Considering a Prius, a few questions?

'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

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.

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

You can view the US Toyota scheduled maintenance guides (including for the Prius) at:

Your basic 6 month/5000 mile US service interval on the NHW20 (current) Prius is an oil/filter change and tire rotation.

(Now that I have a torque wrench and a good jack, I don't mind doing the tire rotations myself (or at least with my husband, since he's better at knocking a stuck lug nut loose than I am...). I just don't feel comfortable with an oil change yet, although DIY guides are available:

highly suggest that everyone save their money and do the very simpleengine air filter and the passenger cabin AC filter changesthemselves: AC filter: 3 photos to do a Toyota part change for the engine air filter:

Be careful about what your dealer claims is needed for a "major" X- mile service vs. what Toyota says is really necessary per the scheduled maintenance guides.

If you have the tools and ambition, you can do mostly all of your regularly scheduled servicing DIY. You may be interested in getting copies of the repair manuals, though. See

foravailable publications and part numbers for ordering print versions(your local dealer may offer them less expensively, though), or if youhave a decently fast internet connection, a credit card, a PDF viewer,and a lot of patience to download a lot of tiny little files, see: or for asubscription.

Do the new(er) Prius's require the "brake inspection" as the hybrid Camry's do every 5,000 miles? Wondering if DIY maintenance might void the warranty if this is not done by a dealer tech?

Does Toyota state that in a maintenance manual somewhere?

Because with the HSD, you can go over 100K miles on a set of brakes.

I'm not making it up if that's what you're thinking. It is listed as part of each 5,000 mile maintenance requirement. As I stated originally. The fact that the brakes last so long and may also do so in the TCH has nothing to do with the existence of TMC's requirement.

Anyone? Will DIY oil changes and tire rotations be construed as ignoring the "brake inspection" portion of the service requirement?

I read on a website an owner paid $70+ for the OC/rotation/inspection service. This seems quite a bit for an oft-repeating 5,000 mile service interval.

The Camry's manual might say it, but the Prius' doesn't.

Well, you're right. My Prius maintenance guide says the same thing.

I think it's more a matter of "as long as you have the wheels off to rotate the tires, eyeball the dang brakes--it's free, easy, and quick".

Oil change should be $30, that makes a tire rotation $10/tire? Wow.

Yeah, it does. I have it right in front of me.

That's my line of thinking. Here in sunny Arizona we don't see rust on brakes, but my Canadian cohorts lose sleep over it. The calipers (on the front only here) also deserve periodic lubrication. Stuck slide pins will chew up pads quickly.

Mike (brakes looking like new at 109K miles).

Careful, there. If you do a lot of driving, then I'd agree with that statement. However, if you are a low mileage driver, you'll have issues with brake rust scoring down your brake pads for an early replacement... (The brakes just don't get used enough to prevent rust buildup!)

Look into the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act if you're in the USA.

Essentially, a manufacturer cannot require for warranty coverage any specific brand name part or service, unless that item is provided for free. (Sales tie-in prohibition...)

As long as you can provide proof that all expected preventative maintenance work has been done (date/mileage record and receipts), then the warranty should be fine.

Considering how many dealerships have been known to overfill the Prius oil and to not properly inflate the tires, among other grievences, a DIY service may actually be better for the car than a dealer service...

My 2001 US Prius only lists the inspections under the services for Special Operating Conditions (Driving on Rough, Muddy or Snow-Melted Roads, or Driving on Unpaved or Dusty Roads, or Extensive Idling or Low-Speed Driving for Long Distances), or the 15,000 mile/12 month services (where the regular schedule and the special operating conditions schedule meet).

My former 2004 US Prius does list a "Visually inspect brake linings/ drums and brake pads/discs" at the 5000 mile/6 month services (with the oil/filter change and tire rotation). If you do the tire rotation, you can look at the brakes then (yep, they're still there!).

for the US Toyota Maintenancemanuals.

You're right about that! My dealer rotates for $20 and gives lifetime free oil changes.

- Piper Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.

G-Man wrote:

I always look at the oil filter location when considering a car for purchase. The 2004 and newer Prius is easy. Open the hood an you can see the filter which is removed straight down. My oil changes at 5000 miles are a cinch with the fumoto valve I put on it. See

I use only synthetic and I don't want to get ripped for $45 for a synthetic oil change at JiffyLube so I change it myself. Pennzoil recently introduced their new synthetic and it can sometimes be found on sale 2 quarts for the price of 1 so I bought several cases of 5W30. I change the cabin and air filters myself. My cabin filter material cost is less than 25 cents per filter change. I bought a large hepafilter from the sale bin for a buck at Lowe's and cut the size I need with garden shears. It is fanfold and wired, so it stretches or compresses if you are off a little. I put this in the plastic cabin filter frame and voila. If this stuff filters the air you breathe at home, why not use it to filter the air in your car is my thinking. I used to rotate the tires myself, but Costco's lifetime rotation on the 90,000 mile warranty tires I bought has made that maintenance unnecessary. My total dealer profit on service from me was only for inverter fluid change on my 2001 at 60,000 miles, only because I didn't know where to get replacement inverter fluid back then. So far at 65,000 miles on my 2004, the dealer has made nada from me on service. Having owned several Toyotas, I usually wait until 100,000 miles for any major scheduled service, even if the guide states 60,000. As other posters have said, the maintenance outlook is a another plus for buying this car.

A wise man! The oil filter on my '85 Volvo requires swinging the PS pump out of the way just to get it out (the filter has to be turned sideways, too), and there is no tool that will fit on the filter except a pair of Channelocks. I understand in following years the turbo oil return tube was made with a dogleg so the filter can be removed out the back.

I agree - the Prius filter is the easiest I've ever seen. That vertical mounting also makes the removal remarkably clean.

Mike