DIY Maintenance (Gen2 Prius)

I'm an average DIYer and my '07 has never been in a shop except for a couple of recalls. The "special computer" is an old laptop and a $20 adapter and that gives a lot of diagnostic and testing power.

Since you're posting in the Gen 2 forum, be aware that the average life of the original traction batteries is now about ten years. They won't last too many more years. So unless you get one for an excellent price and are ready to spend another $2500 or so on a new battery, you might want to look at that Camry.

 

FWIW: 3rd gen Prius brake fluid change is relatively straightforward, can be done without the special software, procedure outlined in Repair Manual, and @NutzAboutBolts has a video on it (and many other potential DIY maintenance procedures), pinned in the maintenance sub-folder.

Oil changes are a little complicated, due to engine underpanel, and oil filter housing that necessitates getting a correct fitting oil filter socket (64 mm, 14 flute).

Valves are hydraulic adjustement, don't require adjustment on 3rd gen, 2nd gen are are a shim-and-bucket nightmare, best left to pros. Or just left alone.

Spark plugs on 3rd gen require some pain-in-the-nice person removal of components for access, again @NutzAboutBolts has a video on this. Very long interval though.

Brakes are a little tricky, but that much more so. You want to be careful not to upset the computer, and it's best to put the car completely to sleep (by disconnecting the 12 volt negative cable) for the duration of brakes being open, to avoid mishaps. But yeah it's doable, best to have the Repair Manual excerpts.

Transaxle fluid change is not mentioned by Toyota in the schedule, it's supposedly "lifetime". In practice it is simple to drain and fill, and not that expensive. Worth doing sooner than later, then maybe once or twice more down the road.

For all of the above, check out the aforementioned videos.

 

While some traction batteries will typically start failing around 10 years, we don't have enough information regarding whether or not 10 years is the average or what the standard deviation is for how long the batteries last. Based on the data I've evaluated on True Delta thus far, approximately 3% of Prius hybrid batteries fail within 10 years, and that number goes up to 10% for failure rates within 15 years. Of course, these numbers are from one website and only reflect the percentage of people who decided to replace failed batteries instead of purchasing a different vehicle. And that makes predicting the average hybrid battety lifetime very difficult.

Due to that difficulty, it's fair to warn people buying a 10+ year old Prius that the risk for a failed battery seems to increase notably at the 10 year mark. But we don't really know enough to say "they won't last too many more years."

 

It's the Mini VCI, and here's one. Amazon sells them too. If you don't have an old 32-bit Win7 or XP laptop, you should be able to find good working ones on your local Craiglist for around $75. Chances are an acquaintance will have one as a doorstop.

The labor to replace the hybrid battery is not a problem for someone with basic electrical safety skills and mechanical tool aptitude. You need to lift about 80 pounds bent over in the back seat of a car--might want to get a second back for that. Since the battery is chemical, not mechanical, vehicle miles don't always tell the wear on it. Ambient heat and number of cycles might be more important factors. A battery that has been used in southern mountains will have less life, as will a car that has transported shedding dogs whose hair clogged up the cooling vent. As pointed out above, age alone may or may not be an issue.

Salvaged and rebuilt batteries are available, but they will use the same age modules. A new battery will cost over $2000, and owners of aging Priuses who want to keep their cars (me!) should be mentally and financially ready for that hit. Keep in mind that battery is easily transferable to another old Prius.

A note about brakes--some Prius owners never have to deal with the friction surfaces. The regen braking feature takes a lot of the duty. But the fluid should be changed every 60K miles, I believe, and for that you should have the Mini VCI.

 

I'm still kicking myself: an "acquantance" with perfectly eligible laptop took a hammer to his.