Prius dying quicker than I had hoped - Thoughts on upgrade?

I have a few 2005 models and they were mostly purchased used from original owners. All have been very reliable and very few issues.

In a 14 year old car, things will fail. The only thing that seems a bit abnormal from your list of replaced/fixed items is the AC leaking. Everything else is normal for a 14 year old hybrid.

I don't like the prius AC system and it can be very problematic if not fixed correctly.

Has your car been in an accident before?

 

From one member's how-to post here on an evap. replacement, it's A LOT of labor to get to it so $900 isn't outrageous.

If you've replaced the HV battery with a new Toyota pack, then I'd say keep the car. If it's an aftermarket rebuilt pack, more issues are in its future.

 

The pictures of what it looks like to access the evaporator should shame Toyota. It's terrible, looks like the dash is gutted, like open-heart surgery. Seems like they don't give a damn about ease of maintenance.

Replace A/C evaporator | PriusChat

 

The odds are VERY low that you'll get another 100k miles and x-number of years from that pack. Also besides personal comfort, you want a working a/c system to help keep the battery cool.

 

I have only been reading this website for about three years. But one thing I learned about these Prius cars, is they can have a hell of a lot of stuff go wrong with them. I never had any of those kinds of problems whatsoever with the previous vehicles I owned! Two Camrys.

If I was to buy a used Prius, I don't think it would be more than two or three years old. And my current 2016, when I hit the 10 year mark, that's it baby. I don't want to deal with all those stinkin mechanical problems.

I just hope to have a peaceful retirement. And not have to worry about a car! The MPG is great, but it's not everything in the world.

 

sell!

 

With a rebuilt battery, I'd sell it. Actually, I'd have personal problems selling a car with a rebuilt battery. I'd either have to make it very clear that it's caveat emptor or else trade it in hoping the dealer auctions it.

 

The AC is leaking refrigerant from what appears to be the evaporator and the local shop is quoting me right at $900 to repair.

Ok, so let's look at it from another point. Everybody has different expectations, otherwise it would be a very boring world.

Question 1: What indications are there that there's a leak from the evaporator?
Question 2: How big of a leak is it? Slow leaks can be handled. Big leaks...not so much....
Question 3: What is your true expectation for life of this car?

Do you get your entire car repainted if you have a scratch on the door? Do you install a new engine if it burns a quart of oil every 5,000 miles? Do you replace tires when they have 1,000 miles on them? Along those lines, there's no need to dump a bunch of money into a system that can be handled by a can of refrigerant (or bottle of 5w-30) every now and then.

Is it worth spending $900 if you're unsure of the remaining life of the rest of the car, when you can just recharge the AC yourself using a DIY kit from AutoZone for 30 bucks, which includes refrigerant, charge hose and gauge. The hose and gauge can be used over again with any other cans.

First thing I would do is recharge it and see how long it takes to leak down again. Go from there.

I had a 1995 F150 with 280k+ miles. It needed one can of refrigerant a year for the last 6 years I owned it. $6 a year from Big Lots. Pure R-134 with no oil. Oil typically isn't needed for slow leaks.

 

I'm skeptical. I know that's often stated here, but I don't know that it's true. For personal comfort sure, but I've monitored battery temps for a while and found:

1. Even easy driving conditions, on a cool evening, say ambient/cabin temperature around 15~18C, battery temp will stabilize around 35C.

2. Watching battery temp on a warm day, before and then after switching on AC, I saw next to no drop in battery temperature, in the course of maybe 20 minutes. One or two degrees drop at the most.

 

But it's a heck of a lot hotter here than in BC. We only see temps as low as 15C (59F) in the winter. On a summer day, the temperature inside a closed car can be as high as 140F (60C). You can't hang onto the steering wheel for very long at a time. Open the windows to let in the 94F (34C) air and the car's interior surfaces will continue to radiate heat for a long time and you will sweat like a race horse. Plus, at highway speeds with the windows down the noise is exceedingly unpleasant, you can't have any loose paper in the car, and it will put a big dent in the mpg. Hybrid battery or not, A/C is necessary in the south. And sometimes it gets even hotter in the midwest.

 

jta98z:

If you're looking at 7-8 months before noticing a drop in AC, I would stick with DIY charging a can. Hard to beat for 6-8 bucks a can. Available at Walmart or Big Lots. You want JUST R134a, the same as 95% of all other cars use. No additives, no oil or lubricant. Just R134a. Prius uses ND11 as an oil additive, but you're not losing any oil with a leak that small.

 

The amount of potential temperature drop observed could have to do with the HV fan speed (override mine to the highest setting), I've noticed that when the battery is around 43C (110F) the cooler cabin air combined with the HV fan set on high appeared to lower the battery temperature quicker, compared to not having the AC on.

Often after parking with the battery around 35C (95F) I will leave the car in ready and let the HV fan (on high) cool the pack with the ambient air (windows down), it takes awhile to bring it down to an acceptable level.

 

I was asking hybridautomotive about the fan bypass, if it can be switched on manually. This would be a great option to cool the battery.

 

We've had cars in the past where the radiator fans would run on after the car shut down. I wonder if something like that could have benefitted the Prius. Pulling into our uninsulated garage on a hot day is the hot-soak case that concerns me the most. I've installed a thermostat controlled dual fan in one of the garage windows (one pushing, one pulling), helps a bit. Still, the hybrid battery is buried below the hatch floor, insulated.

 

That will run down the little Prius 12v battery. I think a manual switch would benefit this car, when you get the car READY, flip the switch and turn it off in 5 - 15 minutes.

Sometimes when I recondition a battery that I've taken out of the car, the battery will be too hot to charge. I would have to run the fan (oem fan) for good 15 minutes before the air comes out cool. When I first turn on the fan, the air that blows out feels like air from 100+ degree heat blowing out.

 

I think they are working on something .....