I know you all hate posts like this, but as a mom with a young baby who also knows zero about mechanics I'm throwing myself on the mercy of the forum to help me service my Prius without spending my baby's college education. My car has had it's oil and air filter changed religiously and its previous owners did the brake recall way back when. It's never had any issues or other maintenance. But now it's idling a little unevenly and obviously is due for some major service based on mileage. I'll likely keep the car another year. I've tried to sort through service posts and have come up with the following as mandatory : Transaxle fluid drain/fill Serpentine belt inspection Pcv valve replacement Engine/inverter coolant drain/fill IF fluid isn't still pink Spark plugs? ?? I'm in CA and the book says CA pzev doesn't need this until 150k? Is this list sufficient? Am I missing stuff that's urgent? I don't want to be eaten alive at the dealership so I need to go in armed with info and hope the baby doesn't go nuts while we wait. Many many many thanks in advance.
I think it is more likely that your MAF sensor and/or throttle plate is/are dirty. The inverter cooling pump has been recalled for you model year and is a free fix, including a coolant exchange. I can easily see this going over $1000. The dealer may also find unpleasantness such as a leaky engine water pump. Use the dealer for the inverter cooling pump recall, but try to find an independent shop to do the rest, especially the engine water pump, which is the most grossly overcharged repair job on the Prius. Most of it is simple. The only tough one is the engine coolant, for which a scan tool is highly recommended.
did you replace the 12v battery yet.. if not.. it's waiting for one accident of leaving a door open or map light on and it's toast...
Re: 05 with 118k miles Although the services that you propose are helpful in promoting vehicle longevity, none of them will address the uneven idle problem that you noticed. The coolant change should be done regardless of fluid color. The serpentine drive belt will be cracked on the interior and also should be replaced. I would replace the iridium spark plugs now, given the uneven idle, regardless of the service schedule advocating a longer replacement interval for CA. The CA Prius drivetrain is exactly the same as that sold in the other 49 states. The only difference that I am aware of, is that CA gasoline uses a different formula (with lower energy content as far as I can tell.) If spark plug replacement doesn't help, then the fuel injectors may need to be cleaned. I suggest that you obtain a loaner vehicle because the service will probably take a few hours. Good luck.
