Does a Prius always have to be serviced at a Toyota Garage?

jasonb

Hi there,

As the question says, just wondering if you always have to get a Prius serviced at a Toyota garage ( as it's a hybrid ) or will most decent independent garages service them as well?

Thanks!

J.

Atlantic Dawn

No the Hybrid part of the engine requires no regular maintenance, rest of it is similar to a normal car. You can purchase a Haynes manual for the US version of it, should be almost the same as Euro version except a couple of headlight and daylight running light changes.

ArphaRima

I wouldnt touch a Prius.
But if I did, I wouldnt touch a non-Toyota garage or indeed anything but a major independent specialist.

jasonb

Thanks for the replies.

Is there a particular reason why you wouldn't touch a Prius Fluffer?

J.

ArphaRima

Ah just the usual anti-Prius crap.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smug_Alert!

Nothing constructive I'm afraid.

jasonb

Heh heh... If I do buy one I'll do my best to remain humble...

J.

galwaytt

jasonb wrote: »

Heh heh... If I do buy one I'll do my best to remain humble...

J.

...you're surely not still thinking of getting one ??

Barr

Most indy mechanics wouldn't go near these, stick with a main dealer.

bazz26

The electric motor doesn't need any regular maintenance afaik. If something does go wrong with this motor then yes it most probably does need to be looking at by Toyota but I've haven't heard of any nightmare stories with the electric motor.

The 1.5 litre petrol engine is a standard VVTi unit that can be worked on by any half decent mechanic worth his salt.

galwaytt

bazz26 wrote: »

The 1.5 litre petrol engine is a standard VVTi unit that can be worked on by any half decent mechanic worth his salt.

....I thought it had an Atkinson engine, which is a long way from being a std VVTi engine ?

slimjimmc

Barr wrote: »

Most indy mechanics wouldn't go near these, stick with a main dealer.

Must be the same irrational fear of something 'different' as they have with some Citroen models.

slimjimmc

galwaytt wrote: »

....I thought it had an Atkinson engine, which is a long way from being a std VVTi engine ?

Apparently it's an Atkinson cycle engine with VVTi:
http://www.greencar.com/articles/toyota-prius-hybrid-synergy-drive-decreases-exhaust-emissions.php

However it's not a true Atkinson design but a (fairly) standard Otto cycle engine with valve timing adjusted to produce the Atkinson cycle.
http://www.animatedengines.com/atkinson.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_ZR_engine

jasonb

Hmmm...

I'm getting some conflicting answers here, and some people who think I'd be mad to go for one.

Is there anything in particular about the Prius ( in terms of costs / reliability, not street-cred ) that should make me shy away from them?

J.

kindalen

check out the dust-to-dust analysis of the prius. its a planet-killer. also i'd be a bit worried about the, probably quite remote, chance of knocking a child/old person whilst running on the ever so quitte battery.

opinion guy

Also modern diesels will match its mpg. bog standard 1.6 l golf/a3 diesel will do 70mpg. complete with stop/start systems etc.

-Corkie-

opinion guy wrote: »

Also modern diesels will match its mpg. bog standard 1.6 l golf/a3 diesel will do 70mpg. complete with stop/start systems etc.

Exactly even the new auris or corolla.

dr.fuzzenstein

Any of the new small diesels are capable of 60 mpg or even better, some claim over 70.
Citroen's C1 diesel claims 74 mpg, even if you shave off a bit, because those tests are always a tad optimistic, it's miles better and diesel is cheaper than petrol.
And here's a list of the top 10 most economical cars:
http://cars.uk.msn.com/features/green-motoring/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=147863533
Why spend a fortune on a "green" car that routinely gets no better than 45 mpg?
All I see about the prius are more things to go wrong.
And during it's manufacture some pretty nasty sh*t is used.
http://hubpages.com/hub/Prius

*Disclaimer
Be careful of Citroens. I know 3 people who own them and it's like a Lotus they say.
Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious.

ArphaRima

Dr Fuzzenstein has done a fantastic job of delivering the opinion I wasnt willing to research.

There are far better alternatives, you wont be hated, and you wouldnt have to become eco-smug whilst driving them.

Wait until the technology has caught up with the concept. For now buy a diesel.

colm_mcm

A diesel is more of a ticking time bomb than a hybrid. Toyota cover the hybrid bits for 8 years.

opinion guy

Quite apart from that a straightforward diesel has less **** to break inside than a hybrid does.
What Co2 does a prius put out on average use?
you can get 2 litre diesels with low enough CO2 to fall into the A tax bracket.

edit:

average use on the base level prius is 89 g/km

Auris diesel is co2 139
Audi A3 standard diesel has a Co2 of 99 and does 74mpg
VW Golf 1.6 Diesel 90bhp has a Co2 of 118 and does 62mpg


...all taken from manufacturers website

jasonb

So now I don't know what car to get! The two options I was looking at were the Prius and the Mazda 6 diesel. Both of these aren't really recommended by the looks of it.

I guess I'll have to see what else is out there. I'm basically looking for a 4 door decent sized saloon car, with good economy ( over 45mpg and I'm not talking about manufacturers figures, I'm talking about real world ) and the lowest or next to lowest tax band. Probably 2008, so it needs to have be around for 2 years now. Apart from that, I'd like a few extras and comforts ( iPod / Aux port, Cruise Control etc. ) Oh, and I only have around €15k-€18k to spend...

Any particular recommendations?

J.

opinion guy

VW Polo with options maybe ? Golf ?
Toyota Auris ? Corolla ?
You might get a high mileage Audi A3 but the better nick cars would be off the top of your price range I suspect.

jasonb

Thanks for your reply...

I've spent a while looking at those cars you've recommended. The Polo / Golf and Auris are all a little small and 'hatchbacky' for me. I know the Prius is a Hatchback too, but looks more like a saloon and the back doors don't look like they've been squashed in.

The Carolla is decent enough I suppose, but doesn't grab me in the way that the Prius or Mazda 6 does. And yep, the Audis look a little too expensive ( as do the Qashqai and the Passat, two other cars I like the look of ).

It's hard, as while the criteria I gave is important, it also needs to be a car that I want to have!

Spent a good while on the Honest John website, which is putting me off the Mazda 6 even more. But the reviews of the Prius are very positive on that site.

Decisions decisions...

J.

opinion guy

Skoda Ocatavia ?
Seat equivalent whatever that is ?
2007 audi a3/a4 ?

Oh ! I almost forgot. VW Jetta

Eric Cartman

it has to be serviced at a toyota garage once a year to maintain the warranty on the battery afaik , its that way with the lexus rx400h anyway

jasonb

Fair play OpinionGuy, I appreciate all the suggestions!

I'm looking at 2008 as I want the car to qualify for the new tax rates. I'll have a look at Skoda / Seat now. I've heard ( maybe incorrectly ) that the parts for the VWs are very expensive. That said, I've heard the same about the Mazda. There's so much data out there it's hard to know what to do with it all...

Thanks Eric, I've decided that if I do go with a Prius I'll be confirming service schedules / needs etc. with the garage before any money changes hands!

J.

opinion guy

jasonb wrote: »

Fair play OpinionGuy, I appreciate all the suggestions!

I'm looking at 2008 as I want the car to qualify for the new tax rates. I'll have a look at Skoda / Seat now. I've heard ( maybe incorrectly ) that the parts for the VWs are very expensive. That said, I've heard the same about the Mazda. There's so much data out there it's hard to know what to do with it all...

Thanks Eric, I've decided that if I do go with a Prius I'll be confirming service schedules / needs etc. with the garage before any money changes hands!

J.

No worries
To be honest there are alot of people on here who know alot more about this stuff than me, but one car I see recommended alot is the Octavia. Also taxi drivers love it so it must do something right

Kxiii

The 1.6 diesel focus is worth a look. Had one for a couple of years as a work car and I used to get ~60mpg out of it the whole time.

David09

jasonb wrote: »

Fair play OpinionGuy, I appreciate all the suggestions!

I'm looking at 2008 as I want the car to qualify for the new tax rates. I'll have a look at Skoda / Seat now. I've heard ( maybe incorrectly ) that the parts for the VWs are very expensive. That said, I've heard the same about the Mazda. There's so much data out there it's hard to know what to do with it all...

Thanks Eric, I've decided that if I do go with a Prius I'll be confirming service schedules / needs etc. with the garage before any money changes hands!

J.

Try a 1.8tdci Ford Mondeo. There's a special edition "econetic" model which fits into category "B". I've driven one and was quite impressed.

http://www.ford.co.uk/Cars/FordECOnetic

jasonb

Thanks again for those suggestions!

My wife has a 2001 1.6 Petrol Focus and it's a nice car to drive and hasn't given her any problems. That said, I always get a bad back when driving it, but that might just be not quite getting the seat right. So I'll look at the Focus Diesels and see what they're like.

The Mondeo looks nice, but they all seem to have high mileage ( for a 2008 car some of them have up to 80k miles ). The ECOnetic seems to be mainly 2009 onwards which I think is going to take it out of my price range.

J.

P.S. Just found what looks like a nice 1.6 Diesel Ford Focus Ghia that could be tempting. Mileage isn't too bad, lots of comfort and specs with the Ghia and I know I like driving the Focus. Should get decent mpg too. So I'll add that to my list, thanks!

shedweller

Re; Servicing the prius. I recall a "diy" blog or something and there was a guy servicing his prius. I think he was a mechanic as he had quite a few tools etc. Anyway, one thing stuck out in my mind and that was a little tool for using a vacumn to draw in the new coolant after draining the old coolant. Apparently there is a major risk of airlocks in the coolant system and while this would not be a biggie in a normal car, the prius has an inverter to control the motor. This inverter is cooled by the coolant and it costs thousands. An airlock would be fatal to the inverter.
Then there is the issue of bleeding the brakes. They are brake by wire and need a computer to do the bleeding process. And you can rest assured you are not going to get anywhere near toyota software without lightening your wallet a lot.
So i wouldn't attempt a home service on a prius.

Theres a wiki page on the subject of co2 and L/100k too. There is a direct link between both and there is a different factor for diesel and petrol:

Due to the carbon content of gasoline, its combustion emits 2.32 kg/L (19.4 lb/US gal); since diesel fuel is more energy dense per unit volume, diesel emits 2.66 kg/L (22.2 lb/US gal).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_efficiency
So if i have an "A" rated car but i horse down the motorway at 140kph then i am making a mockery of the whole thing!
Then i could drive a "G" rated car easy and get a "D" rating for example!

bazz26

Honda also do a hybrid, the more conventional Civic saloom IMA:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201030199035911

€104 to tax per year, pretty roomy inside and a saloon.

Kxiii

jasonb wrote: »

Thanks again for those suggestions!

My wife has a 2001 1.6 Petrol Focus and it's a nice car to drive and hasn't given her any problems. That said, I always get a bad back when driving it, but that might just be not quite getting the seat right. So I'll look at the Focus Diesels and see what they're like.

The Mondeo looks nice, but they all seem to have high mileage ( for a 2008 car some of them have up to 80k miles ). The ECOnetic seems to be mainly 2009 onwards which I think is going to take it out of my price range.

J.

P.S. Just found what looks like a nice 1.6 Diesel Ford Focus Ghia that could be tempting. Mileage isn't too bad, lots of comfort and specs with the Ghia and I know I like driving the Focus. Should get decent mpg too. So I'll add that to my list, thanks!

I get a bit of back trouble myself in a few cars new astra is one that comes to mind. But i could drive the focus to dublin and back in a day and it never bothered me.

Aeneas

Despite the negatives above I went ahead and bought a new Prius Gen 3 a few weeks ago. Took it to France where I did about 1200 miles of mixed motoring - cities, towns, country roads, motorways. Petrol consumption over the entire trip was 4.6litres/100kms which works out at about 61mpg which I thought was pretty impressive. This included about 700 miles of motorway at the maximum allowed 80mph. Very comfortable. Normally I have back ache after about two hours - with the lumbar support on the Prius I found I could drive for more than twice that time without any problems. The car was well powered even without using the Power function which switches it to its 1.8l petrol engine. Driving was all in western France though which is fairly level; mountainous areas might be different. Passengers, one front one back found it comfortable too. Boot without the cover took plenty of luggage, and there is always the option of folding the seats down.

Eric Cartman

bazz26 wrote: »

Honda also do a hybrid, the more conventional Civic saloom IMA:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201030199035911

€104 to tax per year, pretty roomy inside and a saloon.

and it doesnt look like an acid dropping art student watched the jetsons then designed it

+1 on the civic saloon hybrid