I bought a 2009 Prius with 230,000 Miles.

Simbaboy · Jan 5, 2023

Danny13pruisc3 said: ↑

I'm not sure how I missed this thread but I have enjoyed reading it. One thing you need to be aware of is catalytic converter theft, especially since you're driving all over the world lol. You probably have an original on there and it's worth $800 to $1500 depending on what the current precious metals market is doing. If you have the original it should be marked EA6 on it. If you have that, I highly recommend you remove it and replace it with a brand new aftermarket one that can be had for about $60 on amazon. THen either save it until the market goes up or sell it now if you prefer. What you dont' want to happen is, you're on a road trip and you go to start the car and it's horribly loud because someone stole it.. and then you have to pay a high price and get your trip delayed to get it fixed. If you have the aftermarket one , it's less likely to be stolen. Paint it orange with engine paint.. so the theif will see that it's not the original and not want it.

I see you have the locking wheel chock for the bike. Pro tip: take the excess strap from the right front wheel tie down and wrap it around the front brake lever and tie it. It will serve as a parking brake. The locking wheel chock is great as it is tho, but that' a good habit for when you're towing without it. I see hitch prices have come down. Thats good.

The other suggestion I have is to buy a lithium jump starter pack. If ever the 12V should be dead, you're back on the road in an insttant. If you need to give someone a jump, you can do that too, without any risk to your own car. they usually have usb ports and can serve as phone chargers when the car is off or someone in the back needs to charge.. and often have a flashlight which sometimes comes in handy. Very good thing to have in general and especially on road trips.

You may also want to buy a coil pack to have a spare in your car. When a cp goes bad in these cars it sounds horrible.
Oh yea and if you decide to swap out your catalytic converter go ahead and buy a 90 degree elbow extension for the O2 sensor. those cheap cats sometimes need that so the sensor doesn't have a fit with the new cat. I sold my cat for $1500 back when the market was up. I just got an 08 with the EA6 cat adn i'm pretty happy, i'm about to pull it off and store it until it's worth $1500 again. I'm actually planning on changing it out today.

and of course you probably already have tools in the car but if you dn't i suggest something that is briefcase styled to take up less room, and has needle nose pliers (to pull fuses or deal with wires). Harbor freight seems to have the best price on such a kit. Oh and sicne you have a spare set of wheels, take a full size spare on your road trips. Mount it to the trailer somewhere maybe.

That roof top carrier shoudl be taking a hit on your MPG, you may want to switch to a 4x8 trailer instead.

oh and the air bags as suggested.. definitely get that. You can customize your ride height and firmness. highly recommended it.
I have't put them ina prius yet but loved the airlift models under $100 in my durangos.
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You make some great suggestions.
Thank you,
Simba

Simbaboy · Jan 20, 2023

I just dropped off my car at my Mechanic's house.

I don't have any issues with the car but it needs a little pampering:

1. spark plugs and PVC valve. (air filter is good and just got a fully synthetic oil change).

2. Front and rear brakes.

3. Radiator and inverter fluid changes.

4. serpentine belt.

Is there anything else you experts think I should get done while he is doing above work.

Thank you all,

Simba

dolj · Jan 20, 2023

Simbaboy said: ↑

2. Front and rear brakes.
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I would only clean and inspect. If they were within Toyota's spec as far as pad thickness and rotor thickness/runout, I'd leave them alone. No need to spend money unnecessarily.

If the coils haven't been replaced in the last 100,000 miles, I'd replace those with OEM coils or the Denso equivalent aftermarket. I would not use cheap junk aftermarkets for the coils (or spark plugs for that matter).

if it has not been done in the last 1000,000 miles, I'd drain and fill the transaxle with Toyota ATF-WS.

I presume you've already done an oil and filter change, but if not I'd do that as well.

Simbaboy · Jan 22, 2023

The car was ready and I picked it up.
It ran perfect before and it runs perfect now.
He showed me the rear drum brake pads - -there was hardly any pad thickness left but yet the brakes functioned very well. I only replaced because it was time.
The only thing left will be some front tires (the rear tires were replaced about 10K Miles ago. Or if I get a decent deal I may replace all 4 and go slightly bigger tires as I got the car lifted late last year.
Simba

I bought a 2009 Prius with 230,000 Miles.

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I bought a 2009 Prius with 230,000 Miles.

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