To dealership or not to dealership (Service)

I would think the synthetic oil is the same as what they've given for free the past 2 years under Toyota care

 

If you know how to do the maintenance on your Prius and want to do it I say go ahead.

If you have never done it you will be at somebody else's mercy.

 

Reason to go to stealership to get oil change is to keep reselling price high as possible, if you plan to resell it in couple of years. I wouldn't pay market value for a Prius that's OCI been every 10,000 miles or not recorded at all in carfax. Well I wouldn't even buy a Toyota anymore, I digress. In your situation, look up nutzandboltz video on YouTube on engine oil change and diy to save money, you'll be glad ya did it. Hopefully your not in my situation and your rental lease says no oil changing in lot, if you do, eviction.

 

If the car is being sold by a dealer, then the original owner already received his trade in amount and out of the picture. If the car is being sold by a private party, then having detailed maintenance bills and records are good enough for most folks. The DIY owners are tougher to read.

To me, the reason to get maintenance done at a dealership is that seems to be a contributing factor on if Toyota offers good will assistance, should it be necessary.

 

Goodwill assistance based on maintenance is a poor reason to spend several times as much on maintenance, in my humble opinion.

 

I think it has a lot to do with how many Toyota cars you own. I almost never service anything at the dealer but I've gotten tons of goodwill from Toyota. Just gotta ask

 

I just got my first notice for a six month check up, I'm not going.

 

You get a free car wash

 

My wife won't let me wash the car and she won't let anyone else do it either. It's an OCD thing, I have learned to live with it.

 

I went to mine and was so impressed (not!) that I did the oil change myself. They even put down false low values for the tire pressures.
When the new service writer asked why they did not check the battery they were told that Prius is different. My battery is under the hood like most cars.

 

A hubcap and cabin filter are things you can do yourself. Plenty of maintenance on YouTube to see and PC will always lend a hand with information.

I’m in NY. My friend just moved to LA and dealer charged him $52 for change and service of cabin air filter (ouch).

I use outside mechanic for rotors and brake pads.

 

The gen 4 Prius comes with 2 years of preventative maintenance (tire rotation & oil changes) I do not know if the cabin filter is included. That is an easy DIY item though.

 

Some people default to the "I never go to the "evil" dealership" mantra.
But really? What are your choices?

This is a hybrid, which does make it a bit of a specialized vehicle. While some systems arguably could be worked on by any qualified mechanic, I always felt there was benefit in having my Hybrid serviced at a location familiar with Hybrids. Establishing a relationship with a hybrid repair center, I felt comfortable with.
In my case this was the dealership, which I did like. But of course, 1st 2 years, maintenance was minor, and free, so what is not to like?

To the OP? Maintenance is expensive I think, wherever you go. Places are going to charge you a lot for labor everywhere. The only recommendation I can make, is to try to learn some of the basics yourself if you are comfortable, and you can do it yourself much cheaper. I would recommend never paying to have your Cabin Air Filter, or even Engine Air Filter changed by the dealership as both filters can be bought relatively cheaply and easily installed. This will save some money. Youtube is a great resource for finding video on procedure here. Somebody has changed The Prius engine air filter, and decided to record it and share it...
The Cabin Air Filter is a snap. Too late now, but in the future...just replace that yourself.

As far as future maintenance?
I recommend staying with a shop or situation that has experience with Prius and Hybrids. Conceivably anyone could change the oil, but I kind of want my Hybrid in a Hybrid capable shop.

If you are not confident in the dealership, you could obviously try other dealerships..and/or investigate independent shops specializing in Hybrid repair.

But I think bottom line, repair and maintenance is expensive. It's a bit criminal how much some dealerships charge for the 10 seconds of nothing- it takes to replace the cabin air filter. The only way to mitigate this type of expense is to do it yourself.

In your reported scenario, both the Cabin Air Filter and The Hubcap, are things you probably could of handled yourself much cheaper. There are places online..the internet that specialize in hubcaps. You can buy the filter at an auto parts place OR online, and install it yourself for a LOT cheaper than the dealership is going to charge you.
It's IMO a DIY type of replacement. It's real easy.

But in the end? Unless we are 100% DIY'ers, with a full garage, the knowledge and the tools, we end up paying a lot for labor and maintenance on our vehicles.
Whether it's a dealership or an independent I recommend Hybrid familiarity and specialization. Investigation of nearby options? Well the internet is your friend.
Good Luck.

 

The choices are to:
1. DIY when possible.
2. If there is a local trusted hybrid mechanic, seek their advice
3. If research recommends against DIY, obtain materials & instructions for a trusted mechanic / friend.
4. Cautiously seek dealer assistance, from a trusted dealer if possible. (My trusted dealer is 150 miles away.)

The above helps insure a quality job is performed properly. Most Prius owners here on PriusChat know that already.

Perhaps you should join the Prius owners. Try it, you'll like it!

 

@The Electric Me knows his stuff, had a third gen I believe. This is me when he posts:

 

I thought so, but his post struck me as clueless about Toyota dealer issues. We should still want to welcome them back.
Since they are still here they are either helpful or trolls. That post appeared trollish.
Also users that do not reveal any part of their location rub me the wrong way anyway.

 

Being on a first name basis with the service advisor get me the discounts even when I don't have their ad. I also regularly ask for discounts at the parts desk "just because I bought it here". I always get them.

At the same time, sometimes even the dealership can't deal with a problem and I'm more likely to have the help of the regional specialists called in because they know me and I'm nice when asking them to do it.

Or maybe they know I'm active on the prius forums? Of course they do because I mention it in passing whenever they have a tough diagnosis.

Or maybe they know I fill out the survey forms as honestly as I can.

 

I have over 7500 posts, and over 3,700 likes, and I've been a participating member of the forum since 2009. I owned a Gen 3 Prius for 3 years, and now a Honda Fit
I hesitate to ask, but what in my post makes you think I'm " clueless about Toyota dealer issues"?


You're a veteran poster as well...I can't believe you haven't seen me around Prius Chat.....for a long time. I think my history here precludes me from accusation of being a "troll".
If you want to disagree with specific things I'm actually saying...feel free to do so. But general accusations of being "trollish" or "unhelpful"?
I assure you my post was made with every intention to give a valid opinion on exactly what the OP was asking....Dealership or Not to Dealership Service. I don't think it is trollish on any level.

As time passes, and "New" Generation Prius come....I do withdraw from more and more direct commentary about Prius. Especially Gen 4. But actually, recommendations about Service,- I think I'm still qualified to have an opinion on. I do remember the choices I made in regards to servicing my Gen 3 Prius. I stand by my opinions.

 

My bet is he is lost in his location .