I've taken my 07 Prius to Jiffy Lube once. It resulted in the car behaving sluggish and I lost 5 mpg (went from 51 to 46) almost immediately. They also forgot to reset the "maintenance required" light on the dash and I had to go back to them to get it turned off. From now on I'll only get it done at a dealership, preferably the one where I bought the car. Their prices are comperable to Jiffy Lube and I know it's going to be done right.

 

My 2008 Prius just turned 10,000 miles and I took it in to my dealership, Toyota of Richardson, (Richardson, Texas) for an oil change and tire rotation. I had a coupon from Toyota for this service at a price of $39.95. Your service advisor, Lee Schuster informed me that I could not use the coupon because I needed the 10,000 mile service at a cost of $66.95. After returning home I checked with the scheduled maintenance book and it listed the same service as the $39.95 coupon at 10,000 miles. The invoice did not include any service that the $39.95 coupon would not have given me. I'm going to Jiffy Lube next time.
Richard Pruitt

 

Welcome to the CLUB!

You're finding what many of us have discovered ... Toyota 'bread and butter' maintenance tends to be a little pricey. However, be careful about the Jiffy Lube and similar places. They love to sell 'extras' and an extra quart of oil that will put your mileage in the tank.

Welcome to GreenHybrid and GOOD LUCK!

Bob Wilson

 

With a vehicle as complex as the Prius, I would recommend only a Toyota dealership for service. And, in the interests of full disclosure, I do not work for Toyota, a Toyota dealership, or have any relatives that do.

There are several reasons for choosing a dealership:
1. The techs are trained on the vehicle.
2. Service bulletins are issued by the manufacturer on vehicles. These bulletins usually address issues such as check "this", adjust "that" or replace "XYZ". At a dealer shop, those bulletins will be addressed. You do not get that at an independent oil change shop.

I have a 2003 Ford F-150 that I regularly take to the independent oil change shop. And, have gotten great service from them. But, like anything, a one size fits all approach should be adjusted depending upon the vehicle and it's needs / complexity.

 

"My" dealer changed hands and now is owned by another dealer in So. Cal (Hoonan?). When I decided to have a wheel alignment, I asked if they could do it. Well, they didn't.

After searching the Long Beach area, I found a shop which could. Nice place, been in business for years. Clean, pretty nice waiting room, sells tires and does oil changes. So, I'm thinking of giving them a whirl.

And that wheel alignment? The man at the Long Beach shop explained the numbers to me. Hoonan has just started doing those alignments. With a coupon, the price is 89.95, exactly what the tire/wheel/oil change shop charged.