No warning light but dealership reco’d “evap service” w/o filling in a reason at last regular service appt. Is this necessary? Prius V 2015
They asked for approval and I didn’t, assuming it wasn’t needed if there wasn’t a reason. But they’ve just sent me a reminder about it and I thought I’d check with others.
idk what evap service entails. i don't think it is on the maintenance schedule though. some here might feel it's worth checking the freon level after 7 years, but i have never done mine and it's as cold as ice after 10 years.
Is it in the warranty and maintenance guide's preventative maintenance schedule? (Not a rhetorical question, I honestly do not remember.) Sounds like the dealership was trying to up-sell you additional maintenance. This does not mean that you have a crooked dealership, but it's an 'indicator' and dealership mechanics, politicians, and media all have fairly well established reputations. The preventative maintenance schedule in your Warranty and Maintenance guide isn't the end-all be-all for maintaining an almost 8-year-old car, but it's a darned fine place to start - especially if you think that you have to use a dealership for maintenance. I personally find them to be generally very expensive, not very trustworthy, and sometimes not that much more knowledgeable than an honest, independent wrench. There are some STARK differences between the maintenance that the CAR SELLER wants you to use, and best practices that have been developed by Prius enthusiasts. I personally think that 10,000 mile oil change intervals are too long for a car with a inadequate oil supply. I also think that some "lifetime" fluids are only good for the lifetime of the warranty. MY mileage. Yours might vary.
That's the go-to tact with most dealership "service suggestions". There are a few exceptions, say brake fluid and transaxle fluid changes. And Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) and intake manifold cleaning. And one that IS in the US schedule, but very subtle: every 3 years or 30K miles you're supposed to do a more in-depth brake service. What that entails is not clearly spelled out. What the schedule does at those intervals, is omit the mention of "visual brake inspection", and add instruction to "Inspect brake linings/drums and brake pads/discs".
