I guess I should post on the 100K thread, since I just rolled over in my 2006, but I have a question. I have a very long commute (160 miles each day I go to work), and I need to have the car last at least another two years, during which I'll probably put another 50K on the car. I'm just curious -- how likely am I to get there without major problems? I've had no problems so far except with the very expensive! headlights. I've replaced the tires but have never had to have even the brake pads replaced because 95% of my driving is on the freeway. My minor complaints have to do with the radio volume turning itself up and down and the Bluetooth crapping out. My husband was thinking that maybe the battery that runs the electric part of the system might have to be replaced -- how likely would that be? Thanks.
Long commutes are very easy on the battery pack which is normal expected to last at least until around 180k miles. I can foresee no reason to think you'd encounter any major problems unless something untoward occurs with your HV battery. Even that can be replaced, with a salvage pack, for relatively inexpensively. Do make sure you've done all the recommended maintenance.
Freeway driving is pretty easy on the battery-pack, rarely draining it like long stretches of city & suburb driving can. So, you are likely to exceed the typical lifetime distance. And 150K minimum is the typical expectation anyway. That translates to a pretty good chance of making it without much worry. Enjoy your Prius. .
Do you think it is a waste to buy a spare salvage battery pack? I have 100k miles on my 2004 and IF the pack goes I want to have minimal downtime on the car. I figure the worse case scenario is I hold onto the pack and sell it. But that leads to another question. Can a salvage pack that you know is in working order be kept for say two years without charging it? I apologize for what some may think to be a silly question. Thanks!!
Yes, it is a waste. Unless you can contrive a way to keep the pack charged and balanced it'll become a brick by the time you want to use it. Just keep driving your '04 then deal with battery death if/when it happens.
Thanks very much! I really like my car and would love to have it last until I retire in a little less than 4 years, but I don't know if that's realistic -- I'd likely have 200K by then. But if it will likely last to 150K, I should be in a good position to purchase a new car by then.
Your chances of making it to 150K miles with no major problems is very, very good. They've been using Prii as taxi cabs in big cities like Vancouver for years, and many of these Prius cabs exceeded 200K miles with no problems. If the Prius can withstand the notorious abuse dished out by cabbies, I have no doubt a private owner who keeps the Prius well-maintained can make it last even longer than 200K mi.
Since you are from CA your battery warranty is good for 150K miles or 10 years. So, even if your battery were to fail prematurely it would be covered by warranty. Another point, Toyota must have confidence in the battery going beyond 150K miles in order to warrant it for that long.
Drive until you start to get symptoms, at least. A company named Re-InVolt makes rebuilt Prius batteries, they can install them at the Luscious Garage, about 80 miles from Mythlady. Remanufactured Hybrid Vehicle Battery Packs Luscious Garage | Hybrid Specialists
My buddy works in the service dept for toyota and Stita uses Priuses for Taxis! They have a few with 460k plus and still original battery! Prety impressive! He says that at 250k the display for mph on the front goes out like clock work..... But not a big deal! They are super reliable!
I have a customer who has an 04 Prius that she uses to commute around 140mi a day. We always talk about Prius's when she comes in. She has 214,000 on hers now with absolutly no problems. She said she's gonna get a 2011 next year and her 04 should have around 250,000 mi on it.
You might want to keep an eye on the 12v battery. I'm planning to replace mine with an Optima after 4 years if I do not have to before then.
Having already become accustomed to other Asian brands that can easily roll up 200k+ miles -- not necessarily trouble-free, but certainly at lower repair cost than the depreciation on a replacement -- I definitely expect my Prius to do the same. While I like to think this, more likely it is forced by California emissions law. In the 42 states where it is not forced, the warranty is shorter. My car planning budget includes one replacement HV battery before retiring this car, well after I retire.
And i thought i had a long commute at 100 miles/day This thread makes me hopeful my prius will last me at least 6 more years.
I would guess the chance of your Prius being destroyed by another driver in another vehicle is greater than the chance of the traction battery dieing before 200k mi. I just had an encounter with a moron in a full sized PU passing in a construction zone, over a double line last night. Luckily there was no collision. Kind of wakes you up to see such a guzzler coming straight at you!
I own three Prius taxi's and they have saved me over $30,000 a year by the time I look at fuel savings and the money saved on parts and labor plus the extra income I earn by having very few down days each year compare to the transmission eating money sucking Impalas and other North American Taxi's. One of the other owners at our company has a Prius with over 500,000km and he says it is still costing him minimal dollars to keep it on the road. I plan on running my 3 Prius over 600,000 km. The combo meter /computer is the only thing that seems to have a tough time when we hook all our extra equipment into the system. About every 180,000km I have to replace them. Doesn't seem to be a weak spot for non Prius cars.
I am not up to even 100K yet, so most people up there at 150K probably already know, but I wanted to mention the importance of changing the transmission fluid at least every 60K miles. I just changed it at 54K, and from looking at it I wish I would have changed it sooner, not that it was terrible, just that it definitely needed it even at 90% of 60K miles.
I just broke 150,000 miles in my 2005. Like you I've have no issues whatsoever except extraneous ones, deer, other drivers, my own mistakes. If you take care and do the maintenance there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to go at least 200,000 or 300,000 miles and why not 400,000 miles? I'm planning on adding another 150,000 miles to my 05...by then I should be about 'breakeven'......yuk yuk. The batteries and the hybrid system are now being found to be the most reliable and the most durable parts of the Toyota hybrids. Drive with an easy mind.
