thinking about prius

Unless they have to bleed the brakes, then either the handheld Toyota Diagnostic Tester, or the Panasonic ToughBook version, will need to be plugged into the OBD2 port. The tech will then have to command the brake boost pump and assorted solenoid valves to start the bleed process

That really isn't a specific hybrid or even Toyota issue, however. Almost every new car and truck/suv now on the road run a variant of CANBus and some systems require software interface to correctly do the maintenance/repair procedure

The days of any corner gas station "mechanic" being able to correctly diagnose a Check Engine are probably over. The hand held testers, such as the OTC Genisys, are still priced +$3,000.

By now the Prius has enough of a track record that the OP concerns are pretty much academic. My 2004 may have the hyper sensitive Trac, but it's my understanding the +2007 models do not

 

Welcome to the list! You will no doubt get answers to a number of your questions directly, but I would also encourage you to spend some time reading through the forums here. As a fairly new member I can tell you there is a vast wealth of info out there.

To try and address your specific concerns:

1) Battery life is really not an issue. The battery has a very sophisticated control system that works very hard to protect it. Priuses have been on the road around the world since 1997 and the batteries have proved very robust. They basically last for the life of the vehicle. The hybrid components, including the battery are warrantied for 8yrs/100,000 miles. While there have been a few failures (like any car component), there have also been lots of people that go considerably farther than this on the original battery. There have been a number of Prius's used as taxis that have gone 200-300,000 miles with no major problems. Consumer Reports and other sources have found the Prius to be extremely reliable. Battery replacement cost new from the dealer runs a few thousand dollars, but used ones from auto recyclers are also available in the $500 range. There are also a number of people looking into refurbishing the batteries.

2) Service options are somewhat limited at the current time. On the other hand, the car is very reliable and low maintenance so it doesn't need much service. As hybrids become increasingly popular, I'm sure we'll see an emergence of independent mechanics specializing in them. Its already happening in a number of places. The basic stuff like oil changes can pretty much be done anywhere. The only recommended service items are oil & filters until 120k miles, when they recommend replacing the spark plugs. Brakes also tend to last a long time, as the electric system does a lot of the braking.

3) Winter driving is a much discussed topic. Living in Phoenix I can't offer much first hand info. My summary of the discussion as I see it is as follows. Some feel the traction control is too sensitive, and can leave you stuck in snow/ice conditions. Others swear that the traction/stability control is amazing and has saved their lives in potential accident situations. Some seem disappointed that their Prius has less traction in snow/ice than their full sized 4x4. Most seem to feel it does fine, similar to most other small fwd cars.

Again, I would highly encourage you to spend some time reading through all the great info here on the forums. You may also want to look into companies that rent Priuses. That way you can really spend some time with one to see how you like it. Many of us bought our Priuses feeling like we were making a sacrifice for a good cause (or to save money). After the fact, many of us have found we actually like it better than our old cars anyway!

Rob

 

Don't even hesitate on buying a Prius. I drive 25,000-30,000 miles per year, have had every type of car you can imagine and think the Prius is the best car I ever had. Just watch to what is posted on this forum for tips and you will be amazed how nice a car can actually be!

 

I agree with miscrms.

I would also ask the OP - what kind of driving do you typically do? Long commutes vs. mostly short hops, highway vs. local/urban, who/what normally is in the car with you (large family, pets, hauling big stuff), what's the climate like where you live, etc.

The Prius is a very good all-around midsize car that will most likely make you happy, but knowing more about what your needs will help folks address your expectations and concerns more specifically. Also if we know where you live someone might be able to recommend a specific dealer for purchasing and service.

 

The Prius is the first car we ever bought new. That was a leap for us.
However, it's also the best built car we've had (sorry, Buick), and has the highest safety ratings.

It handles very well, compared to all the vehicles we've owned/driven before.
all in all, I would recommend it as a car.

Oh, and if you drive any sort of commute at all, you can get incredible MPG with it, control emissions down to about nuthin', and save the planet

 

Cost of the battery? Hmm, not sure, has anyone ever had to buy one?

For regular oil changes and checks the Prius is like any other car.

I have no trouble with winter driving. It never snows here by the way. I expect it is like any front wheel drive car.

The only shortcoming is the Prius isn't suited to towing, if you have no need to tow or access to another car for towing, no problem.

Stop thinking about it, it is lots more fun to drive than think about.

Yes you can get leather seats and leather covers can be retrofitted.

 

Well, I guess Winnipeg has comparable weather: temps of -35 C with windchill values down to -51 C. To ensure the car actually warms up, you'll want to make a winter front for it. If you're old enough I'm sure you remember when most cars and trucks ran with winter fronts in cold temps

There are various threads on this forum about grille blocking aka "winter front." The lower grille I blocked with a piece of black rubberized mill felt that I found at an industrial site.

Upper two slits I blocked using 1/2 inch foam pipe insulation, you can easily and cheaply get that at Rona. Forum member Frank Hudon came up with the idea of using foam pipe insulation to plug the two upper slits

You can use studded snow tires in Alberta and I *strongly* recommend you do so. True enough my 2004 has the hyper sensitive traction control issue, but I feel if you're allowed to run studded tires, why not do so?

I picked up Goodyear Nordic at Canadian Tire. Studded, balanced, and installed for $122 a tire in P185 65 15 size. I already had cheap steel multifit rims for the Prius. The Goodyear Nordic is the same tire as the Goodyear Ultra Grip 500 sold in Europe

Goodyear Eur-Winter Tire-UltraGrip 500

If you click on "Profile" a Flash movie loads explaining the tire. This tire when studded is exceptional on hardpack snow, deep snow, and glare ice. However I should warn the Canadian forum members the tire is noisy on dry pavement. I put mine on in November and take them off in March

AFAIK the Canadian market Prius cannot be ordered with leather. That's ok, I'm not a huge fan of a seating material that I stick to in summer, and freeze certain body parts off in winter. I much prefer fabric. I suppose you could retrofit to leather

As far as servicing, I really can't think of any new 2007-2008 model vehicle I would trust to a small garage or Shadetree mechanic. The systems are complex no matter Ford, GM, Dodge, Mercedes, Toyota, Honda, etc.

Reliability issues have for the most part been trivial. Some of the 2004-2005 Prius cars have issues with the centre MFD going out. The primary NiMH "traction" battery appears very durable and many taxi Prius have +300,000 km with no issues.

Overall I think it's a good car. I'd buy another one