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Taking a long trip - What maintenance is recommended?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by BlakeFL, Oct 4, 2017.

  1. BlakeFL

    BlakeFL Junior Member

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    My family is taking our 2013 Prius 4 with 40k miles from Florida to West Virginia for vacation and I was interested to see what maintenance might be recommended before the trip. I recently took it to the dealer to get tires rotated and an overall checkup including brakes and they said it looked good. I've already aired up the tires to recommended PSI and bought Oil, Oil Filter, Air Filter and Cabin filter which I'll be working on this weekend. Is there anything else I'm missing? The only thing I'm worried about is the 12v battery. I checked and the it looks to be original but the voltage was 12.54 volts after sitting overnight. Should I just go ahead and replace it for peace of mind or could it last another year or two?
     
  2. tankyuong

    tankyuong Senior Member

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    I would replace it.chexk the oil before and after trip
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    check all your fluid levels. nothing else needed. i wouldn't change the 12v, but it's really a peace of mind decision.
    would you mind entering your car model and package into your avatar info?
    have a great trip!(y)
     
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  4. b100

    b100 Member

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    my voltage is 11.8 and still starting.
    i'm waiting months now and it will still not die.
    Just check the fluids and make sure you have enough mileage left on your oil interval and your good to go
     
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  5. paprius4030

    paprius4030 My first Prius

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    We just came back from a trip from Fl. to Pa. and back with our 2012 with 150k on it with no problems. Just keep a check on the oil every few hundred miles. Sounds like your good to go.
     
  6. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    It's an AGM, tough battery....
     
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    That's not bad. Dropping in a new battery just before a trip will add an unknown: you might get a dud. I would just do minimal check ups, tire pressures (including spare), washer fluid, leave major changes for later, when you're closer to home if anything goes wrong.
     
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  8. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    If 12 volt batt is low overnight and you know for sure your gonna drive to a very cold place, I'd change it because a battery that's going bad will show its real color in cold weather. Just like when the first cold winter hits and a lot of people can't start their car that morning, but it worked fine last week when weather was warmer.
     
  9. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Check psi in spare tire. I'd inflate front tires 4lbs before max psi in front tires and 6lb before max psi for rears, no max in case road gets hot and air expands. Just tell passengers, "this gonna be a bumpy ride" and your off the hook and back to maxing out MPGs.
     
  10. paprius4030

    paprius4030 My first Prius

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    12.54 isn't bad for sitting overnight is it? It is a 12v. battery.
     
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  11. MelonPrius

    MelonPrius Senior Member

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    I've taken many cross country trips, and a 5-6 of them in a car with over 200k miles. Preventing flat tires and low fluid levels are very important. Make sure there is plenty of tread and the sidewalls aren't cracking. Invest in a AAA card. And check your oil and coolant levels each morning. Good luck.
     
  12. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Took a trip across the western U.S. last fall (7,000km).


    • Check the tire pressure of your spare tire so that it's ready in case you need it
    • Properly inflate the tire pressure of your 4 tires (maybe 1 or 2 PSI higher than factory). Don't forget to reset your tire pressure gauge if you set it higher (it also means you will be notified sooner if the tire loses air since the tire pressure warning light is based on a % not an actual PSI difference so the higher the PSI, the sooner you get the warning before you reach the factory recommended tire pressure. This is opposed to starting at the factory tire pressure and then losing air and driving on underinflated tires).
    • I changed my coolant early (probably didn't need to but it was piece of mind)
    • Changed my oil (it was due for a service anyway so the timing worked well)
    • Left my original 12V battery (it was 7 years old) and it was fine. I ended up changing it this spring as a piece of mind. It was still running at 7.5 years old so assuming you've never had to jump start your 12V, it should be fine at 4 years old.
    • I put in new headlight bulbs since there would be a good amount of night driving (fall means shorter daylight hours than a summer trip)
    • Brake pads were still good (and still are a year later. 40% front, 60% rear remaining). Needed a check cause I would be doing mountain driving through the Rockies/Sierra Nevada.
    • Other things to check include the engine air filter and cabin air filters. You want to be able to have proper airflow for the engine and of course proper airflow to the cabin if you need to defrost or cool/heat quickly.
     
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  13. BlakeFL

    BlakeFL Junior Member

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    Thanks for all the replies. I have all the tires aired up including the spare and replaced the oil, oil filter, air filter and cabin filter over the weekend. The spare was down to about 12 PSI so i'll check it before we leave to see if it has a leak. I won't change the 12v battery since it seems like it could have a few more years of life left.

    One question from changing the oil: There are three push pin fasteners to open the oil door, does anyone know there part numbers so I can purchase them on Amazon? One of them was already pretty messed up and the one with the biggest pin I had to break just to get it off. I got the oil door closed and secure with two of the fasteners but want it more secure before the trip. I'll be buying one of the specialty pliers for the next oil change.
     
  14. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    I advise to perform any changes (major or minor) days or weeks before a trip so you'll have time either for it malfunction and time to fix it.