Service & Repair of Hybrids

markferic

Hello all, doing some research and hoping you all can chime in. Where do you have your Hybrid serviced & repaired? Is it still in warranty? What will you do when it is out of warranty? Do you think any independent service centers are capable of service & repair on your car? Thank you.

gagrice

Welcome to the forum. For the present I would only use the dealers for service. These cars require trained technicians. The cost to train them would prohibit a general auto repair from giving proper training. Use a dealer you trust is the best advice.

krism

Depends on what the service is. Most of whats on the Prius is the same as any other car. It still has an oil drain plug and uses the same oil filter toyata has been using in their cars for decades. Same with brake, suspension, tires and other stuff thats no different then a conventional car. For any Hybrid/computer and like issues take it straight to a dealer.

jdkahler

Just took our HH in for 5K service at the dealer our Toyotas have been serviced at since 1990 (factory schedule only on the NN, we've had nothing that needed to be attended to). Their pricing is competitive and we've never had a complaint, never had any real major and expensive repairs on the Toyotas. At this point would only trust a dealer - and a trusted dealer at that - with any service on an HH. I tried non-dealer service on my old Fords and there were several times that I believe a dealer would have done a better job and in the long run not have cost us any more - not to mention things like oil changes don't cost all that much more at the dealer. My dad has had numerous issues with non-dealer yet major brand name service. But the hybrid has enough different that I wouldn't want a non-factory trained tech messing around even if it's not in for anything more than an oil change, and how many smaller independents would have the training and expertese to work on the not standard hybrid components that we spent a lot of extra $ on. We'll no doubt continue with the dealer service once the extended warranty is past, given our experience. Moreover, having the dealer in the loop, and holding part of the responsibility, seems like leverage if there is a problem. One of the previously mentioned Fords did have a transmission problem after the warranty was up, and since it had been dealer serviced I think I had less of a hassle pushing them to do the work under warranty than had I taken it outside for service. - John

tomslyck

We took ours to the local dealer (even though we bought it from a different dealer) for the 5,000 and 10,000 service. It was quick and reasonable. We're due to go back for the 15,000 mile service next week.

pearlander

Just got our HH Limited 2WD. 20 miles on it.

Curious how much did your dealer charge for the 5K and 10K service? Wondering also how much would the 15K service cost?

tomslyck

The 15,000 mile service was roughly $135, But while we were there, we noticed that the new 2006 HH has a name plate on the side saying "HYBRID" where ours say "LIMITED". And the "LIMITED" nameplate is back on the back door. We're looking into having the body shop change ours to match the new one. We're guessing that Toyota heard the comments from early owners saying that they wish it was more obvious that their SUVs were hybrids,

eaa

My 2003 Honda civic hybrid with CVT tranny is perfect with no problems ever. I have 44K on it now and get 60+ mpg drivin smart. Jim

dollbaby

I've heard that service on hybrids is more expensive from my local mechanic. It's a "discouragement" point to buying one.
I used to take my Buick to the dealer for a variety of service. When I found something local I noticed the prices were quite a bit different. Lower.
In fact dealers have a reputation for being really big ripoffs.
For your hybrid what does the 3,000 mile oil change cost you?

lprius

I have a 2001 Prius which I bought used last year. It has been a great experience and given me no problems at all. I am about to embark on a move across country and will need to drive my prius. I want to take the car to a hybrid mechanic and get it tuned up and checked out, however I want to make sure the person I take it to is reliable and not going to jack up their prices and tell me that there are things wrong with my car that aren't. I'm a single woman and that makes me very gullible.