Prius questions

PriusQuestions

I’m looking at getting a Prius as a family runaround, and I have a few questions for anyone who owns one.

-there are a lot of Japanese imports for sale here and in the UK, they are good price wise . Has anyone here with a Japanese model run into problem getting insurance or parts for servicing? Or is it better to just stick with a UK model?

-do you only go to main dealers for servicing?

-I’m looking for a car that will last 7-8 years, so I was thinking a 2014 model would be best, or could I go a bit older? I'm looking for something reliable I won't have to worry about too much


Thanks for your help!

grogi

[/QUOTE]

PriusQuestions wrote: »

I’m looking at getting a Prius as a family runaround, and I have a few questions for anyone who owns one.

-there are a lot of Japanese imports for sale here and in the UK, they are good price wise . Has anyone here with a Japanese model run into problem getting insurance or parts for servicing? Or is it better to just stick with a UK model?

I would stick to European models only. The difference might not be obvious at first, but there definitely are. First being the radio, you'll might have issues with the FM in the Japanese one.

PriusQuestions wrote: »

-do you only go to main dealers for servicing?

No. The only things that needs main dealer are:
[*] break fluid flush. But because Prius is hardly using breaks, the fluid is good for years
[*] air/co service.

The rest can be handled by yourself or sensible independent mechanic. There isn't much to be serviced anyway, the Mk3 has zero belts to be changed.

PriusQuestions wrote: »

-I’m looking for a car that will last 7-8 years, so I was thinking a 2014 model would be best, or could I go a bit older? I'm looking for something reliable I won't have to worry about too much

I had a ten year old Prius and it gave 0.1 problems (courtesy lamp switch in the door broke. €20 at the dealer and 5 minutes with a hex-screwdriver)

They are exceptionally reliable cars. But the decision is ultimately yours. I would go with an older one personally.

zilog_jones

Most of the Japanese imports I've seen have aftermarket head units, so FM reception shouldn't be a problem with them (assuming they were replaced locally). But the menus on the instrument cluster may be difficult to navigate/understand if they're in Japanese - I've seen some for sale in the UK which were somehow changed to English (maybe firmware replaced?) but seems uncommon. Trip computer will also be all in km/l which nobody uses over here. I've also noticed Japanese models seem to miss some features which are standard on UK/Irish spec like the HUD (which I find great).

I would recommend the 2012 facelift onwards as there were a number of small improvements to the car (interior, etc.), and better equipment. The most obvious difference from the outside is the lights on the front bumper (pre-facelift have much squarer lights). I've heard a small number of cases of inverter failures with very early models ('09/'10), which is expensive.

The Plug-in version is also an option (what I have) if you're buying in the UK (they weren't sold in Ireland) - you'll get around 15km EV range (instead of 2km) and cheaper VRT, with the only downsides being slightly smaller boot and no spare tyre.

I haven't had it long enough to service it yet, but the ICE and normal mechanical stuff (brakes, suspension etc.) are easy enough to work on. One thing to watch out for is the slide pins on the brake calipers tend to need more regular inspection/lubricating as they get used a lot less than on a normal car and can seize up (particularly the rears) - this is the only problem I've had with mine and is a fairly easy DIY job. The rear brakes are the same as on the Corolla/Auris so nothing special at all. Toyota dealers will do a hybrid system check for €50.

@grogi: Why does the brake fluid change need a main dealer? Couldn't any competent mechanic do that, or is there some computery stuff?

grogi

zilog_jones wrote: »

@grogi: Why does the brake fluid change need a main dealer? Couldn't any competent mechanic do that, or is there some computery stuff?

Because of the regenerative breaking, depressing the brake pedal is not sufficient to increase the pressure at the calipers/drums. The mechanic needs to have the Toyota dedicated computer to put the car into service mode and then command it to bleed the breaks (I think it applies especially to the rear ones).

And if you're asking about the A/C. Pri are using an electric compressor. Even trace amount of the oil used to lubricate the conventional mechanical systems might cause a short-circuit and render the compressor malfunctioning. The dealer will have a separate A/C unit to service all the hybrids, that uses only different type of lubricant in the A/C system.

stesaurus

PriusQuestions wrote: »

I’m looking at getting a Prius as a family runaround, and I have a few questions for anyone who owns one.

