Hi I just joined this group because my 01 prius has just hit the 160K mile mark and im starting to get nervous on how much longer it might last. just wanted to see if anyone else has taken the car further than that. i'm debating trading in for a newer car now, or just driving it and replacing the battery.
Have no fear friend! I am right behind you in mileage. No remember, like any car, proper maintenance is key. If you are worried about the battery, then don't be. I have a good friend who has more than 300,000 kms on his prius its still going strong (over 180,000 miles!). He has had a few issues, but nothing battery related as far as I know. Now, if you have maintained your vehicle so far, I see no reason for catastrophic failures. The main thing I have found with first gen prius' is failure of the CVT. Change your tranny fluid every 60,000 miles, and it should go on for a long time. First gen Prius' I find also benefit from occaisional cleaning of the throttle body. Just buy a can of throttle body cleaner from from your local auto shop, remove the air filter cover and filter, put a bottle of washer fluid on the gas pedal to keep the throttle up (if you are alone, otherwise ask a wife, child or friend to help), and spray it down the throttle body for about 1 minute. I notice my fuel economy and overall engine smoothness and pep picks up quite a bit afterwards. Don't worry about doing damage, I do it to my car every three oil changes, and with an engine that redline's at only 4500 rpm, there is no risk of engine over revving. Plus its fun listening and watching the electric motor force the engine to stay running, while the spray is cleaning everything out!!! Has your car been doing anything strange lately for you to question its reliability. If so, list them. Sometimes there are fixes we can do that are very cheap and does not require a trip to the dealer as the one I mentioned above!
Hi new, if your car had the HV battery reseal (free), there is not much else you can do there. Most are still on their original batteries, though I wish I could be more specific on %. The transaxle fluid change is a good idea as mlibanio says. If it's your first time also have the pan removed and cleaned it will cost a bit more labor $$ and a pan gasket. Patakaha have you had the car since new? there are a couple of other matters worth discussing about it. Anyway at 160 you should be on new spark plugs and PCV valve.
Hi posters thanks so much for the valuable info. but first, i just realized i mistyped the year, it's a 02 prius, still first gen, does everything you said still apply? also, our family is the original owner, i took ownership of it after a year, there was a major collision on it the first year by another family member. it was a rear end collision issue and everything was taken care of.
