Hi all, living in SoCal, San Gabriel area. Just trying to figure out where to take my Prius for a reliable service center around the area. I read some reviews and now feeling paranoid more than ever. help!
What service do you need? Priuses really don't -need- any service at all until at least 100,000 miles, other than oil changes and air filters. I'd search for reviews on your local Toyota dealerships and pick the one that gives you the best vibe when it comes time to change the engine/inverter coolant and maybe even the CVT fluid. Air filters and spark plugs on this car are just about as straightforward as can be.
Air filters are straight forward, but spark plugs you'll need to do quite a bit of work to get down there. Unless you know a quick method that I don't? Let me know!
On a Prius? Pull beauty cover off of engine.. disconnect 4x coil pack connectors.. unbolt 4x 10mm coil pack screws.. Unscrew 4x spark plugs... Installation is reverse of removal. Job done. Very simple in the grand scheme of things. 1st/2nd gen Prius engines are basically just modified Echo/Yaris engines while the 3rd gen is just a modified Corolla engine. Very simple, mechanically. Changing/Bleeding the inverter coolant is slightly tricky, but not so bad. Hence my recommendation for a Toyota dealership for such things. The Internet's general antipathy toward dealers aside, a dealership tech who does nothing but work on Toyotas/hybrids all day is going to be far and away more familiar with your car than someone at an indie shop, reading Alldata or Mitchell (or even this forum) for technical advice.
The 3rd Gen Prius doesn't have clearance as the 1st and 2nd Gen Prius, I've tried pulling the valve cover off and taking the coil and plugs, doesn't work. Unless you're talking about something else? please enlighten me since its not possible to do it with the 3rd Gen Prius without pulling the wiper cowl off.
Sorry, I've gotten so used to taking off wiper cowls on new Toyotas that I don't even blink or think about it anymore. >_< heh. It's two 14mm nuts holding the wiper arms and then a pile of 10mm bolts holding the wiper motor and cowl assembly in place. Takes about 2-3 minutes to remove, typically. The 3rd gen Prius and its 2ZRFXE uses a new type of small-thread spark plugs, too. Not a big deal in any case since you won't need to even think about them until 100,000 miles.
Lol yeah that's what I thought. I recommend using electrical tools or air tool to take those 10mm bolts off
One time, I was reinstalling the windshield cowl of F8L's car with my brand-new, brushless Makita impact driver. I did a "click click"...and then the bolt head snaps off. whoops.
120,000 miles in a Gen III. Wow! But the car needs tire rotations every 5,000 miles and an oil change every 10,000. And a transmission oil change is a good idea at 30,000 or so. But I do t know any shops in that area.
