Just wondering if I can get some advice of things to keep up with my 2015 Prius that I can do on my own or at least keep an eye on to make sure I take care of something by a professional. I remember watching a video that mentioned something about a filter to keep clean to make sure the battery lasts a long time. I have also read to drive the car even if you don't have anywhere to go. Basically to drive more than you normally would since the car needs to be driven to keep the battery healthy. What are some things to upkeep and make sure gets done or to periodically check? What do most of you do to make sure your 3rd Gen Prius doesn't have any major problems?
Have a look at the @NutzAboutBolts videos. There’s a thread pinned at top of 3rd gen maintenance forum linking a lot of them. If you’re interested in anything specific I could post Repair Manual excerpts, gives further details, things like capacities and torque values for example.
start by reading the o/m and maintenance schedule. air filter is rasy, canin filter not much harder. check your oil, other fluid levels and tire pressures at each fill up. a 20 mile drive once a week is enough for the hybrid battery, but the 12v may need a maintainer/smart charger if you don't drive often. oill changes are the most frequent (every 10k) and a bit more challenging, but not hard. tire rotation ?(every 5k) is a bear, but can be done with a jack how many miles on her?
Incorporate tire rotation with snow tire swaps and/or brake inspection when practical. Snow tire swap is how I do ours. I use the front and rear jacking points proscribed in owners manual, but place jack stands at alternate locs, not at scissor jack designated points, but close by. More info if you’re interested.
I will thanks. I live in Orange County, CA so I don't need to worry about snow. I looked up a vid on the air filter and all I do is take off the glove compartment to get to it. I can do that. I have no idea what a canin filter is. If those vids go over all that stuff and tell me what to look for, that would teach me what to look for and how to do it. I do not change my oil or rotate the tires. That's something my mechanic does. I believe I got charged $63 for an oil change last year. I recently for a new tire from Walmart and they checked all the tire pressures. I can try to drive it more as I do not drive very often especially with Covid but I suppose I can figure out places to go. I have a tad over 52,000 miles.
He meant cabin filter, that is the one behind the glove compartment. The air filter he is talking about is the engine intake air filter under the hood. That is easy also.
Nope. I know next to nothing about cars. I figured the canin was some special Prius only thing. Yeah. My family has been going to him for as long as I can remember. We have referred friends to him that refer their friends and so on. Most of his business is through word of mouth. He's the kind of mechanic that will straight up tell you if it's better to fix it or replace it and he has often just given me spare parts he had lying around that would fix my problem. I moved so he's like 25 min or so away now and I still go to him for everything which is pretty much only an oil change ever since I bought the Prius with it's zero problems.
25 min drive away is actually not too bad. I would rather drive further to a mechanic that I can trust if the car is in the condition that can go that distance. For other issues where the car is not able to be driven, look for some mobile mechanics.
