The only maintenance I've had on my 2005 Prius, 168,000 miles, has been tires, oil changes and water pump (besides recent "antifreeze" recall). Should I be concerned about any impending failures, based on other's experiences? 12V battery seems OK, and don't want to spend big bucks to replace. Ditto for brakes. Mileage dropped off this winter to high 30's, but has since recovered to mid-40's.
Change the Transmission Fluid (Toyota Type WS). Your Dealer should charge about $100. The only failure I've had was the upper steering column assembly $900 at 150k miles JeffD ps: My 2004 Prius is at 193,500 Miles
So, you're still on the original 12 volt? How are your determining that it seems "ok"? If still on your original, it's likely on its last legs and reading very low voltages. I would REALLY change the PSD fluid at this point. FWIW, some dealers claim that the fluid is "lifetime fluid" and the dealer I called today claimed it didn't need to be changed until 120K miles. Most repair experts on PC here disagree. I'm not waiting that long and am going to do it before the 51K mile mark.
Serpentine belt and PCV valve came to mind. Just my 2 cents. Here is a thread of interest: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...70410-100k-maintenance-fun-3.html#post1237297
1. Transaxle oil 2. Spark plugs 3. Serpentine belt Save up for a 12V, 'cause it has to be close to its end.
Hobbit wrote up a fascinating monograph on brake fluid maintenance. His two basic observations were 1, brake fluid ages most slower in a Prius than a regular ICE car because the friction brakes are little used; and 2, a simple copper strip test is probably enough to check brake fluid quality in deciding if a flush is needed. I am convinced, and do not plan to flush the fluid based on a mileage number.
Thanks for your feedback. The dealer has commented during past oil changes that the brakes might need repair/replacing only based on the rusted condition noted. I'm not really hearing any noise, adn most of my mileage has been on highways.
Toyota seems very vague on the subject of brake inspection, at least comparing to Honda, which is my past ownership experience. Honda's maintenance schedule call for brake inspection yearly, typically. And, the Shop Manual has a thorough and clear explanation of what the entails, basically pulling off the pads, cleaning, relubing and re-installing. Also, check of disc run out, parellelism, thickness, though this tends to be good for a long time, at least till the discs wear thin. Drum brake shoes need inspection too, lube of the contact points with the housing, and check of thickness obviously. I'm a little perplexed that a dealership lets you go that distance with no decent inspection. And quite candidly, would not want to have to do a panic stop in front of you. Addendum: The Toyota Repair Manual may be part of the problem: The brake sections basically explain a complete tear-down of the brakes. There is no explanation as to what a brake "inspection" entails. Obviously it's not complete disassembly, but what is it? It seems to be simply a check of pad thickness, maybe without even swinging up the caliper for a clear view, from what I've heard about dealerships.
Again, it's been primarily highway miles, since my commute after buying the Prius was ~100 miles/day for the first 3 years, then 1/2 that amount since then. Except for a troublesome CD insertion problem, I definitely have been lucky, though will take the advise given above to check and change as needed, battery, fluids, plugs, etc.
Thanks. The dealer that I've been using, up until last year, always seemed to find something, just to make money(?). They recomended new brakes, again, based on rust alone, but I've since switched dealers, and will get an inspection shortly. The brakes, however, seem just fine, w.r.t. stopping distance.
Mike, CD problems are common in Early Gen2 Prii. I bought a replacement stereo that was salvaged from a 2006 from: Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicle PHEV (Steve is a great guy) for $82 (including shipping from Indianapolis). There are full instructions at that site for removing the MFD and then the Stereo which takes about 30 minutes (as does installation). If you feel insecure about DIY, just bring the instructions and the replacement stereo to any decent car stereo shop. JeffD
