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Question about all 2010 Prius's

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Technical Discussion' started by darkgiant, Aug 14, 2016.

  1. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    Sorry BigBear2010, I did not mean to reply to your post but to reply to OP!


    I think your mention of your mechanic working with company and government fleet vehicles probably explains a lot. They are less likely to maintain the cars as well as private owners.

    Mine is an August 2009 build with 117,800 miles and no problems to date other than some annoying rattles and squeaks. I want to note that I have always changed my oil at 5,000 miles and used only Toyota 0W20 oil.
     
  2. Felt

    Felt Senior Member

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    I traded my 2010 (IV) with 130,000 miles. Other than oil change, one set of new tires, and a Toyota computer adjustment .... it was never in the shop, still provided 50 plus mpg, and really did't rattle. Based on the strength and experience with the 2010 .... I bought a 2015 Avalon hybrid. Great car.

    The local Toyota Service Manager told me that our local shop had never replaced a G3 HV battery ... only G2's.
     
  3. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    One way used to be to check whether the inside of the tailpipe is clean, or sooty and oily. That still works, if oil consumption is bad enough to have killed the catalytic converter.

    Interview the previous owner, if possible.

    I wouldn't worry too much about consumption under a quart per 4000 miles or so, as long as it's stable.
     
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  4. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Didn't they do the model refresh in 2012?
    Which added the MFD screen.
    The 2010's did not have these.

    I hope there aren't too many problems with aging 2010's because I don't think much was changed throughout the Gen 3's run.
    I tend to avoid 1st year models. BUT....if I really, really, really like a vehicle? That won't stop me. If I can wait? I'll pass until the bugs are worked out.
     
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    At least in Canada, some 2010's had the Multi Function Display, some not. Our Touring doesn't have MFD, has back up camera display in the left corner of rear view mirror.
     
  6. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    2010-2011 models had a regular radio interface but if you opted for navigation, you got a 7" LCD touchscreen display.

    2012 added a standard 6.1" Display Audio System so you got a 6.1" screen with or without navigation (depending on trim level.. Two vs. Three /Four/Five

    Optional on Four and Five were 7" Display Audio Systems w/ high res LCD split-screen display
     
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  7. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Do note that there are a lot more units of 2010s on the road than of any other model year. That particular production 'year' was about 20 months, much longer than any adjacent production years. This could noticeably skew the perceptions of the mechanics.
     
  8. orenji

    orenji Senior Member

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    I have a 10/10 build date, I would have assumed by the 10th month, 2011's were being built? What month did the 2011's start production?
     
  9. darkgiant

    darkgiant Member

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    I actually didn't know that! I checked some 2010's thus far, so far not so great. I want to believe in the best of every person who I've met to check out their car, but there is some little nitty gritty stuff wrong with majority of the cars.

    The biggest one was a massive coolant loss, and a large sound when you uncap the engine coolant reservoir, clearly sounded like there was some sort of coolant loss, which sounds like a whole mess I'd prefer to avoid...

    It seems like a lot of folks, especially in the Seattle area are super uneducated about how the Prius works, sure they know that it is a "hybrid" but there is definitely more to it than that. Some dude was trying to tell me why the suspension of his Prius is the best on the road, a quick look and it looks 100% identical to my 2011, lol.
     
  10. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    I recall the 2011s arriving here rather late, after New Year's 2011, so would not make that assumption. Better to look at the paperwork, or decode the VIN.
     
  11. nicoj36

    nicoj36 Active Member

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    104k miles 2010 here. No issues, I change oil every 6 months. Avg 45mpg with my pirelli p4 tires but it should go up if I get a lower resistance tires like Michelin energy savers.

    I am satisfied with my 2010.
     
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  12. orenji

    orenji Senior Member

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    I have a 2010, just thought by October 2010 the 2011's would be rolling out the factory :rolleyes:
     
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  13. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    By the normal American automotive calendar, that would be normal.

    But the Gen3 Prius calendar was usually quite abnormal. The 2010s reached the U.S. market in May 2009 (I ordered mine only after seeing several on dealer lots, and took possession a month later in June). My memory (known to be less robust now) was that 2010s were still the only version available for a while in or even after January 2011.
     
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  14. darkgiant

    darkgiant Member

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    I came across what seemed like a great deal for a 2010 Prius with Package II, seller is asking for roughly $8,500 with roughly 145,000 miles. Interestingly, the Blue Book value for the car is significantly less ($6,500). At the time, I thought this was a great deal, and knowing no issues or codes showed up, all vehicle maintenance is present, so I thought for a Gen 3, this must be a great deal.

