I've got 127k on my 2008 Prius and I finally had to have something fixed on it. Was driving along when the triangle exclamation symbol popped up followed by almost every other light on my dash, which was then followed up by complete shutdown. Figured out that if I let it sit for a few minutes, I could drive it for a few minutes. Doing the repeatedly, I was able to make it to the dealer and drop it off after hours. Waited for the call in the morning. First call came around 10am when they told me they were trying to track down parts to finish the estimate. Got the real estimate around 12pm. It was a little over $1000. This is what they said "needed" to be done. 1. Back brakes needed to be tightened 2. Tune up 3. Air Filter replaced 4. Cabin Air Filter replaced 5. Throttle body cleaning 6. 12v Battery replaced 7. Invertor pump replaced 8. Serpentine belt replaced. Interestingly enough, I had just cleaned my cabin air filter 2 days previous. I asked what all they did for a "tune up" and he replied, "we change the spark plugs" -- and they charge $156.00 for this! I asked why I needed a throttle body cleaning and he told me that it was really dirty and was contributing to my poor performance and decreased mpg. I hadn't complained about poor performance so I asked him, "Do you mean that I should be getting better than 57mpg?" --- he had no reply. I told him I'd call him back. So I went online and did some research and figured out the only thing setting those codes was the invertor pump. Given that my battery is 4 years old, I decided to let them replace that also. Total bill was $610, $229 for the battery and $381 for the invertor pump. On the way home, stopped and got an air filter ($14), 4 bosch iridium spark plugs ($28), serpentine belt ($8). Changed the air filter & spark plugs in about 30 minutes last night. Old plugs didn't show much wear at all. Also, although it looked pretty darn clean to me, sprayed down the throttle body with carb cleaner. Still feel like I overpaid, but at least I said quite a bit from the stealership.
Inverter pump or Engine pump ? IIRC the inverter pump is covered by Toyota in a TSB or recall notice.
Ah, right you are. I tracked down the SSC, it indeed is for 2004 through some of 2007 MY cars. Anyway, kudos for avoiding the dealer junk additions. Hopefully your new pump will last for many years, but be aware that a DIY replacement is pretty easy. I define 'easy' as something I performed, so just about anybody else can too. The pump on my car never acted up, but I replaced it around 120k miles when it was time to exchange the coolant fluid. Similarly, I plan to replace the engine pump as preventive maintenance when I exchange the coolant for that circuit. This works out to cheap insurance (about $125 for both pumps.) I avoid inconvenient downtime for the car, and so far as my wife is concerned, the Prius NEVER breaks down.
Yeah, if I hadn't needed my car so quickly, I think I would have attempted this myself. I've always done all the repairs on my previous vehicles....but between the intimidation of working with the hybrid tech and the time crunch, I punted and let the dealer do it.
Just like I alway say, your plugs showed virtually no wear at all. I would have cleaned them with a wire brush and reinstalled for another 128,000 miles of worry free driving @ 57 mpgs.
Sorry Usnavystg wire brushing plugs is a no no. Doing this leaves particals of metal from the brush embedded in the insulator of the plug, providing a path for the ignition high voltage to the metal side tube of the plug. This can be seen after brushing as a discoloration of the insulator. Light sand blasting is ok followed by a clean air blast to remove any sand particles trapped in the plug. Fitting new plugs is better.
I suggest you write to the Toyota Customer Experience Center, provide a copy of your repair invoice, and ask if they will be willing to provide you a refund for the inverter coolant pump replacement. Cite the LSC (Limited Service Campaign, do a search for that on PriusChat to get the details) and point out that the problem apparently continued to persist with the 2G newer model year production. Good luck.
Here is a thread that I initiated prior to announcement of the LSC: How to Replace the Inverter Coolant Pump | PriusChat
Gap on those old plugs needed to be adjusted. But that age, it's probably wise to replace with new ones.
Damn! That inverter pump is expensive, and that is Texas rate. I wonder how much it cost in Los Angeles?
Which shows you the plug is probably in the wrong heat range and may not last as long as the original equipment plugs.
Knowing the Bosch part number is the only way to tell the heat range as other factors such as depth and dia of insulator and, dia and material of central conductor. Bosch often use copper for the center conductor because of it's heat conducting capabilities. If it is in the wrong heat range the life of the plug would be the leased of my worries. Pre ignition due to over heated spark plugs can be very damaging to pistons, and the anti knock censer in that situation is of no help raising combustion temperature by retarding the ignition timing.
Well, as of Friday, it's not a worry for me anymore...took the plunge and got a Prius V! Wanted one as soon as it was released and ended up getting a decent deal on the new one.
