It's much better if you can split the cost of the conditioning system with others in your area but I wouldn't go as far as saying you shouldn't buy one. Though the cost may seem high related to the value of the car when initially purchased, much of the money can be recouped by selling the used unit should you ever part with the car. There's also the prospect of others eventually joining you to share the cost later. The principles behind it are sound and recommended by battery experts who deal with rechargeable batteries in other industries. I know in my case it has strengthened my battery health, delaying what most likely would have happened already: battery failure. The jury is out on how long it will extend the battery life, whether that be one, two, five, even ten years or more, but I'm convinced it has prolonged it a year and a half so far. The price of replacement batteries has gone down in the last year and a half, making the repair cheaper, so there's that to consider against the cost of it too. In the meantime, the longer it goes, the more I continue to sock away each month in my "set aside for car repairs" account. . When the expensive brake actuator or battery eventually fails (hopefully not soon) I am now in a position where I can either fix the Prius I have or pay cash for a newer car.
Fairly new to this forum, and this area is a recent discovery. I am the original owner of a 2004 Prius. It currently has over 195,000 miles and is still my daily driver. * Almost all service is done by Toyota dealers (but not the selling dealer after our buying experience.) Exceptions are noted later. * All scheduled maintenance has been done as close as practical to the 5,000 mile intervals. * The car still has the ORIGINAL traction (main) battery with no known issues. * The auxiliary 12 V battery has been replaced once. * Tires have been replaced twice. * The 195,000 mile service included the brakes. For the FIRST time. Front brake pads were replaced and the rotors were turned. The rear brakes merely needed adjustment. (I asked about this ... the dealer says that Toyota originally said the brakes would last "the life of the vehicle." Those of us with over 100,000 miles are redefining what "life of the vehicle" can be. * Personal maintenance ... not much, because not much was needed and because I have not maintained my own vehicles since the late 1980s. I did replace both tail light assemblies: one because the clear plastic was cracking & discoloring, and the other because the brake light (not separately replaceable) was intermittent. Easy and low cost. I also added side window deflectors. * The car has been in the (non-dealership) body shop twice. Once because the front bumper was mysteriously damaged in a parking lot, and most recently because I was rear-ended in traffic. (That sickening feeling when you are stopped in traffic, hear the screeching tires behind you, and you know that there is nothing you can do about it!) * Overall (long term) fuel mileage is in the mid-40s range. That includes all types of driving: local roads, highways, coastal plains, mountains, all kinds of weather found in the eastern USA, and different driving styles. I assume that later this year I will be posting an update in the 200,000 mile section. -Graeme- 2004 Prius with >190,000 miles. Sent ?.
Reached the 100,000 club last week. I bought it at 72,000 miles. Have not had to do much to the car, but here is a list - Changed 12v battery once - Changed all 4 tyres once And that is about it. Fuel economy is the same as always. Only engine oil and air filter serviced at normal intervals of 5k miles. Have never had any error lights of any sort. Rare?
Correction to my previous (# 864): I overstated the odometer reading. Everywhere I had 195,xxx should be 190,xxx. Not much of a difference, but I must be accurate. I am beginning to think that this long vehicle life must be close to "normal" with the Gen2 Prius. It is not unusual any more for me to see 2004 models in particular on the road around me. It helps that the 2004 appears to be unique in a couple of unique ways: * they do NOT have the "hybrid synergy" logo plate on the front fenders, and * as best as I can recall, every 2004 model I have seen is the same blue color as mine. It takes a while for some of us older folks to get used to the idea that now a vehicle does not always have to be replaced every 2 or 3 years. Previously the oldest vehicle we had was 10 when we traded it. And it reached that through a combination of careful care, regular maintenance, regular trips through a carwash, and aftermarket rustproofing treatments. (Thinking of that, it's been a long time since I've seen one of those rustproofing businesses. I guess they got driven out of business by we customers who don't need them any more.) -Graeme- 2004 Prius with >190,000 miles. Sent ?.
