$6K to replace generator?

It costs $6,000 if you hire a guy like him who will replace the entire transaxle with a brand new unit from Toyota.

But if you hire a knowledgeable mechanic, they can repair the motor. There’s an excellent shop in San Francisco called Luscious Garage, and they troubleshoot and repair these things instead of just replacing the whole thing.

The other thing is... How many Prius owners here on PriusChat have reported failures of this part? I’ve been on this board since 2010, and I can’t remember a single report. I’m sure they do fail, but it’s pretty rare.

Every car has expensive failure points: Engine and Transmission, for sure. With Prius, there’s also the traction battery and inverter. But it’s absurd to conclude that Prius is less reliable or a poor buy because of this. We’re seeing that this car has outstanding longevity.

 

What these cars (3rd gen) DO have is a horrible design on the head gaskets and a well known failure of the water pump that kills the heads without ever giving you a warning.

Additionally, as our cars are slowly creeping up mileage there has been a ton of reports of inverter failures even with the new "band aid" Toyota released. I am very displeased with my Prius after replacing the engine and now concerns about inverters...

SM-N960U ?

 

First of all, the Prius doesn't have a separate generator. It has 2 motor/generators that help propel the vehicle and, when the shaft is spun by the hybrid system, generate electricity. Breakdown of those motors is extremely rare and not something to worry about.

Other than that he was right on about the risk of needing a battery replacement and the problems with "reconditioned" ones. So, yes, buying a used Prius has risks, I would recommend it only to a knowledgeable do it yourselfer who knows how to check one out in advance and then maintain it.

 

That’s nonsense!
Newsflash: ALL CARS BREAK!
Tell us which 8 year-old used car with 150,000 miles will be more reliable and less expensive to maintain than a Prius. There have been studies showing that Prius is the most reliable car made.

Sure, you should carefully check out any used car you buy, but there’s nothing really special about Prius compared to other cars, except that it’s more reliable.

Scotty Kilmer is a complete clown: He suggests the Prius is the worst car ever, but when he goes through the car, he says it’s remarkably reliable, and if it had been a GM, everything inside would have broken by 100,000 miles.

 

I spout nonsense all of the time and I welcome your opinion but I don't agree with you on this one. Some people sell a Prius when a battery is going bad and an unsuspecting buyer who heard of the reliability buys it then a warning pops up and goes to a Toyota dealer and is quoted $4,000 for a new battery installed.

If people ask me my opinion on buying a used Prius, I suggest getting an OBDII dongle and running the DR Prius app to get an estimate on battery health. If their eyes get a glassy look, I suggest looking at a Corolla instead.

I agree with you on the reliability of a Prius, I expect to keep mine until year 15 or longer, but would say that an 8 year old Corolla with 150,000 miles would be reliable as well and would be less risky for someone who is not knowledgeable, or not interested in becoming knowledgeable, about hybrids.

 

But that used Corolla could have a transmission that’s ready to fail! It’s the worst car ever!

I agree with you about having the car properly checked out, of course.

 

"The generator" just doesn't do these parts (two of them) justice at all.

He is comparing it to replacing a regular car's alternator. But this is not at all equivalent, the Prius motor-generator units don't fail with anywhere near such regularity.

The white Prius on the cover shot is a 2012-15 model, betrayed by the turn signal and LED-DRL housing. But the silver model in his yard is a 2010-11 model, per the tail lights. (I start with a 2010, now have a 2012.)

 

Like this guy, I am wildly happy buying a new Prius, and much less happy about used.

On average, a used Prius is among the most reliable vehicles. Sadly you do not buy an average, you buy one specific example.
So if you are buying used with no ability to pay for repairs, you are taking a big gamble. If you have repair money, a small gamble.

Yes, if you buy a new part from an honest dealer you will pay:
$3000 for the HV battery (try to keep it cool: Run the A/C, use B mode on long downhills, buy sunshades)
$4000 for the Inverter (never Jump start any other car, try to never jump start your Prius: buy a jump start pack with polarity protection)
$5000 for the transaxle (change the fluid at 30,000 miles, 100,000 miles and every 100,000 miles after)

You will pay less if you buy used parts from a totaled Prius.

While he fusses about the 'generator' a 10 year old Prius (first years with the 1.8 liter engine) will have engine issues more likely than any hybrid part.

John Kelly discusses the MG/1 'generator' in the first 19 minutes.

This mechanic repairs the transaxle, rather replace the entire Transaxle, she replaces only the Motor/Generator for $2500. You can see how deep inside the transaxle she is. This is a Gen 1, as Toyota improved the transaxle at each generation, so fewer and fewer go bad.

