Our 2010 Prius 3 just passed 305,000 miles and yesterday, a half mile from home, threw the "Check Hybrid System" warning with all the warning lights. Dealer this morning scanned it (sorry forget to get a copy of the quote... think the code was P008-something) and quoted new traction battery, new ECU and battery fan filter for almost $3,900. He recommended the ECU because there's no diagnostic for it by itself and it's called for by the Toyota procedure for that code. No repair option sounds good because the car is so old. It's already leaking oil from the head, and the struts and 12v battery are original. It rides like a rattly old truck, though the body and interior are still very nice. I'd be spending a lot and might have some other big item (Inverter? Exhaust system? Struts?) fail the next day. I don't have the time or wrench chops to attempt this myself. Might be time to upgrade to a Prime... Thoughts appreciated! Mark Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
If you can afford a new car, then a Prime would be a great option. Best car I've ever had, by far!! You can read all about it here: Prius Prime Plug-in 2017-Now | PriusChat
First.. congratulations on hitting the 300k mile marker! Probably had a broken or clogged hybrid battery fan. Both my roommates 2011, and my sisters 2010 had the hybrid battery fan fail. Battery was fine. But if it drove long enough with a partially clogged fan it could have ruined the battery. As you probably know, heat ruins battery's. But regardless, your battery had a nice long life! Just out of curiosity Was the fan ever cleaned?
the 12 volt is original??? id change that first, reset the codes and if they pop up again have the traction battery rebuilt for around $500... change the valve cover gasket(if that's where the leak is) and she will last a few more years dealer is always going to tell you the repair is more than the car is worth to sell you a new one
The code was P0A80...battery fan. The procedure called for cleaning the fan then replacing the battery and computer... closing the barn door after the horse ran away, to me. :-/ I don't think cleaning the fan or filter appears in the maintenance schedule. If it's that critical it seems it would be! Ah, well... Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
I know the repair costs more than the car is worth. How much would anyone pay for a seven year old car with 305,000 miles? At most I'd have gotten $4,000 in a private sale before the failure. The struts (whole suspension actually) are worn, the head gasket (not valve cover) is leaking. Almost every part in the car except light bulbs and front end body parts (three minor accidents) is original. Why roll the dice? Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Possibly check with Toyota USA for battery replace assist. I am confused if Toyota now has some rebuilt battery options for lower cost. also if you do buy another Prius, sometimes Toyota will help fix the older one, assuming you keep it or have someone to give it to.
If it was just the battery fan it would be worth it. But head gasket.... that honestly isn't worth it. That in it's self almost totals the car even without the other problems unfortunately. My sister 2011 has a head gasket failure, but it has half the miles so we are replacing the engine.
It's really "the sum of all fears" and knowing we were going to replace it by this time next year anyway. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Hopefully a Prime but if the delivery is too long a Prius 3 or 3 Touring. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Step One: Attach a working 12V battery. You don't want to buy it, you just gotta use it for an hour or two.
A new Prime would be your best option in my opinion. At 305K it isn't worth fixing a car with that many miles. I'd maybe do a 12V swap, clean the HV battery fan to make sure the battery pack really is bad. If you can get the codes cleared you're looking $1,000 to $1,500 more for the car during a trade in.
Impressive mileage. You probably could rebuild the battery yourself for just under $500 by using our systems, but not sure if that is an investment you want to make if you are only desiring to keep the car one more year.
Wow, at 305,000 miles I don't think anyone could accuse the OP of not getting their moneys worth. That's a lot of miles for any vehicle. I think one could easily say, that the failure of the HV battery would be a good portent that perhaps it's time to look at a new vehicle. That being said? Well the curious adventurer in me would "almost" love to see how many more miles could be put on the vehicle. And the truth is that purchase of a new "Prime" is going to cost a whole lot more than $3,900. And, with that mileage, and that code? I'd suspect the vehicle as it sits, is nearly valueless. I "almost" want to be contrary and say..."Fix it, and keep going". But as much as I think it would be fun to keep the clock ticking on that Prius.... I can't in good conscious say I think it's the right advice. No it's probably time to move on.
If you were going to replace it next year regardless then I think it would be quite foolish to pound more money into it now. I'd start seeing what your upcycle or resale options are as-is and go from there.
I agree! We're hoping a good local DIY type would buy it as a project car but if not we'll just let the dealer take it off our hands. I don't have the time or desire to have it hanging around in hopes of getting a few hundred more... Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
