Possible HG failure

Listen to your gut, time to let it go. You're on your first of 3 major failures. Once you spend thousands on the first, it would be hard to let go later (not too distant future) when the other 2 come up (hv battery and brake booster)

 

Yeah let it go and if you don't have to keep up with other people or the Joneses as we used to say buy yourself a generation too spend a couple more bucks and get a nice one they're out there with 93,000 mi on them and stuff I see them almost weekly that'll carry you a good long time and if you're above 45 it might carry you until you're so bored with the car you'll almost commit Harry caray or whatever I certainly wouldn't be out buying new Prius primes Prius partial EVs or any of that stuff like you see being ranted and raved about in various publications and on Google I don't think the generation 4 has fixed the problems with the two Z engine. And that will just continue when they get another drivetrain in Prius if that ever happens maybe some better things will go on. But still the reality is it $220,000 mi being done with the car that's about double what cars used to go which was the $100,000 mi target so it's not too bad. The problem is the car is $40,000 I don't subscribe to any of that My target for a used car is $2,500 even still today just bought a Corolla yesterday at this point it may outlast me with minimal work.

 

why would you be reluctant to buy another when this one gave you 220,000 carefree miles?

 

Lots of scaremongering going on over failing parts, these are getting old and as with any old car there are plenty in the breakers.
What was a 3000 doller part can be had for a couple of hundred as there simply isn't that much demand for said part...
I’ve recently just had head gasket done... 350,000 miles and it cost me a £1000... Car may break next week or in 3yrs time.... Who knows..... Ive also recently bought a corolla ts 2.0 hybrid with less than 20,000 miles on it only to have injectors fail within weeks of purchase... (thank god for warranty) £1500 job at dealers apparently... So cars break whether new or old but at least when they get to this age you do have repair options.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Oh easyest way of testing for the gasket failing is to release pressure from cooling system when you park up for the day... (Remove header tank cap). The next morning if she starts up without the dreaded missfire then chances are gaskets blow.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

+1

As far as whether or not to get out of the car, if you're relying on a dealership for repair advice then...yup.
I'd jump ship.

The G4 isn't the prettiest of the Prius gens but it seems to be relatively solid in reliability.
I'd steer clear of anything new since we're still solidly in a seller's market.

 

I'd figure $10k if you want to keep it. $4k-$5k for a quality rebuilt engine installed with updated pistons, rebuilt head, new intake and cleaned egr cooler. Then about $2.5k each for a brake booster and hv battery when needed. Engine installed by an independent and built by a pro.

These days the big three gen3 repairs representing maybe 10-12 new car payments. Saving four or five years of payments.

A lot depends on what you want and your financial strength but you stand to lose enough value to pay for the engine. New cars are becoming more available quickly and at msrp if you shop.

 

That's 100 percent true, but I figured that if somebody is using a dealership - especially a freekin TOYOTA dealership in the SE to maintain a 10 year old car, they they're going to be bled white by other things before they reach a positive return on the repair expense.
Remember....the dealership recommended a new engine OR a new vehicle.
I would not put it past a Toyota dealership to put a new long block on that car and let the customer drive away after re-installing the old EGR and TB.

The OP (who I hope is still listening!) was asking for advice for THEM, not for me.

If this were your car, or my car we could squeeze another 5y/100,000 miles out of it and stay off the hamster-wheel of a lifetime of new car payments - but the OEMs have other motives.....
We recently put $3200 in parts and labour into my CFO's 2012 GMC, which represented the first major repair for this car besides an HVAC issue. She loves the car, drives it nearly daily, and a replacement would cost $40k.

That was a half a year ago.
Since the average new car payment is probably over $600 I've already recouped that expense plus I don't have to pay the tax and insurance delta on an 11 year newer car.
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!!!

However (comma!) I took ownership over our ownership experience and once we drove that car off the new car lot 11 years ago it never went back.

 

Stay away from the dealship for engine replacement.
Go with a hybrid shop that has worked on the Prius and replaced head gaskets/engine on them.

It will cost you a LOT less and might do a better job.

And it will still cost a LOT less than a new car!