 

most reliable part of the car. kilmer is a no nothing clown. why do people watch such nonsense?

 

data point:

1. original owner 2012 with 230,000 miles
2. uses no oil
3. original traction battery and pumps
4. only non-typical maintenance has been cleaning the EGR cooler/valve, intake manifold and installing the OCC.

This has been the most reliable vehicle I have ever own. Plan to drive it until 300,000 miles before replacing any major parts.

 

A known good car with high mileage are Lincoln Town Cars, Grand Marquis and Crown Victoria's. Used by Police and Limousine service for years are cheap to buy and easy to work on and make repairs. Old schools cars and there are still a ton of them on the road.

 

He is highest master of car clickbait on youtube. I fall for it all the time . He is right most of the time though.

 

This happens with all used cars, my Insight had an undisclosed “wet seatbelt “ issue and the ecu died right after purchase

People are buying used 2011/2012 Nissan Leafs left and right only to discover they have a 35 mile usable range

If you want to avoid expensive repairs your only choice is to buy an antique car that has cheap easily replaced parts or brand ne

Shouty (as he was called) is an idiot, YouTube poop nothing more
What’s sad is although he’s been around for years no one mentioned him ever before for any reason
Until about a year ago, not sure what changed that folks feel the need to mention him constantly now.
I have a feeling Shouty will grow to start showing how to cut down trees, live evaluate toilet paper brands , evaluate failing companies, discuss the proper appearance of bowel movements, show how to remove rust and paper machete over the hole and demonstrate more “useful” knowledge of the same ilk

 

At least he is honest enough to say he's not a fan of hybrids upfront.
I have no reason to doubt what he say's about Generator replacement and potential cost. BUT...as others have pointed out, Generator replacement is a pretty rare occurrence with a Prius. If it was common? Prius Chat would be filled with posts from owners bemoaning the happening. I don't think I've read one.

I think I have to admit some agreement. I think ideally, you buy a new Prius, own it for 6-10 years, then trade it in, and buy another new Prius. Adjust the time frame + or - a little if you wish.
But basically if you can keep the ownership experience within the framework of the Prius always being a relatively new, lower mileage vehicle, distant from battery failure or any other major component failure? That really is ideal.
And I think that's what most people do, whether it's a Hybrid or a regular ICE vehicle.

Prius Chat does get a lot of people looking at older, higher mileage Prius. Usually a fundamental part of any recommendation I make about a Prius in a 8-10 year + range, is be prepared to replace the Hybrid Battery.
I have never worried a potential older Prius buyer with worries about replacing a generator. And as I said, neither have I read a lot of posts from people that have faced that failure.

I always felt that the other side of the equation, somewhat shown, is that with a Hybrid you get longer life with some components because of the Hybrid "shared load" aspect.
That is longer life for the brake pads.
And I always felt, that you are using an engine, that runs less than a regular ICE.

And also YES, the Prius encourages sane, conservative driving.
How many years of life might that ADD to the machine.

Anyway, I think Scotty Kilmer is great. His advice is good, for most people. Even his observations here, are "fair enough" BUT...I think at the very least he's over stating the likelihood of Generator Failure.

Plus with nearly all modern vehicles, if you own them long enough, they reach a point where the cost of a bigger repair exceeds the total value of the vehicle.
At that point with all vehicles you need to make a decision. Either time to move on, OR how much is it worth to you?

If I owned a 10+ year old Prius, I just wouldn't worry about Generator failure. If it happened? I'd to the math then. My observation at Prius Chat is a lot of older Prius owners have literally gone 100's of thousands of miles with out the generator ever becoming an issue.

 

More than a decade ago we took a Lincoln limo from Long Island to LaGuardia, and I noticed that the odometer showed well over 200K miles. I asked the driver how long they run them for, and he told me "About 500 thousand."

 

just like prius

 

As per Consumer Reports used car reliability ratings, there isn't a single part of the 3rd gen Prius that is less reliable compared to other cars. In fact, nearly every part is considered more reliable, compared to other cars. This includes the 2010 engine.

 

sounds right. it's just when yours breaks, someone's lincoln doesn't really matter to you.

 

That claim's starting to fray at the edges: a lot of owners, anywhere between 100K and 150K miles, are starting to report: "Gee I've got the maintenance done religiously, at the dealership, and now I'm getting this cold-start knock, oil's barely showing on the dipstick, and I keep having to top-up the coolant". The EGR/PCV screw-up is going to bite Toyota methinks.