200,000 Mile Club

[ea8631]

Originally Posted by usbseawolf2000

Nice! Any issues?

major parts had been replace are:

• 12V battery @ 5 years ago
• traction battery (@151000mi / 243000km),
• a inverter/converter unit,
• engine ecu has been changed to an updated one,
• new steering rack at around 280000km,
• new front shocks / springs and all 4 wheel bearing at 310000km

[MacGuffin]

Our 2001 Prius now has 200,000 miles on it following a recent trip around the country.

Major repair was replacement of the big battery and computer at 160K miles which was not cheap at $5K, 1.5 years ago. I bought it used 2 years ago with zilch info, so couldn't tell you about anything before that.

[NYC TAXI]

I made 175.000 miles on my 2006 Prius and just replaced it with 2010.
I am sure that the new owner will make 200.000 miles with no problem because the car still runs like a new one.
It broke down twice ,around 116.000 miles.
First time it was 12 V battery - $250.
Second time it was water pump - $605
At the rate of almost 60.000 miles per year Prius saved me at least $10.000 a year compared with Ford Crown Victoria or with a similar car -17 mpg city.
I never replaced transmission fluid ,at the service I was told that Prius does not have one.
Never replaced front end parts and I hit all kinds of potholes in NYC,never had a problem with el.windows,power locks,wiper motor...
Front brakes were replaced at 65.000 miles and rear ones at 120.000 miles when I also replaced spark plugs.
Both rear brakes and plugs had some life left on it at the time.
God bless Toyota !
I will never buy anything else !

[bayareapilot]

Pretty darned close, I have a 2004 Prius and she is over 185,000 miles (I have a two hour commute every day). No problems with battery, brakes or just about anything. Only prob that has come up is the check engine light - when I use my scanner to look-up the code it indicates some issue with the O2 sensor. Other than that the car has been the most maintenance free car I have ever owned.

Right now I am wondering about how much longer that serpentine belt will last. I've heard in the 2010 there are no belts at all?

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by bayareapilot

...I have a 2004 Prius and she is over 185,000 miles...Right now I am wondering about how much longer that serpentine belt will last. I've heard in the 2010 there are no belts at all?

I think the serpentine belt could fail any day. Suggest you consider replacing it soon, rather than wait for it to fail and have you on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck. The part should cost around $20 at your dealer and you'll probably be charged for an hour of labor (this is a fairly easy DIY repair, I've posted previously on how to do.)

The 2010 has an electric engine water pump, so it is true that no external belts are present.

[HybridOrDiesel]

Originally Posted by ea8631

major parts had been replace are:

• 12V battery @ 5 years ago
• traction battery (@151000mi / 243000km),
• a inverter/converter unit,
• engine ecu has been changed to an updated one,
• new steering rack at around 280000km,
• new front shocks / springs and all 4 wheel bearing at 310000km

Man, all of that for 200,000 miles.

Did the Prius seem worth it? Seems like you'd pay a serious premuim over a comparably equipped gas car like a Corolla.

I'm on the fence with this issue about hybrid technology and the numbers and the environmental impacts don't seem to add up. Mileage as it seems isn't everything..

[spinkao]

Originally Posted by NYC TAXI

I made 175.000 miles on my 2006 Prius and just replaced it with 2010.
I am sure that the new owner will make 200.000 miles with no problem because the car still runs like a new one.
It broke down twice ,around 116.000 miles.
First time it was 12 V battery - $250.
Second time it was water pump - $605
At the rate of almost 60.000 miles per year Prius saved me at least $10.000 a year compared with Ford Crown Victoria or with a similar car -17 mpg city.
I never replaced transmission fluid ,at the service I was told that Prius does not have one.
Never replaced front end parts and I hit all kinds of potholes in NYC,never had a problem with el.windows,power locks,wiper motor...
Front brakes were replaced at 65.000 miles and rear ones at 120.000 miles when I also replaced spark plugs.
Both rear brakes and plugs had some life left on it at the time.
God bless Toyota !
I will never buy anything else !

Very nice, thank you very much for sharing! Please could you tell what was your typical MPG in your gen II.? I'd love to know how did she fare for the whole day in the city traffic with passengers/luggage aboard and no hypermiling involved, and you surely have vast experience with this.

Thanks!

[spinkao]

Originally Posted by bayareapilot

Pretty darned close, I have a 2004 Prius and she is over 185,000 miles (I have a two hour commute every day). No problems with battery, brakes or just about anything. Only prob that has come up is the check engine light - when I use my scanner to look-up the code it indicates some issue with the O2 sensor. Other than that the car has been the most maintenance free car I have ever owned.

Right now I am wondering about how much longer that serpentine belt will last. I've heard in the 2010 there are no belts at all?

Your serpentine belt is very much on borrowed time now, so as Patrick says, I'd rather change it now and don't wait for its natural death . It's fairly simple, done it many times in other cars. Should be no big problem for you to do it yourself if you want to spare some $$$.

Gen III has no belt at all, that's correct . Finally... Wish they got rid of the 12V battery too .

[usbseawolf2000]

Originally Posted by HybridOrDiesel

Man, all of that for 200,000 miles.

Did the Prius seem worth it? Seems like you'd pay a serious premuim over a comparably equipped gas car like a Corolla.

I'm on the fence with this issue about hybrid technology and the numbers and the environmental impacts don't seem to add up. Mileage as it seems isn't everything..

1. 12V battery @ 5 years ago
2. traction battery (@151000mi / 243000km),
3. a inverter/converter unit,
4. engine ecu has been changed to an updated one,
5. new steering rack at around 280000km,
6. new front shocks / springs and all 4 wheel bearing at 310000km

#1, #4, #5 and #6 also apply to any other cars.

#2 HV battery was improved since 2001 model. Internal resistance was lowered and connection between the cells were improved. I have 108k miles on my 06 Prius and the HV pack is still performing like new. The warranty covers up until 150k miles. I don't expect to replace it any time soon.

#3 I think this is a rare case. There are no moving parts in it (other than the coolant flowing). The inverter coolant pump may have failed and took down the inverter as well.

For a Corolla with 200k miles, you would need to replace (or worry) about the transmission. Replacing it would be a huge job. Not so simple like replacing the HV battery. Corolla would have to go through multiple brake pads as well.

What environment impact were you referring to? I am assuming the 99 lbs NiMH HV battery pack. NiMH can be recycled and it contains no toxic metal. Nickel is less harmful than Lead.

Prius also has a 12V battery but about half the size/weight of the Corolla's. Therefore the Prius would use less (30-40 lbs) of Lead over the car's lifetime (10 years).

Prius: 99 lbs HV battery + Two 14 lbs Lead Acid = 127 lbs battery
Corolla: Two 35 lbs Lead Acid = 70 lbs battery

[northwestlondonblues]

Hi,

I am thinking of buying a used 2005 Prius. I'd appreciate any advice from you who have high mileage cars on what faults I might find or expect and comments on steering, suspension and tyre wear as well as any body corrosion issues.

Many thanks from North West London UK, where I play the blues!