How cool is your Gen 3 Prius

2010 Gen 3 -105,000 miles no issues, love this car. Get one with solar roof so you can cool interior on hot summertime days! Make sure oil changes have been done, trans fluid done, and if you buy a car with over 100k have the EGR cleaned.

 

No no no, very succinct.

If you look 3rd gen the prospects over carefully, get one with not too high of miles, you'll be good. Our 2010 looks and rolls just the same as the day we bought it. Only 50K miles though, so knock-on-wood. No oil consumption.

Did the EGR circuit clean-out, cleaned the intake manifold and installed an oil catch can on the PCV circuit. Apart from the Oil Catch Can, more-or-less zero expense for that. Frustrating, but not that hard.

Changed the transaxle fluid 3 times, which was at least one time too many. Wax spring and fall, oil change the same interval, all DIY.

The suspension components are very rust vulnerable, found boiled linseed oil application helps with that.

 

2010 118,000 miles. No issues at all. Not even brake pads yet! Like Mendel, I did the EGR circuit clean-out, cleaned the intake manifold and installed an oil catch can on the PCV circuit. Due to time and mileage, I did the spark plugs, and coolant changes. I did the trans fluid once and should do it again soon. Brake fluid is due next.

 

Our 2010 just clicked over 197 k miles and is running strong.

It consumes a quart of oil every 5-6 k miles, which ain’t so bad at the mileage we are at.

The egr circuit recycled gases from the exhaust back into the combustion process. Through this, there is particulate that clogs the bits along the way. Occasionally this needs to be cleaned to ensure gases are flowing freely back through the intake manifold.

An oil catch can ensures any oily exhaust vapors are condensed out prior to re-entry into the intake manifold where liquids do not compress well.

There’s plenty to read in the Gen3 maintenance section, but that’s the Cliffs notes version .

 

The Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) circuit cools and returns exhaust gas to the combustion chamber, and is instrumental in keeping combustion chamber temperatures down. It slowly carbon-clogs over time, which is bad.

The Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) circuit vents the crankcase, allowing air (and oil/gas/water mist) back into the intake manifold, just below the throttle body. Over time the mist condenses/collects in the intake manifold and/or gets sucked into the combustion chamber. The Manifold Absolute Pressure (MAP) sensor is down near the bottom of the intake manifold, tends to be swimming in gunk after a while.

An Oil Catch Can (OCC) is spliced into the line between PCV and intake manifold, runs the pass-through gasses through some sort of labyrinth, with the object of condensiing and retaining as much of the airborne droplets as possible. It requires periodic dumping.

Threads:

EGR & Intake Manifold Clean Results | PriusChat

Oil Catch Can, Eliminate that knock! | PriusChat

@NutzAboutBolts videos:

Nutz About Bolts Prius Maintenance Videos | PriusChat

Tools: Beside the usual assortment of ratchets, sockets, extensions, pliers (straight and bent tip), in particular for the EGR:

Torx socket set, E8 for sure (for the EGR studs), and E6 if you want to remove the throttle body studs from the intake manifold

1/4" drive inch/pound torque wrench (in addition to more common 3/8" and 1/2" torque wrenches)

Ratchetting 12 mm box wrench (for rear bolts on EGR cooler, not mandatory, but helpful)

Repair Manual files:

 

As a rule I would say to buy the newest lowest mileage car you can afford, all else being equal meaning condition of the car.

 

No cooler than my gen 2’s
Except for the plug

 

Proud new owner of a 2015 with 66,326 miles. I have a first gen. Prius (2001), also, and a first gen. Insight (2001).

 

Go for it man. I have a 2010 with 135k miles on it. I cant tell any difference at all when it only had 60k miles. Maybe very little bit, but un-noticeable. Its like since the hybrid system turns off the engine when parked or stopped, or when its running on battery only, I feel like thats why the engine doesnt really perform like its high mileage because its taken care of by the hybrid system. This is just my guess, dont quote me on this lol.

But overall, high or low mileage is only a very slight difference in performance. Cant even notice it really..

 

Caveat my post by saying, this is not the most 'legal' upgrade for a Prius, but it was my first time owning one and I was shocked how much glass there is on the car. I have a 2010 w/ the solar roof and love how the front windshield tint @ 50% VLT seems to blend with the glass roof. Side glass is at 20% VLT, and the lower/back glass is at 5% (also shocked how many truck lights go straight through that lower/back glass, so was happy with the much darker rear glass).

 

I have the stock fog lights on 2010 (Canadian Touring); they're not LED. They're very ineffective too; pretty much ornamental only. I guess there are aftermarket replacements that are better?

 

There's a series of alpha/numeric codes embossed on the glass on ours (OEM Toyota, 2010). Try as I might I could not get a legible pictures, due to lighting, mis-focus. Just reading, I'm seeing, on driver's side:

Vae0 0D2
CCC A044633
SAE F03 02B E2 04709