Time marches on as do the miles and today's brand new, fully warranty covered Prius will age and expire: 3/36,000 miles - bumper-to-bumper except for accidents 6/60,000 miles - ordinary rolling gear, transmission 8-10/100-150,000 miles - emissions related traction battery, inverter, catalytic converter(?) "Extended warranty" - negotiable coverage, rates, and quality Regardless, time forces the owner to make choices and this poll is asking 'what are your plans' and any details you might volunteer on how to deal with aging Prius. I've posted here because the NHW11 owners are many already at "End of Warranty" and a growing body of NHW20 owners will soon be in that same boat. Only a fairly small number of ZVW30 owners have to face the question of aging Prius. This will be a multiple choice and recorded poll going to the end of October. No rush so think about it and certainly feel free to comment. Thanks, Bob Wilson
The reason I bring this poll up is to also explore the status of Independent, Prius or hybrid repair shops. We know manufacturers have to support their hybrids BUT they tend not to support other manufacturer hybrids. A Toyota Service Center may share many of the tools, training and skills to repair a Ford Fusion hybrid but I don't see them going after that business. As for the non-hybrid, manufacturing service departments, they can't even spell hybrid much less approach that buisness model. But how do we tell if a shop has general hybrid skills and can handle repair? The "ACDC" team, Craig's group, offers across the board hybrid training for all makes and models. He works actively to gather the latest information and then offers training to other shops. This complements the outstanding work already done by Art's Automotive, Lucious Garage, AutoBeYours, and Re-InVolt. But I recently learned there are nearly three times as many independent shops that have spent the time and effort to get hybrid trained: Auto-Careers.org: Hybrid Training Resources Since 2000 But for these shops to get any benefit from the growing population of out of warranty hybrids, they need to be found and most important, we need some assurance they know what they are doing. Now skills in any auto-business are highly volatile. One personnel change and they can go from A+ to "dirt." So it raises the question of who do you trust beyond 'word of mouth?' (and of course the excellent postings at PriusChat were we all come from Lake Woebegone.) So like I said, this is a 6-week, recorded poll, and a chance for folks to like 'Stone Soup,' make something more than originally known. Bob Wilson
I like the Aussie flag in the poll. I think Skype puts it there. The warranty on my Prius will never run out. It will always be a Toyota.
When I bought the car, I opted for the "platinum" extended coverage...ie, everything covered to 100K. After that, I'm not too worried. I own a Jag...so I'm use to repair bills. I think I can handle it...
I'd love to take my Prius to the "local guy" to do everything, but I'm not certain that they are even trained in working on hybrid cars.
Although I am only 28 I've done my share of car repairs. I'm done with that mess. One thing I hate is an unexpected expense or unexpectedly getting stranded somewhere because something failed. Leasing fits my life and its done great for me for the last 6 years. If I like the car and there is positive equity there I'll buy it out and sell it a few months later.
You need one more option: Sell or Trade when something newer, shinier, and with more techno gadgets comes along...
+1 except I would reword it to "sell or trade for reasons other than warranty so can't predict when".
The Toyota Previa van that I bought in 92 is now being driven by my son and its maintenance costs continue to be low. It's a common belief that Hybrids are more complex than traditional cars, have more expensive parts, and hence ultimately require more maintenance. In the case of the Prius, I believe that except for software, it's actually simpler, that it has fewer parts that need maintenance, and that its design and operation control are better able to reduce maintenance needs. I also think that any major maintenance is likely to be far enough in the future that hybrid repair skills will be far more mainstream and if I need them, I will have far more choices than exist at present. In short, I'm not worrying about it at all. The questions Bob raises are however good ones, and I would be thinking about it if I had a Gen 1 or an early Gen 2. Barring accidents and the unexpected, I expect our 2010 Prius to still be running in 2030 and likely still be in the family.
i agree except for a few (posted on p/c) exhorbitant repair bills on cars with not that much mileage.
Given the way people drive (including Prius owners), don't bother buying the warranty. Warranty will not cover the damage caused by poor driving. I've seen Prius drivers fly past, rev the engine, or tailgate other people. While this rarely causes the engine to fail, the part that do fail WILL NEVER be covered under warranty (axles etc). My friend drove a 2007 Prius (had all the warranties) and he drove it like a Jeep/Land rover.....it started falling apart in 2 years and the dealership quoted him $2000 to fix the axles, and a couple of other parts.
This has me intrigued since it leads to the "chicken or egg" problem: Warranty service means - the independent shop has no assurance of future hybrid business until some poor Prius owner shows up at their door asking for help. Priming the Independent shop - if we can start 'sharing the business' with the independent shop . . . give them reason to see a payback . . . it is easier for them to justify the long-term commitment needed to train staff and get quality diagnostic tools and service. Sad to say, this needs to be focused on one or two local, independent shops with 'staying power' and a good reputation. Now I love to do my own work (as long as I'm alive and able) but I also realize there are things like lifts, skilled welders, and other unique tools that I don't own and really don't have the space or interest. It is an interesting problem, how to 'boot strap' an independent, hybrid repair shop. Bob Wilson
I had my 2000 Toyota 4Runner for 10 years and 305,000 miles. I did not have any repairs that would be covered by a factory warranty until I hit 200,000 miles. I predict the same for the Prius. I have had my 2010 Prius for about 14 months and it has 38,000 miles with zero repairs. In 18 months I will be past 100,000 miles. I predict zero repairs. I feel bad for those that spent $1,000 for an extended warranty on the most reliable family of cars in the world. I voted for “Regardless of warranty, decide case-by-case†If something breaks that I cannot fix I will make a decision on if I should use a local repair shop or a dealer. Based on Toyota’s great track record I will not have to worry about things breaking.
