I have a 2013 Prius V with 80,000 miles. I hope to keep the car another 3-4 years till it's perhaps 120k miles. The hybrid invertor just failed and my car is at the dealership having it replaced under a warranty extension (thank God). They recommend the following maintenance items. How important do you think it is to do them? hybrid cooling system maintenance to keep hybrid battery at proper operating temps $298 hybrid invertor coolant replacement $225 engine spark plugs replacement $385 The HVAC drainage is getting clogged and recommended to service to prevent water back up in unit. This is a 2 part service that will also disinfectant the vent system $171 Thanks in advance for the advice...
All are standard mechanic shop items which could be done for half the price. The coolants and plugs are normally done at much higher miles. In your case, 10 years of use may suggest getting the coolants and plugs changed sometime in the next six months. The AC drain and evaporator is easy to clean with a can of Toyota or aftermarket Evap Cleaner (~$30). It is injected into the drain line from below using the supplied hose. See link Honestly it is more likely 5k mile oil changes, inspection of the egr system for clogging and the intake manifold for oil/condensate pooling may do more to prevent head gasket issues many are experiencing. Cleaning the hybrid blower fan is also beneficial to the $2,500 hybrid battery which is getting old. Bleeding the brakes may extend the brake booster which is also prone to failure. None of these are required by Toyota but they are where I would spend my first maintenance dollars.
When they replace the inverter, ask them if they're going to change the coolant, as required, since they have to drain it....... I would say that $225 service is problematic.
Note that this question is for a 2013, not for the 2010 shown in his profile, so it may not yet be to the 10 year milestone for scheduled maintenance, let along the 12 year point.
Toyota SLCC and WS don't last 10 years. Otherwise, these components would be warranted for 10 years. Deteriorated Super Long Life Coolant has been related to head gasket failure. The clogging of the evaporator drain is related to leaves and debris left to rot on the cowl vents.
hybrid cooling system maintenance to keep hybrid battery at proper operating temps $298 hybrid invertor coolant replacement $225 engine spark plugs replacement $385 The HVAC drainage is getting clogged and recommended to service to prevent water back up in unit. This is a 2 part service that will also disinfectant the vent system $171 FWIW- 1) Is this just cleaning the fans near the rear seat? You (or your chauffeur LOL) should be able to this. 2) I'd also think this fluid/ coolant change is an included step in your warranty repair. Otherwise, above shows the coolant has a 10 yr service life, so this could be a good service. 3) Premature, and expensive quote. Yet it can be prudent to break the seal on steel plug to aluminum head every five years. In your case, you will sell the car before the Toyota schedule replacement is called for. So skip it. 4) If your AC has an odor, and you can't DIY, I could be swayed to have this done. If no odor, skip it. Good luck with your decision.
The same warranty and maintenance guide containing the page up in #2 also has an "inspect engine/inverter coolant" every 15,000 miles or 18 months. (In fact, every one of those "inspect" entries has a footnote number that you can follow to instructions at the back telling you to drain and refill. How that's different from "replace" is a bit beyond me.) I don't replace mine that often, but inspecting it is a good idea. Test strips for that purpose are available. When the coolant stops being anticorrosive, it can start being a danger to things like the head gasket.
