> 1. brake flush
> may be a good idea after 100k miles/10 years.
Brake fluid attracts water, which is highly undesirable. If you wait
ten years, you're screwing yourself.
> just a list of commonly recommended services, whether they're needed and if
> so, when, and other useful info.
simple - just follow the scheduled maintenance guide (owner's manual
supplement) that came with your car. If you're in the US, you can
find it at http://smg.toyotapartsandservice.com/
> valves. (PS to those of you worried about rusting... the calipers are
> aluminum body construction with a composite plastic piston.)
you should look at my 2001 Prius' brakes, then. rust everywhere,
chewing out the pads and scoring the rotors. I'm overdue to have them
replaced, at ~55,000 miles. My mother's 2002 Prius, at around 65,000
miles, has had her brakes replaced twice already due to rust.
If you do normal to high mileage, your Prius' brakes will last a long
time, as they don't get used much. If you're a low mileage driver,
you don't use your brakes often enough to wear off the start of rust,
so you get rust buildup that'll eat your brakes.
> 2. clean/adjust rear brakes
> only if you have drums (obviously in the prius, we do). ideally, for optimal
Obvious only if you have a North American Prius. Prius sold outside
of North America have 4 wheel disc brakes. North American Prius have
front disc brakes, and rear drum brakes.
> 4. engine and inverter fluid
> drain/fill is OK, but NO flushes. it's not even possible on the inverter and
> the engine is difficult but not impossible, however NOT recommended as it
> can cause serious damage to the electric water pump and switching valves.
> you do not need the drain/fill until your car hits 100k. if the coolant is
> still nice and pink, don't do it then either. again, the coolant is said to
> go 100k. while you're not going to do any wrong by changing it early, again
> it is expensive like the trans fluid. possible complications include more
> tech error- bleeding these systems is a PITA and getting all the air out is
> hard. an incomplete fill, use of the wrong coolant, can damage your car.
depends on what model Prius you have. NHW11 2001-2003 Prius uses a
different coolant than the NHW20 2004-current Prius. The coolant
change interval is every 60,000 miles on the NHW11, while the NHW20 is
the over 100,000 miles coolant.
To my knowledge, the coolant is not interchangeable...
> if you start seeing misfires (and you'll see a check engine light when that
> happens.
If you are getting engine misfire codes, there are some more mundane
reasons that don't require you to get a fuel injector cleaning:
- change back to using the recommended octane gasoline (in the US,
that is regular 87 octane (octane is different in different countries,
so check your manual)). Use of high-octane gasoline in the Prius is
not only a waste of money, but will leave you with lowered MPG (high
octane gasoline has a lower energy content than regular) and has been
known to cause check engine lights (engine misfire codes) due to the
difference in detonation with the Atkinson/Miller cycle engine.
- driving on very bumpy roads (such as cobblestones) has caused engine
misfire check engine lights
- some NHW11 Prius may need a newer ECM, or a valve clearance
adjustment, or new fuel injector assembly/spark plugs, per a known
TSB: http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-prius-sat1/files/TSBs/2001=
-2003%20Prius%20TSBs/EG006-02.pdf
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> may be a good idea after 100k miles/10 years.