Well I have been threatening to buy a used Prius for years - usually tongue-in-cheek - but with the lock downs here in NYC and the public transportation generally being a cesspool, I pulled the trigger and picked up a used Prius. 2013 Prius iii 44,000 miles one owner, clean title, all service records complete to date. Paid 12k out the door with tax, tags, and registration. so far I have read the everything a noob must know sticky, the maintenance manual, skimmed through the owners manual, threads about installing a OCC, and protecting your catalytic converter. realistically I will drove this car maybe 5k-10k miles a year mostly in heavy city traffic. I happen to keep it for 10 years 150k miles, maybe longer? questions I have - is the OCC install necessary? I am pretty handy but taking off the intake manifold would be a new one for me, and no garage in NYC would mean I would be in a time crunch using a friends garage upstate. The most I have done in terms of car maintenance is brake pads, oil, fluids, air filter / intake install, rotors, calipers, brake lines, clutch slave cylinder, audio upgrades, and fiberglass interior work. YouTube DIY doesn’t scare me - but removing the manifold and messing up a gasket without realizing or dropping a bolt into the engine or something gives me pause. I went ahead and got comprehensive coverage for an extra $100/yr in case someone relieves me of my cat. Think it is worth installing a cover? Will a dealership do this? Are there any independent shops in NYC that someone can recommend? Seems easy enough, but I do not have the rivet tools or proper ramps, stands, or access to a lift. anything else I should know about these Updated gen 3 cars? A lot of the worst problems seem to be with the earlier years of the gem 3. I appreciate any guidance. thanks! - Steeze
That’s a good low mileage car. I have a 2012 Prius V with over 166K, never had a OCC installed. I have the occasional engine noise problem but only rarely. I have thought about having one installed but then I would have to maintain it! Oh! ❤️ Randi
thanks @Randi ! Checking an OCC and emptying it doesn’t scare me - blown head gaskets do though. I am an ex-Subaru owner, ask me how I know! I have also had the pleasure of replacing the short block on an eclipse after a timing belt failure. No fun. Is the OCC A necessary install for people looking to achieve 200k+ miles ? These cab drivers that have 500k+ miles on their cars - is there a good chance they had one installed, or do they just repair the engine multiple times to achieve that mileage?
congrats and welcome! you don't need the occ right away, but start giving it some consideration for a long happy life. as you get closer to 100k, you'll want to check and clean out the egr circuit. beautiful car, all the best!
Congrats on your new Prius. Like you, i found a nice vintage Prius v ('12) last fall with only 28K miles and fully documented dealer services, and then started reading about oil consumption stories in Gen III with odometers over 100K miles. So i decided to install an oil catch can (OCC), but not mess with the intake manifold/EGR yet because the vehicle had such low miles and well documented services. I posted how i did it here - it took about 80 minutes. Some very wise and experienced forum members recommended that i also remove and clean the intake manifold (especially the small EGR channels in each each cylinder intake) and EGR tube to the cooler to stay ahead of the game. I plan to do that sometime in the next 15K miles. Enjoy your new ride!
They took it on a trade in. Probably 25% of their lot was used cars that were not Kia. What is the recommended interval (mileage/time?) for this?
Greetings and welcome aboard! 1 Relax and just concentrate on enjoying the car for the first few weeks. READ READ more than DO DO. 2. OCC - I'd look into one given your OP. It's kinda like eating cheeseburgers. Nobody ever thinks about exercising and cutting back on them in their 20s and 30s - because the effects of eating too many cheeseburgers doesn't start to manifest themselves until later in life. If we had the medical equivalent of OCCs, and people started using them in their 20's cardiac surgeons would have to golf more often on public courses and the Social Security retirement age would be 85. REALLY. in about 2-3 months you're going to want to consider putting one on. YMMV. 2.5. Oil CHANGE - every 5,000-10,000 miles. Oil CHECK - every month or 1,000 miles. THIS will be the ONE preventative maintenance that will MOST determine whether you see 150,000 miles or not. 3. Catalytic converters. Quick.....what's Prop 47? If you don't know off the top of your head, then you probably do not need to worry about catalytic converter theft, and putting one of those goofy, heat trapping plates on your car probably doesn't need to be in your 'first five' list for mods. For one thing.....you're in a CARB state (see #4), but NYC is much MUCH more population dense, you have a rather effective police force, and your local government allows for the installation of CARB compliant aftermarket cats. My Spidey senses inform me that cat thefts in NYC are more of a feline thing than a CARB thing. YMMV. 4. CARB. This means that certain components on your car are warrantied for a longer period of time than freer states. LOOK INTO IT if your traction battery gives up the ghost before something like 10 years and 150,000 miles. Otherwise? Put the "giveacrap" switch in the "DON'T" position. Your battery is not going to be an issue for a few more years. 5. Have fun with the car!! That's sorta the whole point, right? It's nearly mandatory that you go for a long drive every month or so "just because." It will give you a greater appreciation for the vastness of your state and this nation PHYSICALLY instead of just culturally....and you have the Subway for THAT.... Seriously. If you're not having FUN with the car, you're doing something wrong.
If your going to keep the car a long time......check the forums.....but I would change it soon... get new in there not hard at all... better safe than sorry....change again at 100,000
How accurate is the MPG on the display? I’m getting 55+ MPG on the display, is that realistic? I noticed many people saying that as their intake manifolds and egr valves began to clog their MPG would decrease. The same people reported an improvement after cleaning. Is the mpg on the display a decent proxy for the health of the intake system?
