I have a 2005 Prius with 241,000 miles on it. It needs a new catalytic converter and some new wheel bearings to pass inspection. About $1,300 is what I've been quoted for repairs. I'm now leaning towards having the work done... But am I being short sighted? How much more life can I reasonably expect from this car? I did have the hybrid battery replaced at around 175,000. But lately it seems as if the vehicle is losing some of its pep. It struggles a little more going up hills for example. Is that a sign that the engine is suffering and may soon have major issues? Thanks for any comments or suggestions. Mark
If you paid new $24,000 for the car, that's .10 per mile, the car paid for itself. I always figured maintenance and repairs is also .10 per mile. $1,300 would equate to 13,000 miles to break even if nothing else goes wrong. What is really worth right now if there were no issues? How's the traction battery? Shocks, brakes, tires, wheel bearings, etc.? My son went through this a few years ago and found out it the payments on a new car were cheaper than the cost of maintenance on what he had. He drives about 30k per year. If you need reliability and do a lot of miles >24 K per year, I would trade it. If it's just a local runner and not really needed, <6,000 miles per year then maybe keep it. Also while depreciation on a new car is high, repairs are low to none for 50K miles. That makes it a wash.
If there are no other issues with the car, just the catalytic converter and wheel bearings, I would probably fix it. There's nothing you can buy for that price that will be reliable. Just buy good name brand bearings (Timken or OEM) and not cheap ones, you'll thank yourself later.
In your state you could buy and replace the c converter yourself or have a muffler place install it. Are they replacing both the cats or just the front one? In California your only option is bring it to Toyota at a cost of 16-1700 dollars. Just for the converter replacement. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
If it were me I would fix the car and drive it until it dies but $1300 seems a little high for these repairs. Geniune Toyota wheel bearings and an aftemarket cat should run $400-500, so $800-900 labor, yikes! Have you taken the car elsewhere for other estimates? The sluggish performance you mentioned could be caused by the auxiliary 12v battery failing. When my battery is low on charge acceleration is sluggish and the engine revs up to the point it sounds strained. Fuel economy also suffers when this is occurring, have you noticed any drops so far? New York is now a California Emissions state for anyone that doesn't know. Replacement of the cat will probably be just as expensive here, luckily the op lives in PA. After market replacements are illegal in NY unless they meets California Emissions standards. Even if you DIY here it will be expensive as no one will ship an after market cat to NY.
What can you get for the car now? $1000 maybe less? Add that to the $1,300 to fix it, and can you get a new car that is in better shape that needs less for $2000-$2300? The hardest fix would be the cat as you need to weld. Fix the bearings yourself or with a mechanicaly inclined friend and forget the cat unless it won't pass emissions
Probably, if you do it the right way to save $: 1. Buy a catalytic converter off amazon that's compatible with the Prius for less than $100, and take it to a local muffler shop, who should install it for less than $150. 2. Get a quote from a brake shop for wheel bearing replacements. Also, if your bearings are only kind-of bad, most likely you can keep driving on them for a bit, with worsened fuel economy and power being the result (also a humming sound or a "propeller" sound is a common sign of a bad wheel bearing). Also be aware that this may be a total fraud - often shops will quote parts like this just to take your money. Most state inspections do not check if your bearings are good or bad; I think it's unlikely you'd fail inspection for bad wheel bearings. Wheel bearing replacements are only slightly more involved than replacing rotors, so the installation cost should only be slightly higher. One bad wheel bearing should run less than $300, probably around $200, as an aftermarket part is $50, and a mechanic should be able to do a wheel bearing in an hour. It's likely you'll get the best deal if you go to a muffler shop for catalytic converter replacements and a brake shop for wheel bearings. Shops that are specialized in one area can do these jobs faster, which means lower cost to them, which they'll pass on to you. I believe it's possible to get one bad wheel bearing and a new cat installed for $400-600.
It is up to you really, but I replaced my struts all the way around, front wheel bearings and brakes front and rear with pads, and rotors/drums all myself for under 350.00. To be honest replacing bearings on this was easier than pie and took no time at all. I am sure if you seek out the parts yourself at least that you can knock a huge portion of that bill off. Remember most places will order the part and immediately tack 50% right on top of it, not counting labor
I would worry about why the catalytic converter failed. Is it gunked up with oil that blew past the pistons? If so, the replacement cat isn't going to last very long. Inspecting the spark plugs would give a hint.
I replaced mine for the 420 code. Cat was very clean and looks fine. Code didn't come back after replaced. Doesn't burn much oil but my mileage is only 40-45. 233,000 miles. Was thinking of fuel injectors and front O2 sensor. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
