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15K Service

If I recall correctly, I promised Jean I would report back on the cost of my

15K service.

By remarkable coincidence my Prius rolled over to 15K as I came to a stop inside the dealership this morning. Service manager came to the window and asked what I wanted. I said I wanted my 15K service. He asked what my odometer read. I said 15K. He stuck his head in the window and said he'd be damned.

Got out and went to his little podium. Gave him my fob. He admired the button cover I'd made for it out of vinyl siding, obviously trying to win a few points. He pulled out a laminated table with mileage across the top and service items down the side. He slid over to the 15K column and asked me if this is what I wanted him to do. I asked him what that would cost since I had noticed it included "front and rear wheel alignment". He said $210.00. I said no, I wanted them to perform the 15K service described in my service booklet. He asked for my service booklet. I went to car, got it, and handed it to him. I asked him to write the tire pressure (42/40) on the service order and to be certain not to overfill it with oil. They were to install the steering fix.

The bill came to $45.45 tax included. They got the tire pressure wrong (mid-30's) and overfilled it with oil so they had to run it back into the garage. Next time I'm going to tape the note to the steering wheel. Sigh.

Reply to
Bill
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Did they use the right oil ?

Paul

Reply to
Paul Russell

It's slippery, that's all I know.

Reply to
Bill

It semes that a lot of Toyota garages use their cheap generic 40 oil rather than the 30 that Toyota recommends for the Prius. Apparently this affects fuel consumption a little (and there may be other implications of using the wrong oil ?). Some Prius owners recommend buying your own oil before the service and insisting that the garage use it rather than their own (this might save you a few bucks too, as some garages tend to gouge on the price of the oil).

Havign sid that, I have no idea whether I got the right oil in my one and only Prius service so far.

Paul

Reply to
Paul Russell

Your point is well taken, Paul. Mine has been serviced three times now. Overfilled it twice, got the tire pressure wrong twice. By remarkable coincidence I was called for a "Toyota customer satisfaction survey" while typing that last sentence. I explained this to the caller who said "would you say, then, that you were 100% satisfied with the service you received?" after my explanation. Guess they guy is brain dead. Guess I'll have to start bringing my own, pre-measured oil.

Reply to
Bill

I had my Prius in for 15K service a couple of weeks ago. I use the same dealer as Jean B because they are very convenient for me.

I wrestled with the question of whether to go for their recommended 15k package at $270 or take their "standard" 5K service. I spoke with the service advisor on the phone and was told they service the injectors, clean the throttle body, etc. etc. and it takes 2.5 hours of labor. After studying the Toyota recommendations and wavering back and forth a couple of times, I requested the 5K service package (and the steering shaft recall). This service appears to include all that Toyota requires and more. The total bill was $86.42 after they applied an unsolicited 10% discount because "I bought the car there." I also was given a $10 prepaid Exxon/Mobil gas card when I presented the coupon they had mailed to me.

This is pretty much the same service I bought at 5K miles. At 10K miles I just got the oil, filter and tire rotation without balance, for about $52.

Regarding their attention to detail, at 5K they overfilled the oil and left the tires at 33 psi all around. At 10K I specified that they fill the oil and tires to specs. They got the tires right and the oil was exactly at the dipstick pimple. For the 15K service, I had the paperwork say "Please do not overfill oil", but I said nothing about tires. The oil was maybe 1/8" below the full mark but the tires were 35psi in the REAR and 33psi in the FRONT! The next day I phoned the service manager and told him this might adversely affect handling and therefore be a safety issue. He was only mildly interested. Unfortunately, I did not receive a customer satisfaction survey for this visit.

Regarding the tire inflation, I asked the service manager for advice about inflating the tires above specs and he said that they advise inflation per the Toyota recommendations. About a week earlier I confirmed that my tires were wearing much more at the outside edges than in the center, so after the intentional experiment with dealer diligence, I inflated my tires to 40psi front and 38psi rear.

Needless to say, I am not thrilled with the service but they are within walking distance of my home.

Al

Reply to
A Sherman

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