Gen 4 for the Prius is pegged as 2016, but I can't find any indication that the change in the EGR valve and cooler design was ever brought onboard the V? Likewise I'm wondering about the C engine. It retained the smaller 1.5 engine when the Prius and the V went to 1.8 but I don't know what happened as generations proceeded. I'm not 100% clear on what engine the Gen 2 prius had although whatever the setup it seems favored from the head gasket perspective. Is there a chart somewhere that tags engine iterations to years of different models/sub models and/or to VIN # Somewhat spooked about head gasket issues in gen 3 which I have otherwise happily owned at lower miles. While it doesn't look too absurdly hard to clean the EGR if I'm not getting a car til late miles (which these days is all I can afford) might there be baked in problem? . . . I have seen a few threads where folks kept up with cleaning but still had the problem but nowhere near the number of threads about the problem occuring without cleaning.
The v wagon suffers with gen3 until its US demise in 2017. By 2015 many of us were praying for a gen4 v because engine issues with high mile gen3 cars were obvious. Interestingly head gasket problems dropped significantly by 2015 to normal failed cooling system levels. Only major change was pistons and rings in mid 2014. The 2010- mid 2014 gen3s were starting to have the hg issues three years in, so 2015-17 "should" be failing fast if the egr hypothesis held water. Gen2 has no egr, gen4s have egrs but are bulletproof.
@rjparker thanks, is there a serial number cutoff on the upgraded rings for 2014 model year. i'm looking at a 2014. manufacturing sticker says 01/14 which is maybe not quite halfway through the model year. it arrived at the dealer 03/14. and of course this would have been a change to the engine so not sure if one even knows by manufacture date of the car vs. the engine . . . thanks. as you say, the acid test is coming. i see a 2013 out there now for sale with blown head. haven't done a scientific survey of priuschat but I would say the focus has been through 2012 or 2013 so far on head gaskets. Is it just time for the later ones to start going and how would ring improvements have possibly helped (less oil getting by, less junk in EGR? or . . . ?) brian
speaking of which, I've got a friend with a 2010 standard prius liftback. she asked if she has the same problem. according to gen years I would say yes. but when i go to look for an engine to see if it is the same, 2010 they only list one version and don't even ask for the 7th and 8th digit EU vs. DU . Hers is a DU and for comparison, in 2012 they differentiate between DU and EU on the car-part.com
