Gen 3 Head Gasket Pro in Seattle Area?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by FrugalBeeotch, Aug 23, 2025 at 11:55 AM.

  1. FrugalBeeotch

    FrugalBeeotch Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2019
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    Location:
    People's Republic of Seattle
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    N/A
    I'm sorry if this is a bit rambling. I have a head injury, and I usually use an LLM to make my writing coherent and less higgledy-piggledy. I've run out my quota on my LLM for a few hours, so this will have to do.

    Does anyone know a non-dealer in the Seattle area who specializes in Gen 3 Prius head gasket replacement, and who doesn't charge an arm and a leg? Or is it perhaps better to just replace the engine if it needs a head gasket replacement?

    Also, if I'm having the head gasket replaced, is there anything else I should have done? I've purchased everything I need to replace the EGR system and intake manifold. Since I'm going to be in there already, I'm also going to replace the water pump. I just don't have the time to do a head gasket replacement. Plus, my partner would be pissed that my car is all tore up in the garage. He likes things clean and orderly.

    Some background: It just passed 200k miles. This car has been so reliable, I had gotten out of the habit of checking the oil between oil changes. It started burning oil at some point, and I was unaware. When I changed the oil, I never noticed a reduction in the oil coming out, and it hasn't been milky or anything. But the check engine light came on the other day. I immediately stopped and checked the fluids. Everything was fine, except the oil. The oil barely registered on the dip stick. I put some oil in it, cleared the codes, and everything has been fine since. About 2 weeks before this happened, I had an incident where it did a bit of sputtering when I started it. It had been sitting for about 3 hours, outside in 75 degree F weather. When I started it, it did a sputtering kind of thing, and shook a little bit. I gave it some gas, and the sputtering stopped. I turned it off, turned it back on, and it ran normally. I don't know if the spark plugs were ever replaced. They could have been replaced when I was having the dealership do the maintenance, but I'm not sure. Since I fell off a literal ladder, and down the economic ladder, I do the work myself.

    I have been very careful to always put $100 per month aside for future repairs, even when my income dropped by 80%. So, I have some money to repair the car. What I don't have is "exploratory repairs" money. I don't want to go into debt, and I don't want to ask my partner or anyone else for help. I don't want to go into debt to buy another car. I own this one outright. I'd rather put money into this one to keep it running.

    I have to drive about 500 miles per week for work, and I cross two mountain passes. Am I risking more damage to my engine by continuing to drive it? Or should I perhaps rent a car until I can at least do a compression test?
     
  2. NutzAboutBolts

    NutzAboutBolts Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 5, 2013
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    Location:
    Bay Area
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    What’s the check engine light code?