So far, so good. I'm super excited about the car. Here's the deets. 1) Went from a 2003 V6 mustang to the 2005 Prius. :cheer2: 2) I put 200+ miles a week on the car, so the gas mileage is one of the resons I chose the Prius. 3) I have a yellow carpool lane sticker for California carpool lanes - hoping to find a group that is looking to lobby State Legislature to get it extended past 7/1/2011 4) There's 58,000 on the car, it's a toyota certified pre-owned. HOWEVER, I really want to know what I need to be looking out for with regard to issues that might come up. VERY VERY Exited to be a Prius owner.
At 58,000 miles there isn't much to worry about. Follow the recommended service schedule. If you didn't get one, let us know. It should be a thin book in the glove box. Don't trust your dealer to tell you what needs to be done. They like to add a lot of unnecessary work to make a little extra money. 60,000 miles is one of the bigger service points, but it still isn't a lot. Tom
Very trouble free auto. The 12 volt battery can cause the most problems. Check the voltage periodically in the morning and what your looking for is 12.5 or better volts. If it goes below 12.2 V then it is time to think of a new one. It is a special battery and liquid free and is vented. I am new to this car so I am not a authority on the auto but weak battery seems to be the cause of allot of horror stories to owners.Check things out! Hal
Welcome and congrats! The 2005 model has been trouble free for me for over 125,000 miles. That being said, I would have your 12v battery checked as described above. I would also talk to the dealer to see if your car received the updated inverter coolant pump. They are installing them for free right now so make sure your car didn't fall between the cracks. Ohh and be forewarned that your car has a very aggressive form of traction control compared to the 2006+. It can leave you stranded in icy conditions or on slopes with a loose surface. To avoid this issue choose your tires well! Smile because you have a nice painted dash surface instead of that cheapy textured ABS look on the 2006+ cars.
THANK YOU FOR THE RESPONSES. Thankfully, I live in Southern California, so no ICY conditions for me until Climate change takes full effect. I asked the dealer specificially if the 60K maintenance was done, and was told yes, but I don't know enough about it to be able to verify if that's correct. Nice thing about the previous owner, they had all maintenance and oil changes done at a Toyota dealer, so all the records were available to me to see. I don't believe I have the booklet about scheduled maintenance. I'm assuming I can get a new one.
All the scheduled maintenance info are here: Toyota Parts and Service You also need the correct year Owner's Manual. That you'll have to buy, probably from a dealer.
I have a 2005 Driftwood Pearl Prius with about 160,000 miles on it. The only things I've had to repair on mine were 2 bad wheel bearings. I still have the original 12V battery, but am thinking about having it replaced soon even though no signs of trouble yet. I also have the original shock absorbers and am wondering if they should be replaced soon as well, even though they seem to be functioning fine. I replaced the front brake pads at about 150,000 miles. this has been the most maintenance free, trouble free auto I have ever owned.
A real easy way to verify what work has been done on your Prius would be to sign up at Toyota Owners - Official Toyota Owners Website. You'll be able to see all the maintance done by a Toyota dealer.
Hey there. At 65k (right now) I had my battery changed, transaxle fluid changed, air cabin and engine air filter changed. I think those all can be done when you hit 60k. Cheers!
Changing the transmission fluid at about 60,000 miles is recommended by some here. I have been changing mine at about that interval although Toyota doesn't require that you do it until 100 K.
Hello, My fiance and I just bought our first Prius and love love love it! We are the proud owners of a 2005 Prius. I think she is Magnetic Gray, but still trying to figure that out. We bought her last Sunday and brought her home monday. So far she has been cleaned inside and today we changed the oil. First time I have really been a part of auto care and was fun. Penny was badly abused by her previous owner and we are doing our best to make her better. I love driving my prius! :cheer2: Can't wait to get the second one, we are hooked on prius now.
