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206,000 Miles and Counting

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by R-C No, Oct 19, 2014.

  1. R-C No

    R-C No New Member

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    I joined this forum today, Oct 19, 2014.

    My Prius is a 2004 model, hatchback, with 206,000 miles. I am the 2nd owner. I bought it with 6,000 miles on the odometer--the remaining 200k miles are mine.

    This Prius is the best car I have ever owned--it has been virtually trouble-free for 10 years. I noticed the mileage was slipping, so I had a local (non-Toyota) shop recondition the main battery last week. Mileage has returned to the normal range. I also had the bearings replaced. (This is the first 'heavy' maintenance I have had done on this car; the rest has been routine oil changes, etc.)

    Up next: time for the 5th set of tires. I am interested in others' opinions on which tire to buy. The local shop offered 4x new Bridgestone Ecopia tires for $655 installed--I think I can do better than that on price, but I'm curious to read what other owners would suggest as far as tire types that are best for the Gen 2 Prius. (I can't remember what model was originally installed. I hear the Ecopia 422 offers longer life without compromising mileage.)

    I want to see this car pass 300k miles.

    Any comments or suggestions on tire models are very welcome!

    Cheers, R-C
     
    #1 R-C No, Oct 19, 2014
    Aaron Vitolins likes this.
  2. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

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    Congratulations on the mile stone! How much did it cost to get your battery reconditioned? What was the process, was it just a balance?
    What mpg are the before and after?
    Best cars ever! :)
     
    #2 Aaron Vitolins, Oct 19, 2014
  3. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    #3 Britprius, Oct 19, 2014
  4. R-C No

    R-C No New Member

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    Thanks. The battery recondition was $1300, which seemed a better option than having the battery replaced, since some other non-battery problem might deadline this high-mileage car. (In other words, I was not sure that I would get my money's worth out of a brand new battery back.)

    From what I gather, they tested the battery under load and determined that its output had drooped by about 30%. Then, they went about reconditioning each cell--I am not sure how, exactly.
     
    #4 R-C No, Oct 19, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2014
  5. jadziasman

    jadziasman Prius owner emeritus

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    $655 is high for EP422s. You shouldn't pay more than $400 installed. I bought mine at Costco for less than $400 installed. The tread life has been disappointing. I will need to replace them after only 50,000 miles or so. The way I drive, decent tires should last for at least 80K miles. But, they have been good tires overall. No flats and they hold air sufficiently. To be fair, the tire wear rating was 400 and I knew this when I purchased them.
     
    #5 jadziasman, Oct 19, 2014
  6. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    If you are going to buy your tires at Costco, the Michelin Defender XT is another alternative to consider, however it is more costly than the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 tire. It has a 90K mile tread wear warranty although the value of that warranty is questionable since the tires have to show perfect wear across the tread for you to be able to claim a remedy.

    The Costco $70 rebate on Michelin tires will expire October 26.


    Costco.com - Shop for Tires


    I recently bought a set of the Michelin tires for the 2007 and had previously bought a second set of EP422 for the 2004. I don't notice any difference in mpg with used vs. new tires for those tire models.
     
    #6 Patrick Wong, Oct 19, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2014
  7. littlehandegan

    littlehandegan Junior Member

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    #7 littlehandegan, Oct 19, 2014
  8. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    Go the Costco route. The $70 off a set of four new tires is a regular occurance. This month is Michelin, next will likely be Bridgestone, and the cycle continues.

    Costco's overall tire purchase is hard to beat b/c of the low install fee (~$15/tire), tire disposal fee $~2/tire, and Road Hazard Warranty.
    Install includes: mount, lifetime balance, lifetime rotation, and road hazard warranty.
    Lifetime is considered 5 years from the time of purchase or when the tread depth minimum (usu 2/32inch) is exceeded.
    Rotation is probably easier and faster to DIY, unless you are making a shopping trip at Costco.
    TPMS service is an additional fee.

    Costco Michelin Defenders will run you $398 + tax, + $15/tire mount x 4tires + 4 tire disposal fee.
    eBay Bridegestone Ecopia will run you $376 + whatever a tire shop charges for mounting fee + 4 tire disposal fee; NO Road Hazard Warranty.

    Next month when the Costco tire discount changes to Bridgestone ($70 off set of 4 tires), the Ecopia's should be $352 - $70 = $282 + tax + $15/tire mount fee x 4tires + 4 tire disposal fee.

    Hopefully you see the value of Costco has over other places.
     
    #8 exstudent, Oct 19, 2014
    08 PRIUS #4 and PriusGuy32 like this.
  9. PriusGuy32

    PriusGuy32 Prius Driver Extraordinaire

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    This was great advice - thanks. Im going to be needing tires real soon for my 2007 and I love Costco to boot.
     
    #9 PriusGuy32, Oct 20, 2014
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