Hey all, So I decided to get my spark plugs replaced but I also noticed that our manual says to have had the inverter and engine coolant replaced at I think it was 80,000 or 90,000 miles so I’ll have that done too but this middle man guy (not nechanic) told me that I should also get the belts replaced as these are wesr and tear items ; how many/types of belts are there to be replaced on our Toyota Prius? I have a Toyota Prius standard hatchback model three and it’s at right now at 125,000 miles. Are there belts I need to get replaced at the 125,000 mark if I haven’t done so in the past? Is he blowing sunshine up my butt so he can fatten the wallet at his shop? Also, just curious why official manual nowhere says about replacing belts etc. Thx!
follow the maintenance guide that came with your vehicle. don't allow the dealer to deviate, except for changing the tranny fluid.
If you have a 2011 Pruis, there are NO belts. Water pump and compressor are electric. You are due for sparkplug replacement. Good idea to do the inverter and engine coolant. Also, clean the EGR circuit, manifold, cooler, and related pipes, egr valve....
The "middle man" is a service writer. They know a little about cars. Just enough to be dangerous. And that's on a good day. If you showed him under the hood of a Prius and a Pontiac, he'd probably not know which was which.
This guy wanted $130 to replace both coolants; albeit he’s not using official Toyota coolant. Is this reasonable considering that? Not sure what a dealership would charge. How crucial is using a non Toyota coolant? Is it similar in cruciality as using Toyota oil and filter as after at some point, years after having used Toyota oil / filter I started to let them change the oil and filter with a non Toyota brand.
Ask him first how well do he knows cars then immediately ask him to point out where the belts are so you can see them yourself. If he won’t allow you to walk to the car bay, tell him to take a photo of the belts with a phone and show you.
That's a lot less than the dealer prices. There are people who will use other brands to save a couple dollars every ten years or so. Toyota brand is not the only brand that meets their specs, but it's the only one that you know for sure that you won't be making a mistake in buying. I think that's worth a few pennies per year. I use Toyota oil and filters. But I've also used Mobil1 and others. In fact, the Toyota oil is made by Mobil1. As long as the oil meets the specs called for in the owners manual it's fine. I don't know of any 0W-20 synthetics that don't.
