Help me buy a Prius

There is only a vague connection from the brake pedal to the slave cylinders. I would regard bleeding the brake lines as 'dealer work'. They have software to disable all the 'brake by wire' aspects. Most of the car is just like any car. This place is full of opinions, many of them informed and sincere.

 

I hope for your sake the coolant wasn't green. It's supposed to be pink (Toyota SLLC) for the internal combustion engine and for the HV inverter cooling system.

Weird that you experienced a CEL so soon. I'd be p***ed too. Did you buy it from a Toyota stealership?

Keep us posted.

 

Then you have a problem. You need to get the correct coolant ASAP.

And - chances are that the cooling system of your car still has air in it because the mechanic did not know how to properly bleed it all out, which is a little more challenging to do on a Prius

 

That's right. Only Toyota sells SLLC.

To properly remove all of the green coolant, you'll need to find a mechanic with the right tools. I don't know exactly what's needed but it's fairly difficult to drain out every last drop of the incorrect coolant.

It shouldn't be that difficult to do but I'm not sure how much the new coolant and labor will cost you to make it right.

Sorry that you've had to go through this. Wish we could have educated you about EVERYTHING there is to know, but it's too late now (unless you can get the dealer who sold it to you to take it back and refund your money).

 

Damage? Probably not. The main problem is the air in the system.

However, the wrong coolant, if left in the engine too long, could result in some corrosion - and that would be bad.

 

It's really unusual that your Prius would have needed a radiator with so few miles on it.

Unfortunately, not all accidents are reported to Carfax. I'm not saying that your car was in one even if the Carfax was clean. But you can never be absolutely sure. Stealerships have been known to repair brand new cars that have been damaged on their lots, not report it, and sell the car as brand new without disclosing the car had been repaired.

Again - I hope this didn't happen with your car.

 

You might be able to DIY, but I'd leave it to a professional. I have no idea what would happen if SLLC were mixed with whatever green coolant was put into your car. Might not be a big deal, but are you willing to take the risk if the coolants were incompatible and you end up with an even worse situation on your hands? Check with a Toyota stealership first. Or send a sample of the green coolant to a lab to find out what its chemical composition is before you take the leap.

 

Before we freak out her and perform some unnecessary maintenance, lets look at this logically.
The Prius ICE and ICE coolant loop is no different from any other car. You don't need special fluid. There is no hurry to change it, it won't cause any damage.

Here is the quote from the owner's manual (I highlighted in red what I believe is key). The "green coolant may very well meet these standards and likely does. Additionally, the coolant in question is in the ICE loop and virtually has no necessity to meet these standards no more than any other engine. It is a good ploy by Toyota to scare you into buying Genuine Toyota stuff from the dealer but AC Delco, Ford, Mopar and others have been ripping people off for years by doing similiar stuff.

"Toyota Super Long Life Coolant” is used in your Toyota vehicle at factory fill. In order to avoid technical problems, only use “Toyota Super Long Life
Coolant” or similar high quality ethylene glycol based non−silicate, non−amine, non−nitrite, and non−borate coolant with long−life hybrid organic acid technology. (Coolant with long−life hybrid organic acid technology is a combination of low phosphates and organic acids.)
"
Let's face it, there's nothing special about Toyota Super Long Life Coolant.

 

That's np, I just wanted you to know the facts.

 

Yep, just like AC Delco brake pads and Motorcraft Oil Filters or any "genuine" parts. Some people swear that you "have" to buy things from the dealer, others (aka me) believe there is an equivalent that's just as good and costs less and that the "genuine" thing is a ploy for the dealer to charge you more for the same product.