If I buy a hybrid is there special maintenance concerns that I need to worry about?

Question

Will any mechanic know how to work on a hybrid or are there just specialized mechanics?

Answer 1

You should make sure that you take your car in for all of its scheduled maintenance, preferably to the dealership's service department. The service technicians at the dealership know best how to maintain your car. This is especially true of hybrids; the service techs at the dealership are all trained to service the new technology in automobiles.

Answer 2

i would highly suggest not buying a hybrid, and instead buy a VW based TDi car. they get just as good of milage (the EPA disagrees, but real world results point to similar gas milages), they dont run into battery issues later on, theyre easier to work on (anyone can do it), and overall much more reliable.

if you factor in energy to produce and dispose of the vehicle, hybrids are actually some of the worst cars for the environment due to the batteries and the fairly low production volumes. IIRC the Hummer h2 was actually better for the environment than the accord hybrid. LOL.

Answer 3

Hybrids should only be repaired at the dealership.

The battery pack will last about 5 years and need replacement projected to be about $5K, and may cost more as suppliers are already producing at capacity.

Buy a diesel, the cost per mile will be less, repairs less expensive, and environmental impact less than a hybrid. VW's TDI's are great because they are efficient, durable, quiet, also diesel can be converted to bio-diesel.