Prius service

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hoops777
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Prius service

Post by hoops777 »

I got a call from the dealer offering a special service price because they have not seen me in 14 months.
I have driven my car less than 1000 miles in that time because of covid.
How often do you need to service a 2015 Prius if you barely drive it? My last service was the 30,000 mile service.
Thanks.
K.I.S.S........so easy to say so difficult to do.
bubbadog
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Re: Prius service

Post by bubbadog »

I have a 2008 Prius with 176,000 miles. If your Prius is operating fine, I would ignore the dealer. The only thing some people will advocate is an oil change annually. If it has been 1,000 miles since the last oil change, I would let it go.
mhalley
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Re: Prius service

Post by mhalley »

The only thing you might need is an oil change as low mileage can result in condensation in the oil.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... ge-truths/
According to the automotive website Edmunds.com, the answer depends more on driving patterns than anything else. Those who rarely drive more than 10 miles at a time (which doesn’t get the oil hot enough to boil off moisture condensation) or who start their car frequently when the oil isn’t hot (when most engine wear occurs) should change their oil more often—at least twice a year, even if that’s every 1,000 miles, according to Edmunds. But commuters who drive more than 20 miles a day on mostly flat freeway can go as far as their owner’s manual recommends, if not longer, between changes. As a car ages, more frequent changes might be in order, but that’s for a qualified mechanic to decide on a case-by-case basis.
crefwatch
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Re: Prius service

Post by crefwatch »

I'm not advocating throwing money down the drain, but especially if you are working and commuting (you're not, during Covid), reliability is affected by regular service. You have to know when you really "need" something, and when they are just "recommending" a brake job or something like that. I'd mention the many reports of mouse nests in engine compartments to suggest that you might want to at least get the lowest-price "menu" checkup, and be prepared to say, "no thanks" when they tell you that you need a new cabin air filter. You could always ask to be given the removed filter. ...

I don't have much experience with synthetic oil.
Wrench
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Re: Prius service

Post by Wrench »

hoops777 wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 12:23 pm I got a call from the dealer offering a special service price because they have not seen me in 14 months.
I have driven my car less than 1000 miles in that time because of covid.
How often do you need to service a 2015 Prius if you barely drive it? My last service was the 30,000 mile service.
Thanks.
If the car is siting for long periods, you may want to balance the tires. I just had my oil changed after ~5000 miles - last one was in Oct. 2019! I went weeks without driving it in 2020 and the tires went slightly "out of round" after being in one spot for so long. Other than oil change and tire balancing, I wouldn't think anything else necessary.

Wrench
Wrench
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Re: Prius service

Post by Wrench »

hoops777 wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 12:23 pm I got a call from the dealer offering a special service price because they have not seen me in 14 months.
I have driven my car less than 1000 miles in that time because of covid.
How often do you need to service a 2015 Prius if you barely drive it? My last service was the 30,000 mile service.
Thanks.
If the car is siting for long periods, you may want to balance the tires. I just had my oil changed after ~5000 miles - last one was in Oct. 2019! I went weeks without driving it in 2020 and the tires went slightly "out of round" after being in one spot for so long. Other than oil change and tire balancing, I wouldn't think anything else necessary.

Wrench
dbr
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Re: Prius service

Post by dbr »

Not necessarily every year, but it not a bad idea to have all the working parts of your car looked at when you drive as little as that. Rusted brake calipers, battery problems, old tires, wiper blades that don't wipe, any odd fluid leaks etc., are good to know about.

A trusted local mechanic who won't find problems to sell you something is better than a dealer.

We are all probably struggling with owning cars and not driving them very much.
Topic Author
hoops777
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Re: Prius service

Post by hoops777 »

Thanks. I have only been on the freeway about 5 times so I guess I will have them change the oil and balance the tires.
K.I.S.S........so easy to say so difficult to do.
02nz
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Re: Prius service

Post by 02nz »

hoops777 wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 12:55 pm Thanks. I have only been on the freeway about 5 times so I guess I will have them change the oil and balance the tires.
I doubt balancing is necessary unless it's been sitting for very long (like over a month) without moving. And does your instrument cluster have a menu that tells you estimated oil life? That's calculated by the on-board computer based on your actual usage and isn't tied to the dealer's profit motive. :moneybag
aerofreaky11
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Re: Prius service

Post by aerofreaky11 »

I acknowledge water in oil can be an issue. You can drive the car and solve this problem. If all you've been doing is driving 4 miles to the grocery store, letting the car cool off and driving 4 MI home you're more likely to need that oil change. However, if you drive the car once a month for 100 miles in One direction you're a lot less likely to need it.
Topic Author
hoops777
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Re: Prius service

Post by hoops777 »

02nz wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 1:10 pm
hoops777 wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 12:55 pm Thanks. I have only been on the freeway about 5 times so I guess I will have them change the oil and balance the tires.
I doubt balancing is necessary unless it's been sitting for very long (like over a month) without moving. And does your instrument cluster have a menu that tells you estimated oil life? That's calculated by the on-board computer based on your actual usage and isn't tied to the dealer's profit motive. :moneybag
Not sure but will check it. It did set for over 2 months once without driving it.
K.I.S.S........so easy to say so difficult to do.
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baconavocado
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Re: Prius service

Post by baconavocado »

The only time I have ever balanced my tires is when I'm buying new tires.
AS7911
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Re: Prius service

Post by AS7911 »

Other than oil and tires, the first and only general maintenance I did was at 120k miles....
Morgan Dollar 1921
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Re: Prius service

Post by Morgan Dollar 1921 »

Flannelbeard wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 12:34 pm I would change the oil every year, regardless of mileage. And be heavily skeptical of any other services they recommend if you bring it into them for an oil change given how you've put almost no miles on the car since your last service.

Might be time to replace the tires also on an age basis (5 years generally recommended due to degradation of the rubber compound). But I wouldn't pay a stealership for that.

Other than that I doubt you need to be concerned with any other wear items on the car needing replacement at your rate of mileage. The brakes on my 2015 Prius lasted until 160k miles. 8-)
Not all dealerships are stealerships, but yes some are I have worked in 3, for short periods of time,that were crooked, even telling one service manager if he wanted me to lie for them, he needed a new parts employee. My skill set was such they never asked me to bear false info to vendors or customers again. I started looking anyway. I have little knowledge on Toyota, but GM was at one point price matching any quote. That said, I sent my daughter to Costco, for the best deal on winter tires for her Avalon. They beat our local Toyota dealer. Good advice on tire age, I might go six years from the DOT code, but no longer. Why bet your life on it.
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