Prius 2010 in 2021

how many miles on her?

numero uno is the egr circuit cleaning before it blows the headgasket. around a grand at a mech, but it's all labor.

look at @NutzAboutBolts youtube guide

 

unfortunately, yes. it is not a regular service item, and toyota is not admitting to a problem, so the dealers don't get notified. if you ask, they likely won't know what you're talking about.
it would be worth your while to search here for egr, egr valve, egr circuit, oil burning, head gasket, oil catch can, occ, etc.

 

Remove and clean the intake manifold too; it’s got Exhaust Gas Recirculation passageways as well. At your miles you’ll be getting the clogging before it gets out of hand. I would not let it go past 100k. More info:

Bad Flywheel | PriusChat

 

Yeah if you’re comfortable to do something like an oil change, you can do the Exhaust Gas Recirculation and intake cleaning. It IS more involved for sure, but doable. Read the link I posted; it list tools you need. You should be able to raise and securely support the front end too. I would take the engine under panel off, both for access, and so when you drop something it’ll (hopefully) go all the way through to the ground.

Watch @NutzAboutBolts videos, multiple times. It’s plural: for example the wiper/cowl removal is in the spark plug change video. And the intake air box removal is with Exhaust Gas Recirculation pipe (only) cleaning. Engine under panel renoval’s with tran fluid change IIRC.

For cleaning the egr cooler I’d recommend strong/hot Oxi-Clean solution: stopper one end and fill the cooler, let soak and bubble for about an hour. Rinse and repeat till it’s clean. For everything else, brake cleaner.

if you want to wet your feet, see what you can do, try removing the nut securing the EGR cooler at the underside bracket. It can be done without removing anything else. And leave it off. The EGR Cooler/Valve combo is very securely fastened, won’t miss one fastener.

If you manage that and want to go an extra step: remove the stud that nut screwed onto. You’ll need an E8 Torx socket for that. A long handled wrench is good, and a variety of extensions, short, medium and long. You’ll mostly be going by feel doing this.

The upside is you can do this without disturbing anything else, and once it’s off it can stay off.

 

Still not a recommender of a pressure washer, eh?

15 minutes and the egr is clean.

Best way to get through the deposits.

 

I was going to mention that, knew you’d be after me if I didn’t.

 

I gave you a couple of minutes to ponder it.

If you ever get around to adding enough miles to the garage queen to do the circuit again, give the pressure washer a try.

I bet you'll be a convert.

 

I also had zero experience working on cars (besides air filter changes) and had to buy all the tools required when I tackled my EGR. I think it cost around $250 total and took a couple days, working at a very slow and careful pace. If you're generally a handy person then it's not that difficult to do on your own. It's just the time and anxiety

If you'd rather have Toyota do it, I think you'd save some money by buying a spare EGR cooler, pipe, and intake manifold and cleaning them before asking them to swap them in. Because I highly doubt that they'd clean the parts for you, they'll likely say that they will replace the parts with new ones anyway and charge you full retail for them. You could then either sell your old parts to recoup some of the cost back, or save them for the next time you want a clean EGR (around 150K miles).

For general maintenance at your current mileage, I'd consult the Toyota manual but I think getting your transmission fluid replaced would be a good thing to do. Maybe fresh coolant for the engine and inverter as well as fresh brake fluid. I'd also consider starting to use BG EPR, MOA, and 44K with every oil change to keep your engine healthy and potentially mitigate oil burning.

 

Someone recently was endorsing that treatment, but suggesting to do it only occasionally, say every 3rd or 4th oil change. Something about it being tough on pliable seals? Might have been that Toyota Master mechanic guy with YouTube video about why oil consumption gets out of control, he was linked here recently.

 

I watched his video and thought it was very informative. Though on engine cleaners specifically, he was speaking generally. BG products are supposedly safe for seals. Ray has quoted responses received directly from BG who have said this as well. I know that might be biased, but personally I don't have any reason not to trust BG as everything I've seen from them have shown to be a reputable company.

 

+1.

 

Either one. I'd look around for the best deal for the parts. For the intake manifold just make sure it isn't cracked or damaged since it's plastic. The EGR cooler and pipe are metal so they should be fine. And they're all easy to clean on your own with a pressure washer at a car wash or oven cleaner / oxy clean at home.

 

Yeah, pipe and cooler are both stainless steel, impervious to most anything. The cooler has an internal radiator with fins that maybe could be damaged, say by overly aggressive carbon cleaning with a wire.

Both the valve and intake manifold* will react with oxi-clean, best to stick with brake cleaner. And the valve has electronics at one end.

* The intake manifold is virtually all plastic, but does have threaded inserts that’ll react with oxi.

 

You certainly could keep it that long.
Obviously, you'll be replacing parts, but still less expensive than a new car.
All things wear out, but if you take care of it, it will last.