Any opinions on DIY maintenance where the schedule requires a brake inspection every 5k miles and where the owner is changing the oil//rotating the tires and not bringing it to a dealer to do so?

Is the owner's visual look-see enough? (not being 'trained' mechanics for the most part)

Is this TMC's back-door attempt to bring in more revenue, or perhaps they're nervous with the hybrid models?

I would like to do ordinary routine maintenance but I don't want this brake inspection thing to bite me later.

 

You could probably take it to any shop for that (breaks) and pay less if anything. The rest just require you to keep receipts.

 

I worked in the brake business for seven years. Because it is a seldom-needed repair, but also the second-most costly one, after transmission repair... the idea of inspecting every 5K miles is to assure that the dealer gets to inspect your brakes before you wander into another dealer or independent shop. We practically gave away oil changes, to assure that we would get the right to inspect customers' brakes on average 4x a year.

 

Steven is exactly correct. It's a fishing trip for upsell opportunities.

Long before major damage can occur the wear tabs on the pads will definitely let you it's time for service. And with the TCH wheels you can do a quick visual inspection through the spokes with a flashlight.

With tire rotation also due every 5k, peeking at the brakes is very easy.

 

Also keep in mind that if you're applying moderate pressure to the brakes you're generally using regenerative braking, with the mechanical brakes not coming into play until somewhere below 10 mph. So your brakes should last several times longer than in previous cars.