1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Lower Control Arms Bushing & Strut/Shocks Replacement.

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Lexington-76, Sep 12, 2024.

  1. Lexington-76

    Lexington-76 New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2024
    15
    5
    0
    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.
     
  2. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2018
    7,323
    6,835
    1
    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.
     
  3. Lexington-76

    Lexington-76 New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2024
    15
    5
    0
    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.
     
  4. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2018
    7,323
    6,835
    1
    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
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2024
  5. Lexington-76

    Lexington-76 New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2024
    15
    5
    0
    Location:
    San Francisco Bay Area
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    Thanks Leadfoot

    This is very helpful information!

    I didn’t realize that the brake pads and rotors can go over a 100k. I guess having regenerative braking apparently cuts down wear and tear on the brakes and other parts as well. Being that my 4Runner is my daily driver I’m still adjusting to the Prius. Going from a 4Runner to the Prius is like going from one end of the scale to the other maintenance wise.

    As for the coolant yes I know there are two, one for the engine and one for the inverter. I just replaced them this last Thursday.

    Also thanks for the info on the brake fluid. This is my next service stop that I plan to do shortly. I was going to have my mechanic do it but maybe I’m better off having the dealer do it.

    On bushing, I understand that once a vehicle hits the 10 year mark, they start to brake down. I plan on starting to replace all the bushing on my 4Runner in 2026. Since the Prius is now 12 years old I will start keeping an eye on anything rubber. With the struts for the Prius, can you just replace the bushings? My mechanic was saying that when you only replace the bushing there is a chance that it may not seat properly when installing and thus can cause quicker wear and that it’s better to replace it with new struts. It seems a little bit over the top if you ask me. What are your thoughts? Anyway, as it is now I can see one crack in the right rear and two in the left rear. Front seems ok but there are small cracks in the lower control arms but not too bad. I think I can hold off for a while.