Just bought a 2010 Prius yesterday!

Which tail light is cracked? I may have one to sell you.

Keep an eye on the oil level of your car. Check every 1000 miles until you determine if the car burns oil or not. Many 2010 models have reported oil burning issues.

 

Congratulations! I bought my 2010 in early May.

My first weekend, I took off all the wheels, wrote down the tread depths, inspected the brake pads and rotors, wrote down their thicknesses, and made sure the caliper slide pins all moved freely.

Later I checked the air and cabin filters (easy) and, after making sure I had the right tool for the oil filter cap, changed the oil, and the filter element.

Now I have jugs of SLLC coolant and WS ATF (and the necessary 10mm hex driver for the drain plugs, and new gaskets) in preparation for changing those.

You might look closely at the connectors for your low-beam headlight bulbs. If each one has a white/black wire and a purple one, that means the fix hasn't been made for the 2010-2011 eats-low-beam-headlights-really-fast issue.

Your car might not have the issue, but if after driving it for a while you find yourself thinking it uses up low beams too fast, you'll remember this post and know there's a fix available. (If you see that both wires to the headlight bulb are white with black stripes, the fix has been done already.)

Mine got new low beams in May when I bought it (courtesy of the seller, who was embarrassed that they were both burned out). So far, those haven't burned out yet, and I haven't installed the fix yet.

On the subject of fixes, service campaigns and recalls, definitely go to toyotaowners.com and register your VIN and see if it shows any recommended work that hasn't been done.

Cheers,
-Chap

 

Definitely change the transaxle oil, and a very worthwhile upgrade, IMO, is the horn upgrade (link in my signature below) where you change the wimpy horns out for dual tone more aggressive ones.

 

congrats and welcome! i suppose its time to do all the fluids, if they haven't been. check your o/m for the recommended maintenance schedule. all the best!

 

Tint the windows and lower it ?

 

I would put in a strut bar, rear sway bar, lower center brace, and intake. Your Prius will handle better then it did when it was new.

If you need suggestions on the parts mentioned above let me know.

 

Howdy mate! Fresh new fluid is necessary which also helps you check the condition of parts.

 

The transaxle fluid likely has never been changed; if you can't find out via the service history I would assume it hasn't. The fluid's best changed early on, say after a year or two, then subsequent changes can be infrequent. Toyota's adamant about not including it in the maintenance schedule, and the dealerships are largely in lockstep with this policy, there's a lot of misinformation on the service. Ask about it, it's straightforward, should not cost over a $100, $70 would be a good deal.

 

1. Cold Air intake increases power and you can feel it when you accelerate, also increases engine sound (only when you gas it hard), and increases mpg at freeway speeds. However, in stop-and-go traffic I see my mpg drop with the intake more then normal.

2. Tanabe Sustec Strut Tower bar (ANY 2010 to 2015 listed bar will work for the 3rd gen Prius. Some sellers don't know what they are selling) This is the best upgrade because your steering wheel will almost entirely lose its dead zone and the car will corner better. Also a strut bar should be standard in every car by now. Ridiculous its not.

3. TRD Rear Sway bar (PTR11-47010 OEM) will control your rear better in cornering.

4. Tanabe Sustec Front Under Brace bar works good to connect your under body a little pricey for a small bar but worth it.

I also cut the fake engine sound and reverse mode sound. Installed HID's, LED's, Leather, carbon fiber emblem backgrounds, push button gears, etc.

 

if she did all the recommended service, which you can find out from the toyota owners site, you should be good.