-there are a lot of Japanese imports for sale here and in the UK, they are good price wise . Has anyone here with a Japanese model run into problem getting insurance or parts for servicing? Or is it better to just stick with a UK model?

-do you only go to main dealers for servicing?

-I’m looking for a car that will last 7-8 years, so I was thinking a 2014 model would be best, or could I go a bit older? I'm looking for something reliable I won't have to worry about too much


Thanks for your help!

What's your usage going to be? A second hand Leaf may suit and give you really cheap motoring and zero maintenance issues. Plus a much better drive than a Prius

slicedpanman

To add my 2 cent; extremely reliable... We've a mk2 05 Prius, still going and I expect to get another 3-5 years out of it yet. Only every had to get it fixed once in 10 years; wiper motor burned out.
Very happy with it.

Was the main family car but not getting a lot of love these days since we got a leaf a as a second car

zilog_jones

grogi wrote: »

Because of the regenerative breaking, depressing the brake pedal is not sufficient to increase the pressure in the system. The mechanic needs to have the Toyota dedicated computer to put the car into service mode and then command it to bleed the breaks (I think it applies especially to the rear ones).

Apparently you can put the car into "ECB Invalid Mode" without any computer:

https://priuschat.com/threads/2010-2015-or-3rd-generation-prius-brake-flush-video.160923/

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCcQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpriuschat.com%2Fattachments%2Fprius-brake-bleed-pdf.42665%2F&ei=GhKCVKbnDoTuiALGy4CwDg&usg=AFQjCNHkMy2Wlx_IFUMkHHdKO1xmEwRa7w&sig2=Lh-qc8Fsj1dGhYnvKWTt5w&bvm=bv.81177339,d.cGE&cad=rja

Maybe not the easiest job, but not impossible to do without a dealer. And you can always get the right cables and Techstream yourself if you wanted...

grogi

zilog_jones wrote: »

Apparently you can put the car into "ECB Invalid Mode" without any computer:

https://priuschat.com/threads/2010-2015-or-3rd-generation-prius-brake-flush-video.160923/

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCcQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpriuschat.com%2Fattachments%2Fprius-brake-bleed-pdf.42665%2F&ei=GhKCVKbnDoTuiALGy4CwDg&usg=AFQjCNHkMy2Wlx_IFUMkHHdKO1xmEwRa7w&sig2=Lh-qc8Fsj1dGhYnvKWTt5w&bvm=bv.81177339,d.cGE&cad=rja

Maybe not the easiest job, but not impossible to do without a dealer. And you can always get the right cables and Techstream yourself if you wanted...

Good for them, I always applaud people for working around the system.

But last time I checked, the brake bleed was €45 at the dealer with the materials. Really a no-brainier for me Indie would probably charge more for it, especially if they need to learn the procedure they will never use again.

zilog_jones

That's actually quite reasonable.

WRT servicing, one thing to watch out for is the spark plugs are quite expensive as they're some iridium-tipped long-life yokes. I think the normal dealer service schedule calls for these to be changed every 4 years. I was quoted €300 for a full 4th year service (incl. plugs and brake fluid change, oil and filters and maybe more), although it turns out the plugs were done last year on mine.

PriusQuestions

PriusQuestions wrote: »

I’m looking at getting a Prius as a family runaround, and I have a few questions for anyone who owns one.

-there are a lot of Japanese imports for sale here and in the UK, they are good price wise . Has anyone here with a Japanese model run into problem getting insurance or parts for servicing? Or is it better to just stick with a UK model?

-do you only go to main dealers for servicing?

-I’m looking for a car that will last 7-8 years, so I was thinking a 2014 model would be best, or could I go a bit older? I'm looking for something reliable I won't have to worry about too much


Thanks for your help!

Welcome to boards.

As far as imports go I can't help you there but as mentioned "and yes", I know you asked only about the Prius, a "few" people here are overly sensitive and will get quiet upset if I mention the "Nissan Leaf" but it's worth checking out it's a terrific car if you can live with the range limitations.

The Prius is one of the most reliable cars ever built.

As a Prius owner for 4 years I highly recommend to bring it to a main Toyota dealer. It's a complicated car that pretty much only a toyota dealer will know the servicing required.

I don't find Toyota a rip off either for servicing so it doesn't make much sense to bring it anywhere else.

Whether you choose Prius or all electric , you will be glad you didn't get a Diesel.

PriusQuestions

Thanks for the replies, it's going to be used for one long motorway trip a week and mostly local driving otherwise, not enough distance to justify a diesel but also a bit farther than would work in a Leaf.

Are you aware about fast charging ? you've probably been looking at the threads before registering ?

The Prius is well suited to long motorway trips as well as a Diesel. What you might loose on the motorway in Prius you will gain and more in slower driving and in town.

Remember the prius is also an Automatic and really should be compared to other automatics. It might not be as fuel efficient as the smallest slowest diesel manual cars but it's a lot larger more powerful and comfortable to drive and automatic.

n97 mini

grogi wrote: »

I had a ten year old Prius and it gave 0.1 problems (courtesy lamp switch in the door.

They usually don't break, they just stick. Ours did, so I took it out, cleaned and oiled it and job done.

The service hatch on the undertray is really poorly designed and usually breaks off. There are many diy solutions on the web but a replacement is around €300.

Eats parking lamp bulbs (in the headlight housing) but they're cheap and easy to replace.

Interior plastics get scratched if you look at them!

Don't lose a fob, they're around €360 to replace.

All the above is from personal experience.

corks finest

PriusQuestions wrote: »

I’m looking at getting a Prius as a family runaround, and I have a few questions for anyone who owns one.

-there are a lot of Japanese imports for sale here and in the UK, they are good price wise . Has anyone here with a Japanese model run into problem getting insurance or parts for servicing? Or is it better to just stick with a UK model?

-do you only go to main dealers for servicing?

-I’m looking for a car that will last 7-8 years, so I was thinking a 2014 model would be best, or could I go a bit older? I'm looking for something reliable I won't have to worry about too much


Thanks for your help!

hi,i drive an insight hybrid import,yes most insurance companies won't insure an import,mine liberty will,ref servicing my hybrid can be done by oneself,updating software etc,garage job,prius are nice,plenty about,few garages in Cork and Dublin who import a lot of Jap jobs,best of luck with it,easyyyyyy on the petrol bills

Soarer

grogi wrote: »

Because of the regenerative breaking, depressing the brake pedal is not sufficient to increase the pressure in the system. The mechanic needs to have the Toyota dedicated computer to put the car into service mode and then command it to bleed the breaks (I think it applies especially to the rear ones).

grogi wrote: »

But last time I checked, the brake bleed was €45 at the dealer with the materials. Really a no-brainier for me Indie would probably charge more for it, especially if they need to learn the procedure they will never use again.

We got the discs and pads changed in our one during the summer with ou indy, and even though the brakes work now, they don't seem to be as powerful as they used to be.
Would the main dealer brake bleed sort it?

To be honest Toyota servicing won't be much more expensive then your Indy, if at all. So it's worth while to give it to Toyota.

Of course you can do oil, filters and plugs yourself but the Prius is the kind of car I would think most people want to see a full Toyota service history on, if I say none I wouldn't buy such a complex car, but that's me.

Soarer

Deleted User wrote: »

To be honest Toyota servicing won't be much more expensive then your Indy, if at all. So it's worth while to give it to Toyota.

Of course you can do oil, filters and plugs yourself but the Prius is the kind of car I would think most people want to see a full Toyota service history on, if I say none I wouldn't buy such a complex car, but that's me.

I went to the Indy because the discs and pads were on sale on MicksGarage. Got discs and pads, front and back, for €98 delivered. Don't think Toyota would've been as cheap!

grogi

Deleted User wrote: »

To be honest Toyota servicing won't be much more expensive then your Indy, if at all. So it's worth while to give it to Toyota.

Of course you can do oil, filters and plugs yourself but the Prius is the kind of car I would think most people want to see a full Toyota service history on, if I say none I wouldn't buy such a complex car, but that's me.

I think you are overestimating the complexity of Prius.

They are so reliable, because mechanically they are so SIMPLE. Conceptually they are complex, with all those energy flows etc - but mechanically they are simpler than any other car (but BEV).

n97 mini

grogi wrote: »

I think you are overestimating the complexity of Prius.

They are so reliable, because mechanically they are so SIMPLE. Conceptually they are complex, with all those energy flows etc - but mechanically they are simpler than any other car (but BEV).

They're way more complex than a regular ICE, but they're also very reliable.

Throttle by wire, a brake pedal that simulates feedback, two input shafts to the gearbox, hell they even pump engine coolant into a flask when the car is off. And that's just for starters.

grogi

That's very academic discussion, isn't it?

n97 mini wrote: »

They're way more complex than a regular ICE, but they're also very reliable.

Throttle by wire

Standard in any car for last 15 years or so...

A brake pedal that simulates feedback

The pressure in the brake cylinder goes up anyway, but does not propagate to the calipers. And even if that was full-by-wire, how complex would that be anyway?

two input shafts to the gearbox

Gearbox? There are no switchable gears, no ratio ever changes. It does not deserve the name gearbox, although there are gears closed in the box

But it is brilliant and simple at the same time... There is nothing mechanical that changes inside. And there is ONE input shaft to the power split device (from the ICE) and two electric motors (MC1 and MC2) inside...

hell they even pump engine coolant into a flask when the car is off.

European models don't...

U.S models have the flask.

The MK III + Prius has no belts and the gear box is very simple. I must admit I am not up on the current Gen, I kinda lost interest in Hybrids since I got the Leaf.

Soarer

Soarer wrote: »

We got the discs and pads changed in our one during the summer with ou indy, and even though the brakes work now, they don't seem to be as powerful as they used to be.

Would the main dealer brake bleed sort it?

Anyone?

grogi

Soarer wrote: »

Anyone?

Check the brake liquid for water contamination.

But I don't think it is the issue. Prius does not brake with friction brakes unless absolutely needed, so the change of disks/pads should have nothing to do with the power of the brakes.

What mileage was it? I had mine inspected around 120 kkm and there was loads of meat left on the pads, for at least twice that much. Not to mention the discs, which were like new...

Soarer

The pads had started scraping.

Tis her car, so I didn't know until she told me. The discs had a bit of scoring on them too, so I figured while he was changing the pads, he may as well do the lot.

There's around 90k miles on it.

Soarer

Soarer wrote: »

Anyone?

No Idea, you could get them to check it out.

zilog_jones

Soarer wrote: »

The pads had started scraping.

Tis her car, so I didn't know until she told me. The discs had a bit of scoring on them too, so I figured while he was changing the pads, he may as well do the lot.

The pads were scraping as in they were worn down to the metal, or were they dragging when driving (i.e. not releasing properly/wearing unevenly)? The latter would be down to seized caliper slide pins. I would be surprised if they have worn out after 90k miles - either someone's braking hard all the time, resting their foot on the pedal, or there was something wrong with the brakes causing excessive wear (rear piston mis-alignment and seized slide pins are common faults).

I'm surprised you could get a set of pads and discs for that cheap - maybe they're just not up to the standards of the OEM parts? Don't know about local pricing but Toyota front discs are €70 each online...

n97 mini

zilog_jones wrote: »

I'm surprised you could get a set of pads and discs for that cheap - maybe they're just not up to the standards of the OEM parts? Don't know about local pricing but Toyota front discs are €70 each online...

Brake discs start at around €45 *a pair* for aftermarket, pads around €20 a set. I don't know who makes the Toyota discs or pads, they are likely made by a number of different manufacturers.

One thing Toyota dealers here will not do is put in 0W20 oil. 10W30 is what they use "because it's cheaper" according to my local Toyota service dept.

PriusQuestions

Thanks for the advice guys.

Does around 15k euros (after VRT etc) seem right for a 2013 Prius from UK with 50k miles or less?

That's more or less my budget at the moment and most of the cheaper cars are Japanese imports.

Would it be worth waiting till after February when the plates change in the UK for a better deal?

pm.

Also look at the Lexus CT 200h same under the bonnet but a bit more luxury inside

n97 mini

I would seriously not buy a Jap import. The on board displays are likely all only in Japanese, the radio does not cover the frequency range we use so you'll be missing stations, and if you ever had any serious issue the main dealers will look at you cross eyed.

PriusQuestions

I agree, I'm going to stay away from the Japanese imports, I'm looking now for the best deal on a UK/euro model for around 15k or so

zilog_jones

Just briefly looking at Auto Trader, and it seems more like £15-16k for a decent spec low mileage 2013 model, not Euros - though they're also mostly from main dealers. The ones around £10-11k are nearly all Japanese imports. You may pay a bit more buying in NI but cost to get there and time spent will be a lot less.

You'd probably want to go for the T4 or T Spirit, or the Plug-in (which is like T4 but with 15" wheels). They have cruise control standard, a much better JBL stereo, and some other nice things (maybe keyless entry is not on T3? I forget).

unkel

£16k for a 4 year old Prius? That's crazy money!

zilog_jones

If you think that's bad, you should look at the Irish used prices! They hold their value well - they're no Leaf in that respect

Not until people realise how good the Leaf actually is, of they only knew now........

The Prius isn't exactly in high demand though either, so obviously the Toyota badge is playing a significant part. But the Prius is a great car.

n97 mini

Landed a 3 year old Prius T-Spirit with leather etc for 14k. Sold it 3 years later for 11k. That's what I call holding value very well.

unkel

That's what I call smart buying and smart selling. You did well!

Did it a good few times last year when I bought a car with tax and sold a few months later when the tax ran out for a very decent profit

BionicRasher

PriusQuestions wrote: »

I’m looking at getting a Prius as a family runaround, and I have a few questions for anyone who owns one.

-there are a lot of Japanese imports for sale here and in the UK, they are good price wise . Has anyone here with a Japanese model run into problem getting insurance or parts for servicing? Or is it better to just stick with a UK model?

-do you only go to main dealers for servicing?

-I’m looking for a car that will last 7-8 years, so I was thinking a 2014 model would be best, or could I go a bit older? I'm looking for something reliable I won't have to worry about too much


Thanks for your help!

We have a Prius now for the last 12 months. It’s a 2012 Irish car and we use it as our main family car.

We looked at a few older MkII cars and looked at a few imports also. The Jap imports are grand but the radio and a few other things could be an issue as well as insurance. Go Irish or UK (UK specs seems to be much better so there would be plenty of options there)

We find it ideal for our kids (3 and 4.5 yrs) and also you can squeeze a thin adult in the centre seat with the 2 kids seats in there already. As there is no floor bump in the back the adult has good foot space when sitting in the back. The boot is plenty big and with the added secret compartments below the main boot floor its great for keeping ‘stuff’ (e.g umbrella, spare jackets, wellies etc – all come in handy when you are out and about with the family)

We went to a Toyota main dealer for service back in August and for €170 I think the fact that they know the car inside out and will fit correct parts it's well worth keeping the book up to date with. Also not sure my local mechanic would have the skills to do a correct service.

Bought it for 15.5K and it's the luxury model and think we will keep it for at least 2 more years and would hope to get a good return on sale also as they seem to hold value very well.

I do 9km on main roads and then 4km on motorway each day to and from work and we are getting 5.1l/100km out of the car. It's very comfortable on long journeys and is so easy to drive in town traffic I don't know what we did before it.
We are now looking and replacing wife's Audi A3 for a small Hybrid as she does similar milage but with a little bit more city driving.

atilladehun

I'm looking for an 07-09 model. Should I be concerned about the battery? Is there a way to check if they are still working well?

BionicRasher

BionicRasher wrote: »

I do 9km on main roads and then 4km on motorway each day to and from work and we are getting 5.1l/100km out of the car. It's very comfortable on long journeys and is so easy to drive in town traffic I don't know what we did before it.
We are now looking and replacing wife's Audi A3 for a small Hybrid as she does similar milage but with a little bit more city driving.

Sounds like ye are well suited for EV , I drive 135-140 Kms daily in a Leaf.

atilladehun

atilladehun wrote: »

I'm looking for an 07-09 model. Should I be concerned about the battery? Is there a way to check if they are still working well?

No way to check I'm afraid. If in regular use should be good for half a million Kms. There are plenty of U.S and Canadian examples of MK II's reaching this without battery issues, it will have degraded but should still be ok.

There can be problems with the battery beyond 10 years but any car 10 years + can give problems there's just no way to tell.

n97 mini

atilladehun wrote: »

I'm looking for an 07-09 model. Should I be concerned about the battery? Is there a way to check if they are still working well?

Consider a Civic IMA instead. Cheaper to buy and comparable economy. I've a 2004 with 140k miles on the clock and it still does 55mpg all day long as it did in 2007 when I bought it.

