty requirements. You only need to return to the dealership for warranty claims. You can do the work yourself, and I do, but be ready to jump through hoops in case of a warranty claim on a part you worked on.
     
  11. frodoz737

    frodoz737 Top Wrench

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    Assuming you did get any flack...receipts are all you need.

    ...and those can be pulled off the puters nowadays.
     
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  12. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    ’60s? I remember Earl Scheib commercials “I’ll paint any car any color. $29.95”

    They just removed the hub caps, masked the chrome and windows and then painted everything including the metal wheels, tires and lug nuts. Then they painted the tires black to cover the overspray.
    Fast and cheap.
    :)
     
    #12 schja01, Mar 31, 2019
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2019
  13. pghyndman

    pghyndman Active Member

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    Actually, if you did your own prep work (Bondo, trim and component removal, masking etc.) it wasn't half bad. Back in the day, I was going to sell my trusty old Volvo and had it done with their Premiere grade paint for a few dollars more and liked the job so much that I kept the car a few more years. A key factor was proper prep (which you could not count on them to do) and keeping the color as close to original as possible to avoid trunk, hood, door jamb anomalies.

    Current day finishes are not without issues. One of our Hondas developed "hood rash" due to a faulty clear coat, a flaw Honda had with certain colors which took years to manifest. We had already given the car to our grand daughter (2000 miles from us) when the problem arose, but after sufficient prodding Honda did a repaint at one of their own body shops. As an aside, I've since noticed several Toyotas and other autos with that same problem.
     
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  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    we have people here complaining about the paint on ten year old cars
     
  15. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I would keep a log file too. Note the date, miles or kms, and what was done. Maybe add a note to the receipts you have too: dealership parts dept receipts in particular are pretty unintelligible.

    They use to be a bit more meaningful; but recently got "improved":

    IMG_0288.JPG
     
  16. Washingtonian

    Washingtonian Senior Member

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    I am wondering if it makes sense to change the oil every year on my car. It was changed by the dealer last month for the second time since new at the two-year mark. The car has 8000 miles, so I can expect to drive it another 4000 miles this year. Probably less than 500 miles will have been driven using the ICE. I checked the oil on the dip stick just before it was serviced and it looked perfectly clean. So my question is: Will synthetic oil used for only 500 miles deteriorate after twelve months to the point that it needs to be replaced?
     
  17. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    You have rain. (or your name and location are wrong*) Enough moisture will have built up in your oil to need to change it.

    You may also feel better with a warranty, so I would follow it's requirements.

    Even at dealer prices, $60 a year to protect a $30,000 investment seems wise. DIY might be half that.

    * he is going to be in that tiny sliver near Sequim that gets 15 inches of rain a year, I just know it.
     
  18. So the paint fades... what about a service to get a coat of wax put on, like, once each summer? Any places do that cheap?
     
  19. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I wax it spring and fall. DIY, you notice any ding and scratches, so have the touch-up paint ready.
     
  20. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Need to be changed? No, the Volt would let its interval extend up to two years, but there is the concern about warranty coverage.

    If DIY, you could use a 5w20 synthetic blend to save a few dollars, or what I'd lean to, use the 'old' Prime oil in another car or lawnmower.
    Considering that the crankcase should be sealed if the the PCV is working, and even with an open open one, the majority of water that gets into the motor oil is combustion by-product. For every gallon of gasoline burned, a little over a gallon of water is produced. Most goes out the exhaust pipe, but some goes past the piston rings into the crankcase. Environmental water can make its way into the crankcase, but I suspect humid climates just make it harder to boil the combustion water off.