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

Relative cost of ownership in Australia

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by bauhaus, Jan 4, 2017.

  1. bauhaus

    bauhaus Junior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2016
    25
    18
    0
    Location:
    Melbourne, Australia
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    I understand the current model Prius doesn't have belts that other cars have. Over a period of roughly 5 to 10 years, how would the cost of servicing a Prius compare to a Corolla or a Camry in Australia? Would a Prius work out cheaper to maintain over that length of time, even if I had to replace the hybrid battery?

    I know with cars I've owned up until now I've had big expenses with things like timing belts and rear struts as well as tie rods and cv joints (just to name a few).
     
    #1 bauhaus, Jan 4, 2017
  2. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 31, 2016
    3,709
    5,183
    0
    Location:
    Cornwall
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Welcome to Prius Chat from a Pommy member, and a happy new year to you as well.

    Others will be more exact with their replies, but from what I've seen on here, the costs of driving/maintenance are significantly reduced.
    @alanclarkeau is a fellow countryman who is extremely well informed so I've given him a buzz for you.
     
    #2 RCO, Jan 4, 2017
    bauhaus likes this.
  3. bauhaus

    bauhaus Junior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2016
    25
    18
    0
    Location:
    Melbourne, Australia
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Thanks for that. Happy New Year to you.

    I'm glad to read the costs of driving/maintenance of the Prius are significantly reduced as you say. My current car has cost me a lot of money over the years and I'm very interested to see what owners of brand new Prius cars should expect with costs over the first 5 to 10 years.
     
    #3 bauhaus, Jan 4, 2017
  4. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2016
    11,696
    11,317
    0
    Location:
    Central Virginia
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    My son had a 2005 Prius purchased new that he replaced with a new 2015 Prius v. Other than oil/filter/cabin filter, he replaced the 12V battery just as a precaution due to age. We replaced the HID headlight bulbs because one died & they should be replaced in pairs. The car was supposed to have a coolant replacement, but the dealer needed to do that when performing a recall.
     
    #4 Prodigyplace, Jan 4, 2017
    bauhaus likes this.
  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,836
    16,072
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Our 2005 Prius (replaced last March at 245,000km) had:

    • Oil & filter changes (6 months/8,000km is the interval in Canada)
    • 12V battery changed 3 times
    • 4 sets of tyres (including the original factory ones)
    • 3 or 4 sets of headlight bulbs (but to be fair, I was trying out aftermarket halogens and they kept burning out every 10-11 months)
    • One cracked foglight (driver's side)
    • Driver's side LED brakelights had a one or two blown bulbs (but were replace in a collision as the collision damaged the left corner of the car)
    • I think the coolant was changed twice (Gen 2 shared the coolant btwn engine and inverter. Starting with Gen 3, they had separate coolant reservoirs and closed systems)

    That's about it.

    Original HV battery (which died last year which is why we upgraded), original brake pads (fronts were down to 15%), original 7" MFD (it was a problem spot for some cars).
     
    #5 Tideland Prius, Jan 4, 2017
    RCO and bauhaus like this.
  6. bauhaus

    bauhaus Junior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2016
    25
    18
    0
    Location:
    Melbourne, Australia
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    It sounds like the Prius requires very little in terms of maintenance. I've found there are at least a couple of places here in Australia that sell reconditioned hybrid batteries (if I needed to replace one that is). One place claims to sell reconditioned hybrid batteries for half the price of a brand new one.

    I'm still interested to hear how other Prius owners have found the reliability of their cars, although it sounds promising so far.

    Thanks.
     
    #6 bauhaus, Jan 5, 2017
  7. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,836
    16,072
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    It's pretty low cost like any other Toyota (at least in North America. I can't assume cost of parts/labour is the same elsewhere in the world).


    Yeah you're saving on alternators (there isn't one), brake pads (lifetime if you're gentle. The 2005 was driven in a mostly city setting with the occasional jaunt to the US on the freeway), coolant service interval in Canada is 160,000km for the initial and every 32,000 thereafter IIRC.

    Oil change interval has increased for us to 12 months/16,000km (but the service interval is still 6 months/8,000km - they just change the oil every other visit). There's also a "Brake Service" where the pads and rotors are checked - I'm guessing due to their infrequent use, Toyota Canada decided to add an extra service check. That's done at 64,000km initially then 32,000km thereafter.

    Looking at my spreadsheet, I'm at CAD$3,103.08 (AU$$3,195) in terms of service cost for 7 years, 128,000km.
     
    #7 Tideland Prius, Jan 5, 2017
    bauhaus and RCO like this.
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)