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As above I think dealer servicing is okay to a point, but if you want to run the car into high miles I would definitely make sure the extras are done which are not on the dealers schedule- brake fluid, preferably slider pins re-greased as well, and the CVT fluid. Just taking it to a dealer will probably serve you well for the first ten years, but for instance brake problems from lack of maintenance start appearing 10yrs plus in most cars such as sticking calipers etc. CVT may be fine but it may not be, so personally I am going to change mine this summer. Also there are some people who assume taking it to a dealer once a year removes all owner obligation to lift the bonnet once in a while to check fluid levels. There are quite a few posts on Priuschat re: Gen 2 and Gen 3 priuses using oil and this goes un-noticed until it is too late.

My car has the front door crack at the check strap point. It is worse on the drivers side. The metal flexes cracking the paint. I spoke to a friend who works in my local independent garage, about this and he told me, he has done quite a few on other makes of cars. This is not just an Avensis problem! We both have the same idea: make a plate covering a large area to spread the load, to the required shape and profile. Insert the plate inside the door, and if necessary drill holes in the door and puddle weld the plate. Grind the crack and weld if needed. Grind the welds flat then paint with primer, colour and lacquer. Then replace the door strap and door fittings. The point is to strengthen the metal in that area of the door, to reduce or stop the flexing, which causes the paint to crack. Another idea is to paint the area the same as used on bumpers, unless the metal is cracking! Before I start any work later, is there a repair plate available? I ask this question as the area is not flat, so a pre-shaped plate will save time. Also welding may not be needed if bolt on is sufficient. I will be doing this in spring, so any other ideas will be welcome. My car is 7 years old so outside the Toyota Warranty, and I bought the car September 2015.

Traveled up to Milton Keynes Yesterday on had training on Gen4 Prius today including a driving event & have to say i was well impressed the car is a significant step on from Gen3 which never really "did it " for me, please fell free to ask any questions and i will endeavour to answer

As some here know I am a Toyota newbie. As my X5 was in for some heart surgery!! and the courtesy car supplied wasn't suitable for my dogs so I brought a Toyota Avensis 2.2 d4d estate 55 plate as a cheap dog wagon and I do mean cheap. An ex taxi with 184k on the clock well serviced (mostly Toyota) and reasonably well cared for it is a real bargain in my opinion. The only real fault, no heater! It was probably cheap due to the HG terror stories (I didn't know about that when I brought it) well after a bit of digging it turned out to be nothing more than a broken heater flap arm, fixed it and all is now cosy and warm. 2300 miles covered by me and my sons who use it as a run about it's still great. It has used/lost/burnt no oil, we did top up the coolant when sorting the heater but not since, everything works it starts first time what ever the temperature with no smoke or drama and pulls really well. It is cheap to insure and tax and is MOT'd till September if it passes another MOT (can't see a reason why not at present) it is the bargain of the century so far. One of my boys took it to Bristol at the weekend 300 mile round trip with no fuss or bother his only complaint "no cruise control" So we laugh at 100k as we are heading for 200.

It is inspected and replaced if needed. Much better to go to Europarts and get a Bosch one for about £10, about the same for the pollen filter, which on my last visit Toyota wanted about £38. Both jobs take 4 minutes to do.

Personal preference but it's so cheap and easy to do, and there are instances of 2nd gen cvts failing on original fluid, I don't really see why anyone wouldn't get it done. Dealer charge for this seems to be a bit of a rip off though Even more so I would say if it's used as a taxi and at that mileage

Regular change of all fluids in your car can only extend the life of the car and its components (engine, transmission, brake system, cooling system and hydraulic power steering all needs a fresh fluid at some point of its life). Even some manufacturers says fill for life oil or maintainece free it's a good idea to get it done if the car turns over 5-6 years old or certain mileage. In regards to the life of the 3 gen Priuses they can do easily over 200k , there are some examples there with those miles from Prius and Lexus CT200h.

