05 with 170k

I'm assuming that you depend heavily on your Prius and would be substantially inconvenienced if it had unscheduled downtime. On that basis, I suggest that you:

Change all fluids: engine and inverter/transaxle coolant, transaxle ATF, brake fluid

Replace engine and cabin air filters now, if not previously replaced within 30K miles

Replace iridium spark plugs

Replace serpentine drive belt and engine thermostat, inspect and replace engine water pump and radiator hoses if needed

Replace inverter water pump

Replace 12V battery, if original equipment

 

Do you happen to know the DTC retrieved by AutoZone and Advanced? If so, please post and we can help you to interpret them.

It's good that you listed replacement of the iridium spark plugs, I forgot to list those above. MSRP of the plugs is around $12 each.

Your car will use around 3 gallons of Toyota Super Long Life Coolant for the inverter and engine, and MSRP is around $22 per gallon. (Inverter and transaxle are cooled by the same coolant loop.)

4 quarts of Toyota ATF WS are needed for the transaxle, and MSRP is ~$9 per quart.

Therefore, the dealer prices that you showed above are quite fair assuming that they include labor. Good luck.

 

If you have the original 12v. battery, it has been know to give you wierd codes and lights on when the battery is on it's way out. Since you mentioned your check light was intermittent, this makes me think about the 12 v. bettery.

 

If you have never replaced the 12V battery, this reminds me to suggest you add it to the top of your list.

 

12V causes gremlins all over system

 

The good news is that the OP logged 34K miles per year, so the 12V battery has had plenty of charging time. It should be in very good condition as compared to other 5-year-old batteries in cars lightly driven, with low miles on the odometer. Even so, I suggest replacing it based upon time-in-service and with the goal of minimizing unscheduled downtime.

With that many miles logged, it wouldn't surprise me if the MAF sensor needed to be cleaned or replaced, and the cooling system has clogs within since the coolant was not previously replaced. I would also expect to see a DTC related to engine misfire since the spark plugs are original.

Regarding the short life of the halogen lights, I would suggest measuring voltage across the 12V battery when the Prius is READY. The voltage should be ~13.8V. If much higher, that would explain the short bulb life (although I would also expect other lights to also show a short service life in that case.)

If voltage is normal then I would assume you were unlucky in your choice of bulbs. Is it your practice to leave the headlights on at all times; or only at night?

 

Good info all.

I'm going to break 150K on my 05 next month ( 145K now ).

I've done the OCI's religiously ( they're Free so why not )
I also replaced the 12v when it got flaky at ~ 110K
I did the inverter coolant change at ~ 105K
I change the cabin air filter myself and do the engine air filter every 30K

From a friend that went 246,000 mi on his 04, he had the plugs and serpentine belt replaced at 150K and he was told that his water pump was 'weeping' so he had that replaced at that time too.

Brake and transaxle fluids??
Is the water pump for the inverter a separate item?
Shocks probably are somewhat down the road.

I'm aiming for 275,000 to 300,000 miles which will be about another 3-1/2 yrs.

 

Hi Bob,

Yes, I am referring to the electric water pump located behind the driver's side headlamp.

I've found that the struts/shocks last ~60K miles or so, so I've replaced the front struts 1x on my 2004 and replaced the rear shocks 2x so far.

With the Prius, the difference between good and bad struts/shocks isn't that much, so if you have to pay the dealer $2K to replace all four then I can understand the motivation to defer that particular service.

 

Brake fluid does tend to collect water and copper so it should be changed periodically. A Prius is easy on Brakes so the issue is time and the cost at the dealer. I'll do mine this Spring at 180k miles.

ATF should be changed in a 2004-2009 Prius at 60k mile intervals. My dealer charged just over $100 at 120k miles.

Yes. I replaced mine at 150k miles when doing the second required coolant change (at the same time I did the ICE water pump, thermostat and serpentine belt).

I'm still on the originals. The cost is causing me to delay.

My 2004 is now at 169.4k miles; also hopefully on its way to 300k.

JeffD

 

Hi Brandon,

Regarding headlights, the best practice in terms of longevity clearly would be to turn them on only at night. However some drivers think their safety is enhanced with DRL and prefer to have the lights on at all times. If you're in that group, then I suppose you will want to leave the lights on.

The 12V battery costs ~$135 or so at your dealer's parts counter. The dealer might charge you 1/2 - 1 hour of labor time to replace. Some owners have been charged $300+ for this work but it seems like your local dealers charge fair prices.