Hi all, I had my 2012 Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon) model three 1.8L 4 Cyl. Hybrid FWD for 50K service last week in the Toyota dealership. The inspection shown 1. throttle body dirty has carbon buildup 2. fuel induction service 3. brake fluid dirty. The total cost would be $582. What is the legitimate way to fix these issues for lower cost? I am a driver who generally drive ~120 mile per day for work. Please advise. Thanks in advance!
Throttle body is pretty easy to clean. Fuel induction service is probably a bottle that you pour into gas tank. Brake fluid is pretty easy to replace if you have two persons and mini-vci.
Those are all standard stealership rip-off items, and they tell everyone who comes through the door that they need them at 50k. Only thing you need to do is drive away.
Even though none of those are essential they are beneficial. Brake fluid should be replaced every 2…4 years it will make brake hydraulic component life longer. Throttle body cleaning will prevent future drivability problems but it might not be needed now. Fuel system (injector) cleaner will also reduce future drivability problems but need depends on the quality of gas used.
What valde3 said. You could do all of these in a little over an hour with the proper instructions, tools and a helper.
It sounds like a dealership's "suite" of services. Still, don't let you put you off on all three, immediately. Their necessity varies, and some could be DIY. The fuel induction cleaning service: I'd be inclined to completely walk away from this, unless you're having specific problems. I've never done that on any vehicle we've had, no problems. Read up on it for sure, keep an open mind, but I can't see a pressing need for this. Throttle body cleaning: This is a relatively easy DIY. Besides the TBC there's another thing that can be done: cleaning of the Mass Air Flow Sensor. The latter is a little trickier I think, it's small/fragile. Again, that could be put off, if you've no problems noticed. For the throttle body cleaning, NutzAboutBolts has a video: (^ Hmm, I've yet to do this, think I should. ) Brake fluid replacement: In the 2014 Prius (regular) Canadian Warranty and Scheduled Maintenance Guide, Brake Fluid Replacement is recommended at 48.000 km's or 36 months (whichever comes first). I believe this the first year it was suggested, and it seems a shift in Toyota policy, a recognition that brake fluid has a "half-life". The US 2015 Warranty and Maintenance Guide still does not make any reference to brake fluid. An excerpt from 2014 Prius (regular) Canadian Warranty and Scheduled Maintenance Guide: Still, other auto manufacturers, Honda specifically, have been recommending a tri-yearly brake fluid replacement, for decades. The stuff attracts water, which can cause rusting: it's just makes good sense to periodically flush it through the bleed screws, replace with fresh fluid. This service though, is one I'd leave to the dealership, especially due to the complexity of the Prius braking system. I've done this myself on conventional vehicles, with mixed results, and now I'm much rather let the pros do it, since they have tools that can automate the process somewhat, and the price is (or should be) relatively trivial: should be around $100. One thing when getting the pros to do a brake fluid replacement: INSIST that they road test the car after, and be cognisant for the next few days, make sure the car feels normal. That alone will likely keep them on their toes. If there's anything weird or different, return the car, get it rechecked. They can screw up.
