Maintaining a Hybrid

Donald writes: I am planning on buying a hybrid vehicle, but I’m a do-it-yourselfer and hope to find one that I can do the maintenance on. What is the difference in servicing hybrids?

Mike:
Donald, for the most part, hybrids require the same service as standard vehicles. Services such as: oil changes, brakes, suspension, filters, and wheel alignments are mostly the same as a conventional vehicle. What is different, are the electrical systems. I say systems because most hybrids had a standard 12 volt system for the cabin and gas engine, and a 600+ volt system for the hybrid drive. You identify the high voltage system by its orange cables and connectors. If you stay away from the hybrid system, you should be just fine. Get a manual from the dealer, look at it, be cautious, and you should be on your way.