Regular maintenance at Non-Toyota shops

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by flynz4, Jan 8, 2006.

  1. flynz4

    flynz4 Member

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    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    Are there any warantee issues with not using Toyota for normal service? I have a local auto shop that I prefer to use... but I do not want to do anything that would jeoprodize my 7/100K warantee.

    Also... I have been keeping my other cars on a 3000 mile oil change schedule even though it is not required. Any reason to do this... or not... with a Prius?

    /Jim
     
    #1 flynz4, Jan 8, 2006
  2. Florida Prius

    Florida Prius New Member

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    2006 Prius
    Hi Jim,

    I can't answer your question regarding maintenance at other than delearship locations, but I do have something to say about the oil changes.....

    With today's oils there is a reduced need to replace the oil at frequent intervals. Additionally, take into account that the ICE on the Prius is not operating all of those 3,000 miles. Go with manufacturers recommendations and you should be just fine.

    That's my 2 cents. Got change for a nickle?
     
    #2 Florida Prius, Jan 8, 2006
  3. flynz4

    flynz4 Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    Actually... the fact that the engine does not run all of the time is the main reason that I want to change the oil often.

    In my plane... I am pretty careful to make sure that my oil gets nice and hot on each flight... at least 180 deg F. This is to make sure that any moisture in suspension gets evaporated and expelled from the engine. I would think that in a Prius engine that shuts off regularly... getting a hot oil temp would be more difficult to attain. I have no idea if this is true for Prii engines... but it is my intuition.

    Also... my mechanic is also a pilot... and he has that very thorough methodology that I have found in good aviators. With my other vehicles... he is quick to tell me things that he notices that the dealer is likely to not want to fix under warantee... then I bring my car to the dealer who will say something like "we would usually not recommend fixing XYZ at this stage... but in this case we will". Even if the dealer chooses not to fix something... I have documentation that a mechanic felt something was wrong... and the dealer chose not to address the issue. That can potentially help me if the part does fail later.

    /Jim
     
    #3 flynz4, Jan 8, 2006
  4. Florida Prius

    Florida Prius New Member

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    Hey again Jim,

    OK. I see where you are going with this..... The Lycoming and the Continental aircraft engines, while reliable and solid, have much to do to catch up with current piston engine technology. We are talking 1950's and earlier technology here. There hasn't been too much change to the design and how the engine is built over the years. And if ya take a short-cut (i.e. the crank shaft mess)? Any way, I haven't worked on them in about 15 years (I'm a turbine person now). So, you have an entirely valid point in running the engine of your aircraft to reach an oil temperature of 180 F. It NEEDS to do that. But we are talking apples and oranges here.

    I'm glad that your Prius Technician is a Pilot as well. I've learned much from that training as well as my training for A&P (and subsequent airline training). I only wish MORE Technicians were as conscientious as yours is.

    With all that said, looking at the owners manual, there's only a certain type of oil recommended for the engine on the Prius. I'm wondering if it's proprietary.

    Man, now I only need a penny change!

    Mike

    PS - My fav to fly is an Archer.....
     
    #4 Florida Prius, Jan 8, 2006
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