Front rattling when I go over a bump like rail road tracks. Took it in to dealer. $340 just to look at it because it’s a hybrid. I got them down to half after arguing it is the front steering not the batteries. The fix will take 5 hours to get to it ? Also an oil leak on the timing chain cover. Total out the door $1800 wow first he said because of the age they would have to do a coolant flush for the engine and the inverter plus other things total would be $5000. I said heck no. Fix what needs to be fixed and I will get the other stuff done later. Okay here is the kicker. I retired and my 2016 Prius V has 24,890 miles on it, change oil and kept it up. Why are the costs so high for regular maintenance? What could be the rattling that takes 5 hours to repair get to it? Thanks new on this.
If you don't ask what parts you are paying for you won't know. Pretty elementary. Timing cover leaks are common and often $1200 due to the hours of labor. Most of the time it's just a seep and people wait for something serious like a head gasket fail where that cover comes off anyway. Common early suspension failures are sway bar links. Any shop anywhere can do non hybrid work on these cars. Including timing chain covers. You don't want the guy from the tire shop doing it but anyone that owns a longtime shop is qualified. Shop around and it may be half price. By the way coolant wears out by age or miles. Some of us see a clear correlation of worn out coolant eating away at head gaskets. My daughter could do a coolant drain and fill; I have done at least ten on my car. If you are not changing oil at 5k miles you may regret that as well.
The question of what takes 5 hours, we can only guess. My guess would be something that requires lowering the front cross member. Then is the timing cover leak included in that 5 hours? If the OP has a written estimate, that would offer us co-members some guidance. Fluid changes can be based on age, not miles, and as mentioned, you may regret deferred maintenance. Good luck with your decision and repairs.
Run, do not walk, away from that dealership. Find an independent service shop, ideally one familiar with hybrids, though what you describe is likely suspension, unrelated to hybrid systems.
TL ; DR..... Take this problem to a tire and alignment shop or a trustworthy independent shop. As far as the dealer? Give them the $170 and then give all your friends and neighbors a copy of this thread. Don't forget to leave them an appropriate review in Google. Don't do ANYTHING with ANY car dealer until it's time to buy another car - and if you insist on buying another Toyota do not do so in the Southeast Toyota group of dealerships. Do not let anyone touch the timing chain cover. Don't replace the coolant just yet. Longer Answer: You live in the Magnolia State which means many MANY things good. One of the not-so-good things is that you're in the SE Toyota turf and let's just say that they may not be scrupulously fair in all things - ESPECIALLY in the service department. SO.... Maintenance: Your car is a 2016 wagon according to your info. It does NOT have very many miles on it. It's a hybrid which means that it's using 'advanced technology' that's well over 100 years old in some vehicles....trust me. It's not nuclear gynecology. Anyone who can read, watch youtube, and has some fairly basic tooks can do ALL of the maintenance items for this car and many of the repairs. If you're retired then maybe you have some extra free time. Then again? Maybe not.... Either way.... You're going to want to familiarize yourself with YOUR CAR's Warranty and Maintenance Guide. It looks something like this: https://assets.sia.toyota.com/publications/en/omms-s/T-MMS-16PriusV/pdf/T-MMS-16PriusV.pdf There's MAINTENANCE, and then there's REPAIR. Those are two different things. You're also going to have to consider whether or not your car is operating under "special conditions." This means people who live on 'unimproved roads' or make deliveries requiring a lot of stops and very short trips, dense urban traffic or people who live in the iced over uninhabitable regions above I-40...etc....etc. Contrary to popular belief the roads in Mississippi are nearly all paved and fairly well maintained, and I'm just guessing that a retired person with a very low mileage Prius station wagon isn't operating under "special conditions." You're going to have to consider all of this and talk it over with a trustworthy independent repair person to weigh such things as whether or not you should replace your coolant. If you look at page 51 of your vehicle's Warranty and Maintenance guide you will see the following: 3. Initial engine coolant replacement at 100,000 miles/120 months. Replace every 50,000 miles/60 months thereafter. Initial inverter coolant replacement at 150,000 miles/180 months. Replace every 50,000 miles/60 months thereafter This means that for a 2016 (according to my calendar) your engine coolant "might" not be due yet, to say NOTHING of your inverter coolant. This also means that your dealer is a blatant thief. They are not the only one. Act accordingly. +1 for the timing chain cover gasket "leak." THAT is not "maintenance." It is a REPAIR for a common manufacturing issue with your car that Toyota will not own up to. Again.... Not the only one. ...Act accordingly. If you're following your maintenance guide, then you're going to notice some things that seem a little 'odd.' Checking filters and fluids every 6 months or 5,000 miles for example. "Lifetime" transaxle fluid. 10,000 mile oil changes. Ask specific questions for these and then talk to a mechanic or two. Prepare for contrary advice.....ESPECIALLY in this forum. Good Luck!
