my 2007 Prius Five has 245,000 miles on it. I replaced the front right bearing and hub last summer (tough job). Toyota replaced the water pumps way back when one of them came up on a recall, so I had them change both. I just replaced the front rotors after a vibration developed (that fixed it) so now the breakes are new all the way around. Changed the drive fluid at 75,000, 150,000 and 240,000. I use 5W30 full synthetic oil in the engine. Change oil every 7000 to 10,000 miles. it uses a little oil. It's not uncommon to be down a quart after 5000 miles. I did have to re-set the anti-lock brakes by jumping pin # 4 and #13 (I think) and pumping the breaks after the front bearing job. I had to do it again after changing the rotors and rears but I bought a scanner that has ABS and re-set it with that the second time. That car can actually shut of any one break if it sees a problem with it. When I was doing the rear breaks, one of the wheel cylinders was frozen (stuck) so I tapped it with a rubber mallet and it popped out the other side (fluid everywhere). But, it got un-stuck and I cleaned it up and put it all back together. I couldn't bleed the cylinder afterwards because the ABS light was on and it shut off that wheel. So, I bought the scanner re-set the ABS and blead the brakes. Had to re-set the ABS a few times to get a good blead. Any hoo, it's been a good car. I've got a 96 mile commute, round trip, all highway. Average MPG has been about 45. It dropped to 42 last year and then came back this summer. Not sure why. Average now is 46 something. Dave Chicago area
The best piece of equipment to use for bleeding the brakes or any other service work is the Mini VCI with Techstream. Tecstream is the same system the dealer uses. The system has a walk through for bleeding the brakes or changing the brake fluid opening and closing the various solenoids as needed. You will also need a laptop preferably an older one with XP or vista, but the software can be made to run on W7 or 8 There is much more to the system than the normal brake system particularly in the area of vehicle stability control, "circuit shown in link below" so I would advise that you re bleed the system using the correct procedure. The VCI and the software are available on Ebay for around $25 and will work on any OBD2 compliant Toyota. This will also make your scanner redundant, being able to read all the Prius codes, and sub codes. It is also capable of reading things like battery module voltages and resistance, re setting the brake linear solenoid, and setting the steering zero point. brake map.jpg John (Britprius)
When (if) have you replaced the iridium spark plugs, I think 110K is pushing it, new ones will eventually pay for themselves with increased FE. Also regarding FE, clean your throttle bottle, buy a new toothbrush for brushing your teeth and use the old one to clean your TB along with some oxygen sensor safe TB cleaner. Again, it'll pay for itself in spades. If I were you I'd buy a VW TDI with a manual transmission. You'll get better FE over the Prius on the highway, you'll get the enjoyment of a manual on the weekends around town, and once you're up to speed on the highway its no more troublesome than an automatic to drive. To me the Prius is the ultimate city car, not highway cruiser, that's why you see so many taxi cabs use them. I just wish the guy in my town that uses prius for taxi cab actually used winter tires and performed routine maintenance on them.
Dave, It's great seeing your success with the 2007! Mine has 140,000 miles on it and it acts like it's brand new. No rattles, squeeks, or worn out anythings. I did replace the front struts last year - other than that it's beeen maintenance free since I got it a year ago. I get 55 mpg in summer - 48 mpg in Vt winter. It's a six and more fun to travel in than my wife's gen lll. I absolutely love driving this car! I don't think i'll ever have a "normal" car again. I do admire your skills in maintenance. I've just learned to leave that to someone who knows what they're doing. 245,000 is certainly impressive! Best, Cliff
Yes but a TDI has no expensive battery to replace and a manual transmission is more fun than our snooze boxes. Diesels also last longer and theyve engineered the bad smell and chatter out of diesel engines. I still think the prius is the best choice for those that drive a ton in the city like taxi companys but if you drive all on the highway youre not taking full advantage of regenerative braking so why bother with a boring prius get something fun.
I just picked up a 2008 Prius for a 70 mile round trip commute I started this week. It is mostly highway driving, but I still went with the Prius over a TDI for a few different reasons: -A nice TDI of similar vintage/cleanliness/mileage was more expensive to purchase. -when I checked fuelly.com, it did not appear that any of the TDIs really matched the 2nd gen Prius in real-world economy. -I've had really good luck with the quality of the Japanese-built Toyota vehicles, and will continue to buy them. After my last 4Runner, I'm pretty loyal. I'm not sure I'm interested in the rest of a 150,000 or so mile VW, regardless of how long the engine will last. The Prius I picked up has 117k on it, and I'm getting consistent 52 mpg tanks out of it...highway driving, although the highway has got its ups and downs. Avg. mileage goes down on the way to school, and then i gain it back on the way home. Great commuter car, and rides nice and tracks straight and true.
Valid points on the build quality that I didn't think of. My commute to/from work has a similar mileage situation. If I take the side streets home, it's even more significant. I would take them to work, but it's not usually practical due to traffic and time constraints. I am glad your Prius tracks straight. They are prone to wander a little in wind, and non-LRR tires and/or lower tire pressures can make them try to follow just about any crack/line in the road.
