I must have been living in an alternate universe last night when I posted the car really has 240K. So the questions are the same. It has ran all these years without a single complaint. I took it in last week to have something looked at and came home with a laundry list of things that need replaced it totaled about $3,500 wheel bearings, brakes struts Tires (this will be the third set the car has seen) So the question is if I replace all of this will I have a car that will last until 300k plus? Currently I drive 80 miles a day to work but I am retiring at the end of the year and the car will see lite mileage after that. Do we have a good Idea what the mileage is on the traction batteries before they go? What is the going price for a gen 2 traction battery pack these days. Thanks guys and gals I lost my head for a while last night. Any thoughts are appreciated! Many Thanks!
I'd question whether all those components really need to be replaced at once, if they weren't giving you obvious symptoms. Nobody can know whether the car or the traction battery will last to 300K or not. Likely the car will, if your keep repairing whatever goes wrong. Whether an expensive repair (traction battery, for example) will be economically justified at that age and mileage is a harder question.
My first question would be do you have access to the complete servicing receipts? Was the car serviced by the dealer or the local gas-station, or a friend or family member? …or even by you? My last Toyota (1993 Corolla DX Wagon) had 292,000 miles on the odometer before it failed the NH State Inspection (…rotten rocker-panels), but the engine/transmission was in great shape, and the car had been rigorously maintained. My comment would be "…it's all in the maintenance!" (…see my posts about Prolong Grid Charging for your Traction-Battery) - hope this helps - Wil
nothing, can guarantee you one more mile. i would either trade it, or take it for a second opinion, if you don't know anything about cars. the only items i would do, if you're not having any issues are: none of them. you're already beyond average on the traction battery, and a new one is $2,000.+ and installation of a few hundred. or you can get a decent rebuilt for around $1,500. and installation. which really doesn't make any sense, unless you're only going to keep it another few years. you also need to be concerned about big ticket items like a/c and brake master cylinder, engine and transmission.
Dealer gave me a $3000 list, too! Car-X replaced both of my front bearings, disk brakes, rotors, water pump and transaxle fluid for $1000. Wait for a sale and very good tires will cost you about $500. do not know what the struts cost. Spend a couple days getting bids. Ask for a specific measurement on the brake thickness -- I betcha you can go another 10-20,000 miles. Even the dealers get competitive when you tell them you are shopping. Some even price match.
If your quote is from a Toyota dealer it is high. Also, if from a dealer, they are more interested in profit than giving an accurate appraisal of the necessity of repairs. Find a good independent shop and get a 2nd opinion. Also search in Gen 2 Care Maintenance and Troubleshooting re your suggested maintenance items. You will find useful info. Some items are recommended to be done by dealer or experienced with prius mechanic. Some dealers have bad reputations. Much info re failing batteries are in that subforum of PriusChat. Hours of enjoyable reading available. JMO, I would do what is necessary to get the car safely thru to the end of the year. If planning on a different car for retirement you can start looking now. A friend just purchased an AWD Forester and his first tank of gas gave him 35 mpg. Gently driven, of course. Newer Corollas are nice cars and often reach the 40 mpg range. Good luck
Traction batteries' longevity has almost nothing to do with mileage. It has to do with depth of discharge during daily driving. A car who has 50k of jackrabbit starts and hard driving may have more wear than a battery with 200k on it. It is about complete cycles. A diagnosis of condition is possible, watch amps under a load and watch change in voltage or sag under load. A battery "block" whose voltage sags more than .3 volts away from other blocks will set a code. Battery diagnosis is time consuming. It is a gamble depending on the skill of your technician. Because of multiple ways an HVbattery can degrade, often the only recommendation from a dealer will be a factory replacement. Unfortunately HV batteries that are perfectly fine for service are often replaced unnecessarily. XT1585 ?
