Fix Up or Trade In

The only thing I'd do if were you, is to replace the fluids recommended on that service Info.

If the components on the car hasn't broken off, I won't replace them either.


Dxta

 

You might find a good used combo meter on ebay. If your a DIYer, it might be worth keeping. I replaced the mfd and it looked like a nightmare. It's actually easy to remove dash components. Not sure how easy the combo meter is.

 

Just a few comments, things that jumped out at me:

If it's similar to third gen, those "marker light" bulbs are 00234-00192. I've replaced them a couple times, not too difficult, and the bulbs cost me $2.40 apiece.

Skip the $263 headlight housing restore. IIRC someone here got a pro restore done at some US auto retailers (maybe Pep Boys??) for under $50, the results were excellent, and you couldn't do it much cheaper yourself. Or just leave it be.

Skip the alignment if you're not noticing any issues.

They're warning you to check your oil more often, car was very low when they did the oil change.

 

Well the combination meter is a given, but for $950 I would certainly explore any options.

The right time for an alignment is when you get new tires.

They are a little high on the plugs and out of this galaxy on lightbulbs, never mind the headlamp reconditioning!!!!!

 

2nd gen plugs are easy access, what is it 5/8" socket size (3rd gen is 9/16")?

You should have 3" and 6" extensions, spark plug type socket (with rubber inside), ratchet wrench and torque wrench.

If per 3rd gen: 15 ft/lb with clean thread, and I'd suggest a very slight/thin coat of anti-seize. Reduce torque to 13~.

 

$170 for spark plugs. Wow. On Amazon, the best Prius plugs are under $40 for the set.

A drunk monkey could change Prius spark plugs in under an hour.

A sober human who can grasp the concept of "lefty loosey, righty tighty" could change Prius spark plugs in 20 minutes.

I understand that businesses have overhead and exist to make a profit, but $130 for labor to change spark plugs is criminal.

 

Yeah, I think these replace NGK IFR5A11 spec'd in Owner's Manual? $28 for a set of 4 on Amazon, and you should be able to wangle free shipping, if you also get a book or something:

Also, just phone local automotive specialty stores, I've always found them to undercut dealerships.

 

careful attention to your cars maintenance and service providers will provide you with a reasonable option for keeping it.
otoh, if you don't have the time, but do have the money, a new prius at $20-30,000. will provide you with another 9-10 years of cost free driving.

 

I'm probably going to start a debate, but oh well. You can buy copper, platinum, or iridium plugs and they all will work well. Since I change my own plugs, I've always used Autolite copper in all my vehicles. They are inexpensive and durable. The only difference is the expected life of the plug. I don't care that an iridium plug can last 100,000 miles. I'm going to do tune ups more frequently than that. Also, leaving a threaded device in aluminium for extended periods can cause seizing and ruin the threads in the head.

 

Won't get any guff from me on that. It's your car; change plugs as often as you'd like.

 

Only if they do not have coated threads as any quality plug will have.

 

In my younger days 15-20 years ago, when I was a mechanic, maybe that was an issue. I assume things got better. Years ago, we had thread issues on aluminium heads occasionally. Repairs were a pain. I also use a thin film of anti seize.

 

I'm with you Fred. Although I haven't yet had an opportunity to change the plugs in any of my Prii, the Autolite coppers were my "go-to" plug in my racing days. Always looking for that extra tenth of a second, I tried many things. At under a buck each, they still performed better than any other plug I ever used during that timeframe. I still insist on them when changing plugs on my other vehicles that have relatively easy access to the spark plugs. The wife's Santa Fe has one of those crazy PITA sideways mounted V6 engines that requires the top of the engine to be removed to access the back plugs. THAT CAR gets long life plugs...........

Disclaimer: Of course, every situation is different and your individual results may vary.

 

$7 apiece for long-life plugs is too much for you guys?

 

Apparently $140 every 120k is too much for some

For me, time is money and degrading the engineering is not worth the effort. If I'm going in to change plugs (or worse, paying someone else to do so), I am using what the engineers specified.

 

The car is approaching 10 years old before you know it the hybrid battery going to need replaced soon. I personally wouldn't keep a hybrid car very long that's out of warranty. They do become money pits as they age as that's for all hybrid electric vehicles. You can get virtually all other parts used but the battery pack would have to be brand new if you want to drive these cars another 10 plus years trouble free. Installing used battery modules is not a permanent fix as you will be repeating the process all back over again which can be a pain rendering the car very unreliable.

 

IMO, that is a little too much on the "Sky is Falling" side of the thinking.....

Our Gen2 went 12 years without so much as a water pump belt replacement, just tires and a couple alignments added to regular oil changes. Then the HV pack shot craps.... one module and it has gone another 5k without a hint of trouble, so that's like $0.013/mile or $21.67/month in battery costs just in parts. Expanding that to a HV pack replacement, you can get even lower costs....

$2400 for a "new" pack from Toyota (less if you use the new cells available from a member), gives us:
$2400/144 = $16.67/mo over 12 years and 2400/185k = $0.013/mile.

At the end of the day, two things remain true: 1) The cost per mile or month is less than 10% of a new vehicle payment and 2) You save more in gas costs than the repairs cost - IF you keep driving it.

Lastly, there is hardly a less costly vehicle to keep on the road, from oil changes to suspension and tune-ups, these things are CHEAP TO OWN!

 

It's a big job replacing battery modules all the time as i would get tired of doing that. It's very time consuming and not very effective compared to just getting a brand new pack from the get go. Not everyone are Mechanics or DIYer. That's the problem with EV and a hybrid cars as they solely rely on the high voltage traction battery pack as they are planned obsolescence components designed to last a certain length time while the chemistry degrades. Used battery modules aren't going to last very long as they can be old as 10 years old. Telsas are much worse as the entire car is full of planned obsolescence complicated on board computers and electronics that will bankrupt you when all that stuff breaks down. They are Iphones on wheels with too much unnecessary electronic complexity, the more things to go wrong. Electronic door handels is not needed as a core function of the car as its a luxury gimmick. Tesla has a history of those going bad as you won't be able to get in which is a horrible design. Nothing will be more reliable than a mechanical door handel.

 

Ever done it??? Does not sound like it, it is NOT that hard nor complex. If you know how to use a 10mm wrench and a multimeter you are mostly set.

Data please! I am unaware of any chemical technology that would extend battery life. Toyota is the industry LEADER in hybrids, rather disingenuous for anyone to suggest they are deliberately sand-bagging their products.

Correct, BUT there are a number of cars that are well over 10 YO and have over 300k with perfectly fine packs. The truth is that one module in the HV pack takes it out, the remaining modules might last another 3-5 years. Do people replace all 4 tires because one gets a flat? Hell no.

I would bet you have ZERO facts or documents to back that up. I don't really like Tesla, simply because they could not care less about supplying parts for repairs or wrecks, just use your favorite search engine to verify.