Dealer mailer for 60,000 mile service

It may be cheaper to drive to Grenada MS, use my dealer at $110, and drive back. (nope, you would want a motel, that will make it the same price)

I would definitely comparison shop.

 

It is written generically for Toyotas, not specifically for any hybrid models. Thus, I would assume it is for the 12V battery common to all Toyotas, no the big Prius battery.

 

I'd think it's the 12 volt.

 

The battery offers in dealer mailers (and similar e-mail ads too) I receive always include fine print to the effect that even 12V batteries for hybrids are excluded.

 

agree with everyone, it's generic, so, 12v battery.

yes, the hybrid battery can be tested, but it can only tell you what you already know, that it's fine.
it can't tell you that a cell won't go bad as you drive home. that's why it's not in the manual.

also, it can't be fixed by toyota, so if you brought in a car for testing, and they said the battery doesn't look too healthy, they'd have to give you a new one free. so that's not going to happen.

 

All I'm going to say, is the coupon for the 30,000 mile service?
I just had that done at the dealership that I use, and they did the exact same operations, and it was about 1/2 the cost.

The 30,000 mile service is a little frustrating as it seems to me to be a few filter changes, and basically a glorified oil change.

My operating philosophy with the Hybrid Battery is pretty much to simply ignore it. Attention to Battery fan cleaning and maintenance, trying NOT to bake it in the hot sun are about as far as I go.

I'm not comfortable doing my own maintenance or DIY on the Hybrid Battery, there is IMO little the average owner can safely do, so I'm going to use it and drive the Prius until it fails. Then the decision becomes pretty binary, Replace or Sell.
Therefore "testing" or trying to predict a timeline to failure is a waste of time to me.
Seems to me, they last...until they fail. If you're lucky? That failure in totality actually happens right before your hybrid battery warranty expires. If you are unlucky, it happens right after.

 

What do I think?
I think that this is a good reason to DIY....or at least to shred all dealership mass mailouts immediately without reading them.
Be sure and take off the occasional fake keys they they sometimes glue onto them first.

If you do not DIY, that's OK.
Many people do not, but that's no reason to throw your wallet or your purse on the counter at the dealership's service counter and ask them to be gentle with you.

Spoiler Alert:.......They won't.

Become familiar with the maintenance schedule for your vehicle, and watch some Youtube videos, and you can still over-pay for oil changes down at the dealer, but they won't charge you for silly crap like A/C refreshorizor or blinker fluid replacement.
If it's NOT SPECIFICALLY in the maintenance schedule, then you know what????
It's not maintenance.....it's a REPAIR.
For me?
Repairs always require an explanation, and a second opinion.
Always.

One exception is a [sic] CVT or transmission fluid change, sometimes miss-labeled a fluid "flush."
Even though it's not in the maintenance schedule, many people in Priusdom advocate that this be done somewhere in the 30-60K range and thereafter about every 60K.
It should cost probably between $150-200 at a dealer (I'd insist in $150....tops)

A note about the cabin air filter.
They're about 8-10 bucks and Ryan Lochte is probably smart enough to change one out in under 10 minutes.......drunk or sober.
The engine air filter is even easier.....but IIRC you need a screwdriver.
Ryan probably shouldn't be playing with tools, but you're probably smart enough to nuke it out.

If you just don't want to be bothered with it?
That's cool.
Mechanics have kids that need school clothes too.
Pick out a good independent mechanic, and tell him (or her) that you'll be ground truthing their work on this site while we build up the whole trust thing.

Invite them to register.

Good Luck!

 

except maybe you want to change the tranny fluid.

 

I'm not against DIY.
I don't have a garage, room, or the proper tools.
If I did? I'd do things like Oil Changes and Filter Changes myself.

I never recommend Hybrid Battery DIY, because I think the Hybrid Battery can be dangerous.
Some of the on the spot refurbishment or "maintenance/repair" people attempt can be dangerous IF you are not familiar with working with high voltage and batteries.

It's up to the individual. I have read a lot of threads where people attempt various degrees of Hybrid Battery refurbishment, repair or maintenance.
I myself, have decided to approach it as a PASS/NO PASS component. Seems to me for the vast majority of owners and people, the Hybrid Battery works....until it doesn't. And as long as we are talking 8-10 years under warranty or possibly longer if it just lasts longer? I'm OK with that.

 

I would never pay a mechanic to replace either of those filters, and: just CHECK the filters, they only need changing when significantly clogged. The cabin filter in particular I'd try cleaning first.