Easily 300k miles plus. Several gen 2 and gen 3 Prius out there with this sort of mileage in them.

We got the Hybrid Sport with Safety Sense, that gives you lane departure warning, collision warning and auto dimming headlights, we also got auto wipers but not auto lights.

To get electric folding mirrors you would have to order a Design model and add the optional Convenience pack which includes Auto wipers, Auto lights, Smart entry, Auto dimming rear view mirror & Auto fold mirrors there is no option on Icon models.

One screw will adjust vertical, the other horizontal. Adjusting them shouldn't affect the electric operation.

Interesting to see that high a value on a 62, my car is already getting below 50% trade in despite being a very similar spec. Anyway decision made as today I part-ex'd for a new Leaf Tekna 30Kw, local dealer paid off the finance in full so I am at break even and got a cracking deal on the Leaf which has worked out only marginally more than I was paying for the Yaris. Combine that with free to cheap electricity depending on where I charge I think I will be better off. I managed to get a loan car over the weekend and was very impressed with this all electric car and the range on the 30Kwh is about 120 miles real world which is absolutely fine for me and I have loads of rapid chargers nearby. So bye bye Toyota for me... J

I went to my Toyota dealer today and they have a demonstrator arriving early March (Business Plus edition) so I'm going to have a drive to see if it's as quiet as it's cracked up to be.

No problems. 1. Noise, yes the Gen 4 is much quieter then the Gen 3, it is apparent that the step in interior quality includes a lot more cabin sound proofing also the new TNGA ( Toyota New Global Architecture ) platform cuts the NVH ( noise, vibration, harshness ) being transmitted into the cabin. The engine/transmission is also much quieter it no longer revs up as high or as hard as the Gen3 and road noise on the 17" wheels is lower than Gen3 ( not driven a Gen4 on 15" so cant say how it will fare ) 2. Handling, yes the new TNGA platform is far stiffer the that on the Gen 3 it has a lower the centre of gravity, improved double wishbone rear suspension etc, it just feels so much more composed, smoother but at the same time with more feel through the steering its sharper, less prone to under steer and even dare to say it more fun. 3. Interior, I personally think this is the single biggest improvement over Gen3 it no longer looks and feels like a cheap car inside ( can't comment on Active trim which doesn't get all the trimmings and soft touch that the other trims do ) the plastics are solid, with a nice tactile feel it feels premium. 4 Colours, Personally i am split between the Galactic Blue and Hypersonic Red, I saw all of the colours but would be happy with either the red or Blue with the Black gloss wheel inserts on the 17" alloys

Hi Lee, Thanks for taking the time to answer questions on the Gen 4. I am thinking of upgrading to one myself and have been looking at all the youtube videos from the States, and one thing mentioned is the significant noise reduction, is this true ? and is the handling noticibly better?Also is the interior really more upmarket. I am particulary drawn to the Hypersonic Red colour, which colours did you see and which did you prefer ? Sorry so many questions but overall the Gen 4 seems to be a major improvement Thanks, Dave.

A little background research into a particular models strengths and weaknesses can often help........ like discovering that, for instance, the early 1.6 and 1.8 vvt-i engines have a potentially serious oil usage problem if they haven't been serviced with regular oil changes and the specified oil for that engine. An hour or two on google can give you a real insight into what to look out for with the particular car you're going to see. Beyond that Konrad is right, condition,history and paperwork are what counts over mileage every time I have a 1ZZ-FE and not afraid to use it :)

As tonino says I think it comes down to how much you well you want to maintain your car. From the several cars I've looked at now owners are just having the basic oil and filter service, and that's it, so I'm banking on certainly having to get a brake fluid change done as soon as I buy one, and I'll probably do CVT fluid myself. Can't imagine it does much good having the same brake fluid for 100,000 plus miles personally..or CVT fluid for that matter. I'm planning on keeping it for ages and racking up the miles in it so I'd rather keep everything ticketyboo.