Considering a Prius, a few questions?

 

Is regular maintenance a nightmare to do yourself?  I want to be able to
change the oil, and fluids without taking it to a dealer.  Do it on all my
Hondas, but wonder if there are Gotcha's with the Prius (no access to
filter, etc.) ?

My newer Hondas don't have a "Major" service until after 100k.  What about
the Prius?  If I have to take it in every 15k for $500 worth of work, it
won't be worth it.

I want honest answers, not SALESMAN answers :-)

Thanks.

G-Man

 

G-Man wrote:

'04 loaded, owned since Oct '03.

I do it all myself in my home garage, including tire rotation.
No problem with fluids, reaching filters, etc. I added an
EZ-Drain which keeps things clean. Everything in the car comes
apart easily, usually snap fits or simple screws/bolts. There's
nothing tricky.

Keep a log and receipts just in case, but with a Prius the odds
are you'll never see a dealer except for service upgrades.

At 40k I thought about replacing the brake pads - which looks
like a simple task - but on inspection they appear to be new!

 

Thanks for the quick reply!

Are there any HUGE mainteance intervals like Honda?  At 110k, you need to
replace the timing belt and water pump.  This is a $600 ~ $700 trip to the
dealer?

G-Man

 


No timing belt; it's a chain. Several people in the Yahoo! Prius forum (and
maybe here) have driven around 200K miles, and I've never heard of a chain
problem.

The big interval for the 2001-2003 model is at 30K mile intervals. I believe
some services, like coolant replacement, have been extended in the current
model. Some people have reported paying $500 US and more for that service,
while it is only worth $200 at most. "Adding services" is rampant. The
procedure for changing coolant is more complex than in most cars, but is
still an easy DIY. I have two 2002s in the family and did both in a short
afternoon; I spent about an hour on each (more on the first, less on the
second), but a pro should be able to do it in half an hour. Caveat - don't
do it the first time without getting the skinny from somebody who has done
it; there is a "gotcha."

I have done Honda timing belts twice (another one coming up soon) and would
classify them as a challenging DIY... about 7 on a scale of 10, where 10 is
engine replacement or overhaul. (Getting that crank bolt loose is the big
deal there.) The Prius has never been higher than a 3 (like brake pads and
rotors would be, although our original pads and rotors are like new), with
most of the routine work being a 2.

Mike

 

G-Man wrote:

Nothing special other than there are two independent cooling loops. One
for the engine, another for the electrics. Both are a bit harder to burp
of air pockets than average. Just have to 1) know how much is supposed
to come out. and 2) measure how much came out. Then 3) measure how much
you put in. If the 3 measures are not close you know something is wrong.

The VSC (Vehicle Stability Control) system can actuate the brakes
electrically. So when servicing the brakes one has to remove the VSC
relay and/or fuse for safety to ensure it doesn't kick when the brakes
are disassembled. Same as with any VSC system, hybrid or not.


Valve adjustment comes at 60k miles. This is something you should
consider paying someone else to do if you are uncomfortable removing
your camshaft. Entire buckets have to be replaced as the shim is
integrated into the lifter bucket. A good dealership should have a
selection in stock, but apparently most do not. Means you have to take
your car partially apart and measure. If adjustment is required the
camshaft has to come out, more measuring, order parts...

Some have jumped in on the valve adjustment, measured everything, and
decided it was good enough to leave the way it was.

Transmission oil should be changed at 60k but thats easy enough because
there is no torque converter. There are no bands or other adjustments
inside the transmission.