90k miles in 4 years, first real expenses.

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Sporin, Oct 9, 2014.

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  1. Sporin

    Sporin Prius Noob

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    First "real" expenses being done now, with a second round later this winter.

    Left front wheel bearing really started howling. Front brake pads down to 1mm. So having that all fixed. Need to probably do the other wheel bearing (Mechanic says it's only just starting to make a little noise but hard to tell because the other one is so loud) and the rear brake pads (3mm) this winter before inspection.

    Have to see what Toyota recommends for their official 90k mile service, dealer has some near-$600 package that is probably way more than recommended and not in my budget right now. Also thinking about changing the 12v battery soonish though it's testing out ok still.

    Dealer's prices were reasonable (compared with other numbers found online) so I'm biting the bullet and letting them do it. I could save a few bucks trying to do it myself by my wrenching days are far behind me and I can't afford the time or expense of any mistakes or difficulties right now.

    We use our cars hard. VT/NH winters are long and salty, we do a lot of dirt road travel, and our paved roads are crap. 90k miles of communing in 4 years and the car has never let us down. Two recalls (manifold click-clack and the recent inverter software update), regular oil changes, a few sets of tires, and mile after mile of gas sipping, commuter and family car usage. It's traveled all over New England, up to the far reaches of Maine, to the Canadian border, and as far south as Raleigh NC. It's nearly paid off and we hope to drive it as long as possible.

    Now that my son is in the local school, and my wife takes the bus for her commute (I work from home), the miles are going to go on very slowly from here on out. Especially since it splits time with my 4Runner.

    What a good car. :) :)
     
    #1 Sporin, Oct 9, 2014
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  2. stephensprius

    stephensprius Active Member

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    what manifold click/clack?
     
    #2 stephensprius, Oct 9, 2014
  3. Sporin

    Sporin Prius Noob

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    #3 Sporin, Oct 9, 2014
  4. CARspec

    CARspec Junior Member

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    #4 CARspec, Oct 9, 2014
  5. Sporin

    Sporin Prius Noob

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    Interesting, I didn't realize that. I could reproduce mine, and in my climate it happened enough that I didn't want to risk any long term issues so I had it done as soon as I could convince the dealer to do it.
     
    #5 Sporin, Oct 9, 2014
  6. CARspec

    CARspec Junior Member

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    I'm glad they did. It isn't the end of the world if it does it from time to time, but the problem can persist and lead to no-starts and throttle malfunctions. I don't know if they are exactly related, but the solution for both is a new, revised intake manifold for which they are 6+ total revisions. They even are investigating head gasket failure as a potential cause of the misfire noise (see the link in my last post)
     
    #6 CARspec, Oct 9, 2014
  7. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    You mean you didn't pay for car, fuel, and insurance ($25k+$6k+$4k)?
     
    #7 Former Member 68813, Oct 9, 2014
  8. Sporin

    Sporin Prius Noob

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    Don't be ridiculous. I'm talking about repairs, that should be perfectly obvious from what I wrote.
     
    #8 Sporin, Oct 9, 2014
  9. ftl

    ftl Explicator

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    Fuel and insurance are expenses, the car purchase was a capital cost. :rolleyes:
     
    #9 ftl, Oct 9, 2014
  10. Sporin

    Sporin Prius Noob

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    Geez, why do I bother, thought it would be helpful.

    I was just trying to point out that the car went 90k hard miles before I had to reach in my pocket to FIX something, that's all. I think that's a GOOD thing, a thing that underlines the Prius's general reliability and durability.
     
    #10 Sporin, Oct 9, 2014
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  11. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    Good heavens, the man went 90K miles without a repair expense, and you want to nag him about grammar? Go find another board to troll.
     
    #11 Rebound, Oct 12, 2014
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  12. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Nice! I'm almost at 90,000 .... kilometers :p so a long way to go. I just got a set of Nokian WRg3s. Brake pads are at 50% after 5 years of mountain driving. The front suspension creaks from time to time (the paved roads are probably as bad as yours) but no repairs yet. The 2005's MFD stopped functioning last week; well the wheels still move on the Energy Screen but there's no radio and no beeps from the hard buttons, plus the buttons have a delayed response. Hopefully it's just a poor connection or busted BUS connector and that the entire MFD doesn't have to be replaced.
     
    #12 Tideland Prius, Oct 13, 2014
  13. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    I most definitely appreciate a post that has good grammar, spelling, punctuation, formatting, clarity and brevity. And while perfection is elusive, we can all take an extra minute and make an effort to ease the burden of our fellow readers.

    When all is said and done, we want our posts to be read and appreciated. Great content in easy to open packaging is a good [tm] thing.
     
    #13 SageBrush, Oct 13, 2014
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  14. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    Fie, fie upon thee!
     
    #14 Rebound, Oct 13, 2014
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  15. MattNiem

    MattNiem Junior Member

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    Brake pads could be replaced with shorter interval to avoid problems with brake calipers. With worn pads the piston are extended way out which can increase corrosion and jamming, and pads are cheap compared to calipers!
     
    #15 MattNiem, Oct 13, 2014
  16. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    1mm seems too thin to take it.
    Do you know how they measure out? Is it a 10mm pad? Because I think my dealer told me that mine are 7mm and 70%, but I may have that wrong.

    I totally agree with you that, with the incredibly long intervals, it's probably a good idea to replace pads a little early. Does that mean at 3 or 4mm? And is that equal to 30 or 40%?
     
    #16 Rebound, Oct 13, 2014
  17. ftl

    ftl Explicator

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    Please read the thread again, perhaps more carefully this time. Here's what actually happened:

    1. The OP made a great post on the reliability of his Prius over 90K miles.

    2. *friendly_jacek* (not me) made the comment: "You mean you didn't pay for car, fuel, and insurance ($25k+$6k+$4k)?"
    f_j's grammar is impeccable; he even got the commas in the right places. I corrected his *terminology* and supported the OP by noting that even if you count fuel and insurance as expenses, the capital cost of the car should not be included.

    3. I have made *no* comment on Sporin's OP; if I did it would be complimentary.

    4. You accuse me of being a troll.

    I have never trolled this or any forum, and I'd appreciate an apology.
     
    #17 ftl, Oct 13, 2014
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  18. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    I see. Jacek's the troll. My mistake. I apologize.
    Although I think Sporin thought you were referring to him as well. Point is, the man's gone 90,000 miles without paying for a repair, in a tough climate, and that's just fantastic.
     
    #18 Rebound, Oct 13, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 13, 2014
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  19. MattNiem

    MattNiem Junior Member

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    I don't know, but looking at this drawing it seems that they would be around 8-9 mm as new. Some variations may exist with different suppliers

    http://www.port3.ru/images/catalog/trw/GDB3454.jpg
     
    #19 MattNiem, Oct 13, 2014
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  20. Tony D

    Tony D Active Member

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    Great, we're all friends again!

    to the OP, that's pretty good in terms of reliability, long may it continue
     
    #20 Tony D, Oct 13, 2014
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