Hello Everyone! I hope all is well and everyone and their Prius' are in optimal condition. I'm currently approaching 160,000 miles on my 2013, trim 2, Prius. I purchased the vehicle as a certified pre-own with around 30,000 miles roughly three years ago. I tend to do most of the maintenance for the vehicle myself, but am more than willing to go into a shop if need be. The only maintenance that has been done on the vehicle since purchase would be regular tire rotations, front brake pad replacements, regular oil changes, cabin/engine air filter replacements, and the cleaning of the hybrid battery fan. My Prius is beginning to run a tad rough and I can tell is in desperate need for a major facelift. Can anyone give me some pointers as to what maintenance needs to be done, point me in the direction of adequate resources, etc. I'd like to keep my Prius on the road for another 1,000,000 miles, so ANY help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Hey Humble. The owners manual is an adequate beginners guide to Prii longevity. The best resource IS Priuschat though, hands down. Attached is the maintenance schedule that one will find in said owners manual but purdy-er. Its past time to replace the spark plugs. Start there. Also, search for 'EGR cooler' for a fun time! Enjoy!
Very, very likely you have a clogging EGR system by now, I would deal with ASAP. Also remove and thoroughly clean the intake manifold, throttle body, and install an oil catch can. While you're in there maybe spray the MAF sensor with the proper MAF sensor cleaner (CRC makes one). Also: Transaxle fluid drain and fill. Periodic dose the fuel tank with good fuel injector cleaner. Some threads of interest: EGR & Intake Manifold Clean Results | PriusChat Oil Catch Can, Eliminate that knock! | PriusChat Lots of invaluable DIY videos: Nutz About Bolts Prius Maintenance Videos | PriusChat Some Repair Manual excerpts attached. Also attached: a version of the US schedule, extrapolated out to 240K miles.
Lube brake caliper pins, if one of them seizes you’ll lose MPGs, brakes inadvertently stays slightly engaged and potiental warped rotor(s). Should be done every 3 years or 36,000 miles. Have to do mine also because I drove through flooded roads months ago
Tri-yearly brake fluid change is not a bad idea. I got dealership to do it at the 3 year mark, while doing the master cylinder recall. At 6 year mark I DIY'd it, with my wife helping, pushing the brake pedal. @NutzAboutBolts video (pinned in 3rd gen Maintenance forum) helped immeasurably. The Repair Manual gives you a terse, bare-bones instruction, but the video shows you hands on what's involved, gets you thinking "I can do this", and has tips that will make all the difference. For example, getting into "invalid mode": the Repair Manual says "Select N", but neglects to point out you need to be stepping on the brake to accomplish this: