Get the vehicle checked out before the warranty expires?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by NewHybridOwner, Jan 17, 2019.

  1. NewHybridOwner

    NewHybridOwner Active Member

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    We have a 2015 Prius Four that must have sat on the dealer's lot for a while, as it was not put into service until January 30 2016 (according to Toyota Customer Service). This means it still has almost two weeks of the original 36-month warranty remaining (plus several thousand of the 36,000 miles).

    We bought it used from a non-Toyota dealership with that dealership's 12-month warranty, with about three months still left. It's been serviced there twice, and they claim to have found no problems in the course of their multi-point inspections.

    I am not aware of any problems, but is it worth getting a full checkup done by a Toyota dealership ($125) on the grounds that they might find things that can be fixed under warranty that I -- and even a non-Toyota dealership -- would not necessarily spot?
     
    #1 NewHybridOwner, Jan 17, 2019
    Last edited: Jan 17, 2019
  2. Pluggo

    Pluggo Senior Member

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    Just about any problem they could possibly find would be worth well over $125, so I would say the inspection is a good deal. Even if they find nothing, you have purchased much peace of mind.
     
    #2 Pluggo, Jan 17, 2019
  3. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Easy, they say nothing wrong or needs to be fixed while under warranty. Once your warranty ends, they know that and then start to recommend fixes and foot you the bill. Dealers are sneaky if there’s no glaring hole of things to be fixed.

    Id check for worn out or detached rubber boots on the shocks, weather striping all around and other common threads here if factory defect with the search feature.
     
    #3 Grit, Jan 17, 2019
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    sure, why not. once in awhile, dealers even replace good parts under warranty
     
    #4 bisco, Jan 17, 2019
  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I was in the same situation when my 2015 warranty was expiring. I went to a private mechanic to have everything looked over. They discovered an axle seal leak from the transaxle and I brought it to the dealer to get fixed. If I didn't have this inspection, I would not have found that leak (it wasn't that big).

    Also right after I got the axle seal fixed a problem returned from a previous repair came up. The brakes were barking when I pressed them firmly. Unfortunately it was 1 day out of warranty when I brought it back to the dealer, but through a good will warranty, they covered a brake booster/master cylinder replacement. This would have cost me $3000 out of pocket if they didn't cover it.
     
    #5 JC91006, Jan 17, 2019
  6. GrGramps

    GrGramps Active Member

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    Gee, it sounds like not all dealers are sneaky?
     
    #6 GrGramps, Jan 17, 2019
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