Hello All, I've owned this 2002 since about 2007 and it has been a GREAT car. Only major problem I had was when the hybrid battery cells had discharged around 2010. Took it to Luscious Garage in San Francisco and Carolyn fixed everything and gave it a tune up for an awesome price. Since then just the general maintenance. However, about a week ago I noticed it began making some loud noise and felt like it wasn't accelerating with the same umf as before. The check engine popped up, follower shortly thereafter by the master warning. I pulled the codes and got P3100 & P3125 - which appear to relate to the transaxle motor/generator. Then, i found this post from Luscious and I had every one of these symptoms other than the high temperature warning. Luscious Garage | Blog | Gen 1 Prius Transmission Repair, P3009, P3120, P3125 It seems the time for serious work has come; however, I'm down in LA now instead of Northern California and relocating to Texas within the next couple months, so I was trying to decide - should I put out the money for the cost of repair (and transportation to the shop) OR just call it a great run and retire the prius? Maybe to some place that could part it out or even use it for a current repair. Any suggestions? I hate to see it go, but for the total cost, I could put a down payment on a newer car or even get a newer model. Just don't know if the cost is justified.
Here's a few quiestions I'd ask: How many miles on the car? Do you plan on having a garage or Toyota do the work? Are you capable of doing the repair? do you have time to do the job yourself before the move?
The Cheapest route if the car has less than 150k miles and worth putting $1000 into. Car-part.com find salvage transmission and pay cash $25o-400. Find guy (non-dealer street level ) to swap out bad one for $400-800. Repairing transaxle is lots of work and tuff for most shops to do right. Any shops that know how to do it right are Gonna charge top dollar $1200-1800.
Time to find a new home in an urban area for that Prius. Texas has heat and high-speeds which are death for this model Prius. The 2004-09, with the 2009 recommended is a better solution. Better still, 2010-current, would be the way to go with even more power and improved traction battery modules. The 2004 and later Prius have lower aerodynamic drag and more power that easily handle Texas speeds. The traction battery modules are also much improved which handles the heat. I have and do use our 2003 Prius for trips to Nashville, ~120 miles. In urban areas, it is easier to keep the 65 mph upper limit to avoid stressing the car. But for longer trips, we use the 2010 Prius which has better highway mileage and an easier ride. Bob Wilson
I keep reading how bad Texas is for these cars, yet I have a 2002 here with 180K miles going strong. Am I an anomaly? I also regularly see 3 other Gen 1 on the roads out here in rural West Texas. I did have to replace the HV battery last year, but that was my fault as I let the car sit for several months. My dealership said mine was only the second HV battery replacement they had done at the time. Just because the speed limit is 75-80 on a lot of roads, it doesn't mean you have to drive that fast. It is hot here, but a dry heat in this part of the state.
Hi Everyone, Thanks for the great replies! Sorry for the delayed response, been busy. Over 280k I would take it to a garage, Luscious is my go-to, but if I can't find an affordable way to get it there, I'd check for one in So-Cal. I'm mechanically inclined enough to do the repair, but live in an apartment complex with no room to actually work on the car. If I could do the repair in a weekend, yes; otherwise, my travel and relocation schedule probably won't allow for much more. Should I not worry about it since my mileage is so high? Ultimately, it sounds like it's time to retire = (. This has been such a great car and we've had MANY trips, as you may have noticed. But now I have a question as to what to do now. It still runs, but obviously needs the work done. Should I just list it as-is or do shops buy these? Any info or posts about where to sale or who would want one of these older models? Thanks again!