    This made me wonder, why is it that a 2010 Prius with 145,000 miles valued at $6,500? I just recently sold my 2007 Prius that had roughly 182,000 miles and the blue book value for it was $5,050. Maybe I am just overthinking this, but I wonder why the Blue Book value is so low for the 2010 model, as you'd imagine that as it is a different generation, it'd have a higher valuation.

    Does the $1,450 in difference between my old 2007 and this 2010 Prius mean that the Gen 3 Prius depreciates faster? Obviously no one buys or sells at the Blue Book value, but it is just an interesting thought, and making me reconsider if $8,500 is even a fair price for this car, even though according to the market for Prius's around my area, this is a pretty cheap deal for a Gen 3.
     
  15. Umar Ali

    Umar Ali Member

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    I have 2010 purchsed in Aug 2014 with 70k miles on it. It has 172k miles on it now. During my ownership it never had any issue. I did preventive maintenance on it myself over the time period which includes oil changes with Mobil1 every 10k, toyota ATF for transmission every 30k, replaced spark plugs at around 130k, cleaned intake manifold from carbon deposits at around 130k, changed valve behind engine (dont remember name right now) at around 130k. No oil leaks or oil burning at 172k. Still running on original brake pads and battery. Never had any issue at all and i have been driving it for past 102k miles. tires i bought it with were changed at around 125k and the ones i replaced them with still have plenty of tread left.
    This is Prius III trim and i paid $15500 for it back in aug 2014.

    Edit: Forgot to mention i am still getting somewhere from 44 to 50 mpg depending on how i am driving. My mpg started going low at around 34-36 mpg no matter how i drive then i cleaned intake maniforl changed spark plugs and that small PCV valve in the back of engine and also ran 3 to 4 chevron techron for fuel injector cleaners and eventually it climbed back up.
     
    #35 Umar Ali, Aug 24, 2016
    Last edited: Aug 25, 2016
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  16. darkgiant

    darkgiant Member

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    I've been told, and after tremendous research that for the engine, specifically on the Prius, usually doesn't require a routine "tune-up" (spark plugs, coils etc...), and often with the Gen 3 engines, by the time you start replacing those parts of the engine, it is a good indicator that the engine sooner or later may need some sort of servicing or replacement, versus a traditional car which all of this stuff is pretty routine. I can also share this from experience on a 2011 Prius I worked on with a friend about a month or two ago where he had bunch of cylinder misfire codes, which led to minor shaking at startup. Granted this Prius had tons of miles. We replaced the coils, spark plugs, wiring, did an entire flush, and it definitely helped, for about another 1,000 miles. Then the coolant was disappearing in a matter of minutes of pouring it into the reservoir, white smoke coming out of the exhaust, and the car shaking violently during acceleration ultimately resulting to a blown gasket.

    Obviously this may not hold true for your experience (and other Prius's), but that seems like this is most often biggest concern with the engines on the Gen 3 Prius, and unfortunately, fixing/replacing the engine is really pricey (just like it would be on any other car).
     
  17. orenji

    orenji Senior Member

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    You seem to be the only person talking about head gasket problems, I cannot recall anyone on Prius Chat having head gasket issues?
     
  18. darkgiant

    darkgiant Member

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    A quick search returns decent amount of posts about it.

    Either way, just because it was or wasn't discussed on PriusChat doesn't mean I am "the only person talking about head gasket problems". There are other "Prius" communities that exist, granted not as big as PriusChat.
     
  19. orenji

    orenji Senior Member

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    Prii any year are some of the most reliable cars on the road. It's a machine, it you don't take care of it and follow the maint. schedule or be even more proactive then Toyota advises you can see problems.
     
  20. darkgiant

    darkgiant Member

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    My family has owned quite a few Prius's since the Gen 1, so I definitely know how "reliable" the Prius is, but I would never coin any car as 100% reliable. I'd say the Prius fits the 80% - 85% range if we want to get analytical. As for your maintenance point, you could literally apply that philosophy to just about any car, if you take care of the car with great care following advised steps the manufacturer advises, the car is bound to last a long time. There is nothing special about the Prius in terms of following a regimented maintenance schedule that makes it outlast a regular car in the same class. Though, the Prius does have components in the car that requires up-keeping at a far later time versus a regular car (brakes, coolant flushes, etc...). I also don't see why you would have to be more proactive then what Toyota advises you, but whatever floats your boat. All in all, nothing is perfect.