123456...miles ! 2005 bought rare dealer demo in January 2006. Front brakes and bearings at 110,000 miles. Original HV battery. Xcountry trips to Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts. Never a breakdown...
Hi everyone, im at 177,000 miles Gen 2, 2008 Converted from hid to halogen headlights for $180 (everything) at 150,000 miles since hid bulbs are so expensive Still getting 43 mpg driving 120 miles a day monday thru thursday Best gas saver ever, especially over my other vehicles crappy 10 mpg Just wish the steering wheel would go up more or seat go back more (Im 6' 5") Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Actually, Graeme, the Millennium Silver is what I see the most out here in the West. I would have preferred the Seaside Pearl you have or the Salsa Red Pearl, but just about every Prius my local dealer was receiving in August 2004 was Millennium Silver. I later bought a Spice Red VW Jetta Wagon TDI that is an almost match to the Salsa Red.
OK, so I suppose it was just the East Coast that got all the blue ones. Th only times I've been to the west coast in the last 15 years is for business meeting or conventions, and I'm not really looking for Prius'es in those cases. -Graeme- 2004 Prius with >190,000 miles. Sent ?.
I crossed my 2009 Prius into the 100,000 club about a couple of months ago going back up from a trip to New Orleans. Now since then I've driven so much more and sitting at a pretty 104000.
265 for 2 pieces of metal for just one seat is pretty dang expensive, i think ill deal with it for now lol Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Im 6'5" im litterally touching the door and center console as i drive and dont have much room Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
I didn't know there was a club I could be in here on Priuschat! 2007, 164,000+ miles, I've owned it for 5 years. I've done a lot of upkeep, most of it preventative; do oil change 3-5,000 miles lately. Have replaced: tires, front and back brakes, numerous headlights (ugh), the HV battery just recently (reconditioned, we'll see what happens) the 12v battery twice (the 2nd time wasn't urgent, more preventative); transaxle fluid, spark plugs, engine and inverter coolant. I'm hoping to replace the drive belt and engine water pump soon but not too urgent. Have had all recalls done. (inverter pump, some kind of steering wheel thing and I don't know what else-was done before I owned it.) I average say 52 in good summer weather in good driving conditions but my short, hilly drive to work everyday on crappy New England roads leaves me with some tank averages at 40 if I don't do any long drives. Overall I'm pretty happy with it but this particular car wasn't in the best shape when I got it. Was in a minor accident, owner had a dog etc...but whatever got a good deal and overall no real engine troubles to speak of and best of all...it's paid for.
2007, 155,000 miles +, daily driver, owned for 10 years Same hybrid battery Synthetic oil every 5k Original brakes 12v and PCV replaced twice Had to replace struts Headlights were an ongoing issue around 35k miles but no problem since
Just purchased 2005 Prius with 180,000+. The traction battery was replaced in 2018 with a battery from a wrecked 2005 that had 30,000 on it. A cell was replaced at the same time. I have put 80 miles on it this week and it's averaging 47 MPG. I am the 4th owner. All of the cars maintenance history was kept in the glove box. All recalls were completed per entering the cars VIN into Toyota's recall website. An O'REILLY diagnostic scan reveals 4 codes, all are P0420 (O2 sensor/catalytic converter). Upon inspecting cleanliness of the traction battery fan I noticed that the #2 vent duct (upper) was missing, along with several 10 mil bolts. The interior was absolutely filthy. After about three hours of cleaning it's looking much better. The center console had to be removed to clean all of the grime out properly. I'm currently looking for a used upper duct so I can drive through 200,000 miles.
Congratulations on your new purchase inthecorn. It sounds like that's quite a project but the time spent will be worth it. Are you referring to the vent duct that vents into the hybrid battery for cooling? Or the one that travels from the back seat vent into the cooling fan? Either way they're probably easily available online.
