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Front and rear brake job on 2004 gen 2?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by rm04, Apr 12, 2021.

  1. rm04

    rm04 Member

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    I've never had to have brakes done on my car for the 3 years Ive owned it until now. Ive been doing some reading/ YouTube trying to find out what's involved so here I is (note- I am paying a mechanic to have it done, not DIY'ing)

    Is there anything different about a gen 2 brake job than a non-hybrid? What can/ should I expect to pay (front/ rear if need be)? Can any mechanic who knows brakes in general do them or is this a job for a specialist/ dealer$hip? Almost positive I need new rotors as different muffler shops pointed out how rusty the area looked when dealing with the catalytic converter recently.

    (Note- I shared my experience with having my catalytic converter done through insurance recently in the main forum if interested)
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    there are a lot of misconceptions about prius brakes.

    1) there is no such thing as a brake job

    2) who told you that you need one

    3) are they making unusual sounds or behaving differently?

    4) rust on prius rotors is meaningless

    5) they should be inspected by a qualified mech for pad thickness, rotor runout and etc. toyota has specs for all these things

    6) if you do need work, the mech must be aware that opening the drivers door activates the brake actuator. so a hybrid shop is a good idea, but not absolutely necessary.

    7) pricing is all over the place. it is not a more difficult job than a non hybrid

    8) don't go to chains like like muffler and brake shops. go to a dealer, or try to find a reputable sae certified mech.
    9) all the best!
     
  3. pasadena_commut

    pasadena_commut Senior Member

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    Interesting, I had never heard that before. Does that mean the car will not roll freely in Neutral if the door is open? If so, that would make pushing the car by oneself very difficult! That isn't something I do frequently of course, but I have needed to do it on various cars at least half a dozen times.
     
  4. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    It only means that if the door is opened, the brake ECU will take a quick look at the brake fluid pressure stored in the accumulator. If it needs some pumping up, the pump will run to bring it back to pressure. You can hear this happen if you open the driver's door after the car has been sitting, long enough for some accumulator pressure to have bled off.

    There's a widespread misconception that this means the car is applying the brakes. It isn't. It's just checking the stored pressure and pumping it back if necessary, so the brakes will be ready to apply when you drive off.


    On the other hand: there is another thing that can happen. I have to speak for Gen 3 here because I'm not sure if the details are the same for Gen 2. Gen 3 conducts a brake self-test a couple minutes after power-off, just before the brake ECU goes to sleep. You can also hear this happen in a Gen 3 if you power it off and just sit quietly for a couple minutes and listen. You will hear the valves in the brake actuator click, and some soft 'squish' noises of flowing brake fluid and clamping brakes. The pump will also run, if the pressure was low enough that the self-test calls for it.

    So while nothing immediately happens at the wheels when you open the door and wake the brake ECU up, things can get messy when it does that self test before going back to sleep, if you have the brakes disassembled then.
     
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  5. rm04

    rm04 Member

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    not sure what you mean by #1..replacing pads, rotors, drums, shoes etc = ?. Several different shops have told me I will need brake servicing soon (including Toyota dealership when I brought it in for an estimate for catalytic converter replacement). A shop in my city that's not hybrid specialized (who claims they've done Prius brakes before) would charge $460 for the entire job, shop that has guys who have hybrid training $700 and Toyota dealership around $950. Big difference in pricing but actually I trust the cheapest guy as he's always seemed to be honest with his customers & his rates are reasonable
     
    #5 rm04, Apr 13, 2021
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2021
  6. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    I was told by my service rep that I needed a "brake job" when my 2004 Prius was a few years old. I had brought it in for a "chirp" when the brakes were depressed. I asked to see the service manager and told him that the "chirp" occurred when brakes were actuated and the car was not moving so it has to be an hydraulic issue. He had the brakes bled and that resolved the issue. after 288k miles and 12 years I upgraded to a 2016 Prius, but the 2004 was still operating with the original pads, shoes, drums and rotors. Make certain that the brakes actually need service before spending the money.

    JeffD
     
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  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    braking systems are made up of many parts. you don't always need all of them replaced at the same time.
    it's the same as a 'tune up'. what does that consist of? you need to know.
     
  8. 2004priusgal

    2004priusgal Junior Member

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    can you speak more about those messy parts, and how to undo problem?
     
  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Much better to avoid than undo. Essentially, a hydraulic piston can pop out if your brake calliper is off the rotor (front) or drum is off (rear). At least on 3rd gen, I found safest approach was to disconnect 12 volt neg before starting, and when all is reassembled pump brake pedal several times before 12 volt reconnect.

    Toyota is VERY vague regarding brake service, both in maintenance sched and repair manual. For various reasons, I glean they expect (and it’s worthwhile) to do in-depth brake inspection every 30k miles or tri-yearly. This is inspection and cleaning, not knee-jerk replacement of pads/rotors.

    OP appears to be gone, but anyway, info from repair manual attached. First attachment is main one.
     

    Attached Files:

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  10. 2004priusgal

    2004priusgal Junior Member

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    If diy rear brakes, cylinders, shoes done without software, nor disconnecting 12v nor relays, and codes afterwards not read before clearing, and abs or actuator sound appears to be happening longer, more often... like every 4 or 6 pressings on brakes, then would codes be thrown if air in system?
    had brake fluid change afterwards at dealer, but they only did the short bleed, not the entire system bleed which i asked for..
    stating that was too complicated... #$%^.
     
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  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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  12. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    That doesn't sound to me like unusually often.
     
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  13. 2004priusgal

    2004priusgal Junior Member

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    UPDATE
    Jan 2023, brakes still going strong! 2004 just hit 200k!
    thank you!
     
  14. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    My 2004 Prius went 288k miles on the original brakes. I traded it in so I don't know how much longer the brakes lasted.

    JeffD
     
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