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Lower Control Arms Bushing & Strut/Shocks Replacement.

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Lexington-76, Sep 12, 2024 at 8:43 PM.

  1. Lexington-76

    Lexington-76 New Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    San Francisco Bay Area
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    Hi All

    I’m recently purchased a 2012 Prius C (100,000 miles) for my daughter. I took it to my mechanic and asked him to give it a full inspection. He recommended the front brakes and rotors be replaced, $483. Average for brakes in my area (SF Bay Area). That was taken care of.

    He also mentioned that the bushings for the front lower control arms are starting to crack. Not too bad but recommended replacing in the near future, however he suggests to replace the whole arm because replacing the bushings only are sometimes difficult to set them in place by themselves. Cost $300 for both lower control arms $544 labor. I’m curious if anyone here has replaced their lower arms recently and what was your cost.

    The other recommendation are to replace front and rear shocks/struts totaling $1,475. Is this average for this vehicle now days?
    If your curious on the breakdown
    $510 Labor Rear (3hrs)
    $255 Labor Front (1.5hrs)
    $550 Parts

    As far as I’m aware is that the arms and struts are the original parts.

    I currently have a 4Runner so I’m very familiar with cost of repairs and maintenance but I’m new to the Prius so I’m trying to figure out what the maintenance norms and repair cost are for this car.

    Thanks

    P.S. I mistakenly posted this in the Prius V forum then posted here but o couldn’t figure out how to delete the first post.
     
    #1 Lexington-76, Sep 12, 2024 at 8:43 PM
  2. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2018
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    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    The prices don't seem wrong, but it is weird to need all that in a c, especially with only 100k miles.

    For its age the usual suspects would be the hybrid battery and the tires. Make sure coolant and brake fluid was replaced on time, or get it done.
     
    #2 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Sep 13, 2024 at 7:49 PM
  3. Lexington-76

    Lexington-76 New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2024
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    Location:
    San Francisco Bay Area
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    I replaced the coolant yesterday and did an oil change last week. Next week I will replace the front brakes and rotors. The previous owner said he’s only replaced the brake pads so it seems the rotors are original. Time to replace them anyway. Also I will replace the brake fluid too. I don’t think that has been changed either.

    As for the struts and shocks they said the bushing was starting to crack and that the shocks were staring to go bad so that’s why they suggested everything but I took it for a test drive and took it over some speed bumps and it seems fine. So I’m going to leave those alone for a while.
     
    #3 Lexington-76, Sep 13, 2024 at 11:33 PM
  4. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2018
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    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    It's common for a Prius to have the factory brakes (including pads!) past 100k miles since a lot of the overall braking load is handled electrically. We're at 85k now and maybe halfway through the factory pad thickness, for example.

    I think you're on the right track to trust your instincts from a road test on the struts. Even just doing a 'bounce test' in a driveway can tell you a lot. If you aren't getting weird braking performance or tire wear or obvious leaks from the strut bodies then you're probably fine.

    Bushings do dry out and crack, but... that's something that happens to most cars between their 10th and 20th birthdays. And most people don't hang on to cars past age 15, so most go to the crusher with the factory bushings.

    Be prepared for the brake fluid replacement. The Prius has a much more complicated master cylinder and power assist system than most cars, and doing a fluid replacement isn't super simple. You need a diagnostic tool to cycle some valves to allow total fluid replacement- otherwise you're only changing most of the fluid, with a bolus of old fluid stuck within the most expensive part of the system.

    Oh and if you didn't already catch it there are TWO coolant systems, one for the engine and a second for the inverter. Same coolant for both, but they are isolated systems and they both need periodic replacement.
     
    #4 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Sep 14, 2024 at 5:55 PM
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2024 at 6:00 PM
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