My average economy in the Prius MK II 2007 was about 4.6 L/100 Km Summer to 4.8 L/100 Km winter.

I used to use pulse and glide as much as possible , there were plenty of driving conditions to take full advantage of this.

BionicRasher

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Sounds like ye are well suited for EV , I drive 135-140 Kms daily in a Leaf.

I will certainly be looking at EV for my next vehicle but herself can hardly remember to plug in her smart phone never mind a car. !!
It would be a nightmare having to constantly go and collect her after the batteries died on her way to the shops!

BionicRasher

[Deleted User] wrote: »

My average economy in the Prius MK II 2007 was about 4.6 L/100 Km Summer to 4.8 L/100 Km winter.

I used to use pulse and glide as much as possible , there were plenty of driving conditions to take full advantage of this.

We live in a very hilly town and in fact live a stones throw from the highest point in the area so dragging up the hills has a big impact on fuel efficiency

BionicRasher

BionicRasher wrote: »

I will certainly be looking at EV for my next vehicle but herself can hardly remember to plug in her smart phone never mind a car. !!
It would be a nightmare having to constantly go and collect her after the batteries died on her way to the shops!

Na it's not bad, the Leaf will email you a few mins after you get home to remind you its not plugged in. You have to set this up of course but it can be very handy.

yannakis

Last October I grabbed a 2010 T-Spirit with 41k miles for £9.7k (had to do the 40k service in Toyota and buy 4 new tyres).

My 5c would be to get an Irish/UK car that's younger than 5-6 years old with less than 100k km, and do at least the Hybrid Health Checks with Toyota.

The factory warranty for the hybrid system (including battery) is 5 years/100k km, and the the health check extends it by 1 year/15k km (up to 10 years from the first date of vehicle registration).

zilog_jones

atilladehun wrote: »

I'm looking for an 07-09 model. Should I be concerned about the battery? Is there a way to check if they are still working well?

There will be some degradation of the hybrid battery but many are lasting over 10 years with no problems. Our temperate climate also helps.

There are a few ways of checking the battery condition - with a bluetooth OBD2 scanner and Android apps like Torque or Carista you can see the individual cell voltages (and other stuff) - any big discrepancies with voltages could suggest a cell is on the way out. You can also remove the battery and check the cells manually with a multimeter, obviously much harder to do! Generally when they cause problems it's only one or two cells that have gone bad, and can be replaced with used/reconditioned cells at reasonable cost (probably DIY job unless you can find a specialist) - if you take it to a Toyota dealer they'll want to replace the whole battery unit for a few grand!

If there is something wrong with the hybrid battery you'd probably get the warning triangle and other indications anyway. By far the most common source of warning lights/error messages is the 12V auxiliary battery, which is much easier to replace

NougatPlease wrote: »

The factory warranty for the hybrid system (including battery) is 5 years/100k km, and the the health check extends it by 1 year/15k km (up to 10 years from the first date of vehicle registration).

AFAIK if you import from the UK, only the 3 year manufacturer's warranty is valid here, and not the 5 year extended warranty. I need to check the documentation again...

yannakis

zilog_jones wrote: »

AFAIK if you import from the UK, only the 3 year manufacturer's warranty is valid here, and not the 5 year extended warranty. I need to check the documentation again...

I was completely unaware of the possibility of extending the warranty at the time, but more than happy when I was presented with the health check "certificate" after the service :pac:

Thing is that there can be issues with the Prius battery but they are not that common in similar climates. So I would say do not worry about it. Over all the prius is one of the most reliable cars ever built.

Taking the battery out and replacing cells can be done but you'll be hard pressed to find anyone to do it here + so mostly you'd get a reconditioned battery from the U.K. , installing the battery isn't that difficult but the voltages are lethal so you got to know what you're at and wear the proper PPE.

A new battery will cost about 2500 installed in Ireland, V the Leaf 5,500 , that's some difference considering the Leaf battery is 24 Kwh V the Prius 1 Kwh !

zilog_jones

NougatPlease wrote: »

I was completely unaware of the possibility of extending the warranty at the time, but more than happy when I was presented with the health check "certificate" after the service :pac:

Yeah I checked the warranty documentation again - the 3 year vehicle warranty and 5 year hybrid system warranty are issued by Toyota Europe so should be valid here.