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New owner of older car

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by TastyZombieSnack, Jun 26, 2019.

  1. TastyZombieSnack

    TastyZombieSnack Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2019
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    Location:
    New Hampshire
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    ----USA----
    Hi everyone, I am a new owner of an 09 Prius with 150k on the clock. Always wanted one of these things.

    Found this at a dealer, and wow, it drives like a brand new car. Everything feels great. My other rides have all had around 150k on the clock as well, and none of them, even the Toyota Sienna, felt this good.

    Did a Dr. Prius battery test, said it was at about 50% life, so maybe a few more years on it before replacement. (and maybe not!) The cells all seem to be close to one another in voltage while being charged/discharged.

    I do have a CEL, 0402 and the dealer is replacing the 02 sensors and maybe the cat if necessary to clear it up.
    My only slight worry is that the oil was pretty black when I changed it and the filter had *gasp* a bit of rust. So maybe it had not been changed for a while. Probably burns oil too but that's okay. (this might aslo lead to a clogged cat!)

    This is truly a car for nerds. I am a nerd and love it. My 110 mile a day commute loves it so far.
    My commute is almost ideal for a hybrid, about 10 miles of 50mph side road, then 40 miles of highway, then 3 miles of city. I have only run through one tank (to three bars) and averaged indicated 49, and actual 42 mpg, but I know that the gas tank volume variance means I should average this out over a few fill-ups.

    Anyway, just wanted to say hello, and thanks for having all of the technical knowledge up here!
     
    bisco, Data Daedalus, Burna J and 2 others like this.
  2. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Congratulations and welcome to PC! Sounds like you're keeping your eyes open and you'll enjoy geeking out over your "new" car. My wife's '07 has about 132k on it and she wants me to just keep it running for her. She has no interest in anything else. I like to drive it from time to see how it's doing and I'm always impressed. It's not as refined as my Prime, but it's still a really neat car.
     
    Data Daedalus likes this.
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
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    Plug-in Base
    welcome!

    2009 was a great year, i hope you get good service from it. all the best!(y)
     
    Data Daedalus likes this.
  4. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Location:
    So. Texas
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    You can check for any service history done through a Toyota dealer here: Welcome to Toyota Owners
    If it the inverter pump is original or hasn't been replaced in years, I'd suggest doing that as a preventative measure.

    Batteries last longer in cooler climes such as yours. You might want to look into grid charging and see if that's for you.

    Most likely. Keep a very close eye; especially initially, on the oil level till you can get a firm grasp on the burn rate.
     
  5. TastyZombieSnack

    TastyZombieSnack Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2019
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    Location:
    New Hampshire
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    ----USA----
    fotomoto, what a great resource, thanks!

    This afternoon I learned that the car had had regular dealer service, had the gas pedal, steering spline recall stuff done, loads of tire rotations, had the electric HV water pump replaced at 56k, (is this the inverter pump? I think so.) and generally been well care for for it's first 100k miles.

    After that, it went dark, until I self reported an oil change. :)
     
    Data Daedalus likes this.
  6. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Yes, so the second pump has about 100k on it. Get it replaced when you can. Not trying to alarm you but they go out without warning and can leave you stranded or worst case scenario (but fairly rare) burn up the expensive inverter.

    Other than that, just check the usual stuff that goes with 10 year old used cars.
     
  7. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Checking the oil lever cannot be understated. Especially since you commute 550 miles a week. Check it at least once a week until you get a handle on how much oil it burns.
     
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  8. a_gray_prius

    a_gray_prius Rare Non-Old-Blowhard Priuschat Member

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    We've had an on/off P0420 for a couple years now and haven't bothered to fix it because we see these circular problems;

    First, the engine burns oil and can really only be fixed with a replacement engine. The oil consumption leads to fouled cat ($1600 for a OEM replacement, muffler shop swap is much cheaper though). So even if we fixed the cat and got rid of the CEL for a while, it's not a long-term fix unless we replace both the engine and the exhaust (which is way more money than our >270k mile car is worth).
     
  9. mikey_t

    mikey_t Active Member

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    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I've been doing a lot of research on BG products lately and they do have a line of products that flush the engine and clean the fuel and engine systems. Might be worth considering. I know some members here have said using these have limited their oil burning and has kept their systems cleaner.

    Hybrid Performance | BG Products, Inc.
     
    Raytheeagle likes this.
  10. TastyZombieSnack

    TastyZombieSnack Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2019
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    Location:
    New Hampshire
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    ----USA----
    Yup, I suspect that this may be the case. I wonder if the flushing system referenced by mikey would clean things long enough to clear the CEL long enough for an emissions check. I don't mind the CEL, but I do like to be able to have an inspected car!
     
  11. Munpot42

    Munpot42 Senior Member

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    Santa Monica, Ca. 90405
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Change the oil every 5k and just drive it baby!
     
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  12. mikey_t

    mikey_t Active Member

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    It's worth a shot. The additives aren't that expensive, seem easy to DIY, and from what I've read seem to work in cleaning up the fuel and engine systems (including CAT). I'm thinking of doing it for my next oil change.
     
    Raytheeagle likes this.
  13. TastyZombieSnack

    TastyZombieSnack Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2019
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    Location:
    New Hampshire
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    ----USA----
    Hey want to hear a rollercoaster of a story about the car?

    I brought the car to a local garage that does hybrid cars, and they said the catalytic converter was definitely bad.

    Fast forward to last week, when I did some careful reading (while on lunch at work), and realized that my car, in New Hampshire, had the catalytic converter covered under warrantee for 150k miles! I knew I was right around there, so heart in my throat I walked to the car, and it had .......


    149,850 miles! Phew! I made an appointment at the local dealer for the next morning. However the drive to home and back from work was 100 miles. So I stayed at a cheap hotel that night, greatly relieved that this megabuck repair would be covered.

    Dropped it off, went to work, and got a call later from the dealership- someone had previously replaced the factory cat with an aftermarket job, welded straight to the manifold, so they could not cover it under warrantee. Someone didn't do their due diligence, and paid money to eventually make a much more expensive job. :(

    Soooo back to trying to make the used car dealer fix it. The probably won't, so I probably have to find a used toyota cat from a junkyard.

    Still love the car though. :)
     
    Data Daedalus likes this.
  14. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Model:
    Two
    Oh man! And you tried so hard. That stinks. :( But I'm glad you're not taking it out on the car. (y)
     
    Data Daedalus likes this.
  15. jbeebe

    jbeebe Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2019
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    Location:
    PA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    i'm also new to the prius world and agree that it is a car for nerds, haha.
     
    TastyZombieSnack likes this.
  16. TastyZombieSnack

    TastyZombieSnack Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2019
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    Location:
    New Hampshire
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    ----USA----
    Here is an update!

    The dealer did put a lot of work into fixing a vapor emissions leak, for free which cleared up one CEL code. I don't think they are going to tackle the cat. However, they inspected it, so I am good for a while.

    My commute mileage is averaging a little over 50 MPG. After changing the oil to synthetic just after getting it, it hardly burns a drop. Looking up the service records, it was faithfully dealer maintained VERY well for the first 100k of it's life.

    One garage said it needed a front wheel bearing, but I hear no noise, no ticking, no vibration so I think they were reaching.

    Next on teh list is the coolant pump and change the transmission fluid- My son's first car (mazdaspeed 6) is also taking some repair priorities though ;)
     
    Data Daedalus and bisco like this.