[orbops]

I just went in for my $15K service, and the final bill was $238 including a new cabin air filter (which was $51). It seems like an expensive bill, but was wondering what others are paying.

 

[hyperion]

maybe if you list what they did as 15,000 miles sort of means different things at different dealers. The cabin filter lists at $19.00 at Toyota and ten dollars on "e" bay and takes five minutes to change following the owners manual directions.

 

[orbops]

They call it the "intermediate service" or "green service" (essentially what's listed for the 15K check in the scheduled maintenance guide for the Prius.

oil change
new oil filter
check brakes and brake pads and adjust parking brake
lube chassis
rotate tires
replace transmission fluid
inspect timing, scope & adjust to factory spec
inspect EFI system
multi-point inspection

For the cabin filter, they charged me $31 for parts, and $18 for labor -- which bugs me because if I had known they were going to charge me labor, I would have done it myself since I had taken the cabin filter out only 2 days earlier to clean it. :x

 

[Isabelle]

Mr/Ms. Orbops;

I'm afraid you have been had for about $200 more than you needed to spend. Hyperion was kind; I guess he's in a gentle mood.

Don't want to make you feel bad, but here's some advice that will save you money down the road:

-your Prius came with a scheduled maintenance booklet; I'm not lookin at mine right now, but if you check, you'll see that at 15,000 miles you probably needed an oil change and tire rotation...period....should cost no more than $60. Period. End of case. That is Toyota's requirement.

-your dealer, on the other hand, will do all kinds of things to make money that Toyota doesn't require...They will tell you that it is necessary because it rains teddy bears in your geographic location;

-your answer should be to bring your maintenance book with you; point to the list that Toyota requires at X000 miles, and nothing more.

-It is both disheartening and confusing that one doesn't know exactly what maintenance a dealer will do...but having paid $238 for things you don't need to do, it provides a reminder to us all that our Prius came with a Toyota recommended maintenance schedule. It's not necessary to do any more than that booklet says.

 

[ehurtley]

Sorry, I can't help, I paid for the pre-paid maintenance... I did the math when I bought it, though, and figured that it was 75% of the individual services added up. (NOT including any inflation.)

 

[hyperion]

I should have added that most dealers service depts know very little about the Prius and treat it as a Camry, or Corolla After an oil change you will find 26 psi in all four tires cause "that's what they do" ect:
You do have to stipulate exactly what you wish.

 

[firepa63]

They call it the "intermediate service" or "green service" (essentially what's listed for the 15K check in the scheduled maintenance guide for the Prius.

oil change
new oil filter
check brakes and brake pads and adjust parking brake
lube chassis
rotate tires
replace transmission fluid
inspect timing, scope & adjust to factory spec
inspect EFI system
multi-point inspection

For the cabin filter, they charged me $31 for parts, and $18 for labor -- which bugs me because if I had known they were going to charge me labor, I would have done it myself since I had taken the cabin filter out only 2 days earlier to clean it. :x

Me thinks you got taken!!! Check Toyota's recommendation for 15K service and you will see the dealer went way beyond what is called for. My 15K service was $5.95 at my dealer (I had a coupon for a free oil change). The Toyota recommended service at 15K for the Prius is:
Replace engine oil and oil filter
Rotate tires
Visually inspect brake linings/drums and brake pads/discs
Inspect the following:
- Ball joints and dust covers
- Brake lines and hoses
- Drive shaft boots
- Engine and inverter coolant
- Exhaust pipes and mountings
- Radiator, condenser and intercooler
- Steering gear box
- Steering linkage and boots

 

[Roger V]

Sorry, I can't help, I paid for the pre-paid maintenance... I did the math when I bought it, though, and figured that it was 75% of the individual services added up. (NOT including any inflation.)

It would be interesting to see how closely the dealer follows the book, and how much extra stuff they do, considering that they have already been paid, or are allotted a certain amount each service.

 

[DanMan32]

Although Toyota specifies to replace the air filters (cabin and ICE) at 30K, I found that 15K seems more appropriate. They were pretty dirty at 30K.

Considering what little is required of the Prius: oil changes, tire rotation at every 5K, and air filters at 30K, it would be difficult to justify pre-paid maintenance. There is NO timeframe to change the transmission fluid, though a change at 60K might be in order. Its use compared to a standard automatic transmission is even less than a comparison of Prius ICE oil and conventional car. no torque converter, no hydraulic valves (except the pump), no capillaries, no shifters, no modulators, no cooler.

No car these days has timing adjustments, especially if the igniter coils are individually on each spark plug, as it is in the Prius.

 

[Roger V]

15k service

maybe if you list what they did as 15,000 miles sort of means different things at different dealers. The cabin filter lists at $19.00 at Toyota and ten dollars on "e" bay and takes five minutes to change following the owners manual directions.

Hyperion,
You mentioned buying filters on e-bay. I've never bought anything there. Any particular site to use? I couldn't find anything under a search for Toyota filters, but lots of parts in general. Is there a way to find them more easily than searching site by site? Also, are they the genuine Toyota part? I would appreciate any help you can provide. Thanks.