Used Gen4 Pre-purchase: TSB's, Caveats, Recommendations

try the vin on toyota.com/owners

there are a lot of little issues with gen 4, but the heat exchanger leak is the main one. now there is talk of blown head gaskets, but other than overheating from the leak we don't know anything.

 

One thing documentation doesn't show is how the car was driven.
I rented a 2020 Prius while the Prime was in the shop, and it was hard to digest how the gauges were looking and the mpgs shown. But it was a rental and I figured that it had been driven pretty hard most if it's life and it was rather pointless to try to change the mpgs in a week.
You could say I was shocked at the pump before turning it in, since I'd been used to the Primes pump averages.

 

Did you replace like for like, or did you do some funky halogen/HID --> LED

 

It was near imposible to hypermile the car. It ran just as one would expect a regular car to drive. As long as the driver never looked at any gauges besides the speedo and gas gauge once in a while. A driver would never know if they were driving a Prius, Nisson Versa or Hyundai Sonata.
Just looking at the screens that were showing when I first got in the car and drove if for a day or two. I didn't bother even looking at any of the other screens.
The car drove just like I'd expect most any other car on the road to drive and refuel. Perhaps better than some, it wasn't what I'm used to hypermiling the Prime,having to deal with only one other driver that drives it like a regular car.

The TSB's linked above, from what I've read here at Priuschat are all mostly minor issues in the grand scale of Toyota TSBs.. I've seen one post about a dash rattle and one about coolant leaking from the heat exchanger. The middle TSB - Reduced power, I'd think is more of a inexperienced driver expecting more from the car than it's able to provide in specific instances. There are times when the Prius just doesn't seem to have it's normal pep, vim and vigor. But it typically goes away in due course, unless the car somehow gets kept in the compromising situation that makes it feel so sluggish at times. Just try to imagine how it would feel to have all the energy sucked out of you or I and someone else wanted us to preform normally. Do you think we might get some complaints about our performance?

 

like for like, albeit not toyota oem. idk who makes their bulbs

 

I was unaware canadian units can't convert temps in C to F. Odd programming choice by Toyota

 

https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls

The only thing I thought about buying a Prime was get the newest year possible for battery warranty length to me, and since 2020 the Prime has a flat back seat for my dog, it had to be 2020 or newer. I think gen 4 had a good record of reliability, sometimes number one of all cars by CR. The Prime was always up near the top too.

 

I haven't read too much about the Prius trims, but the base Gen 4 and 5 Prime trims with the smaller MFD screen always seem to have more knobs to turn HVAC specially, than touches on the MFD screen.
The traditionalists here at priuschat with Prime upper trims have commented on the touchscreen HVAC controls being less convenient than the knobs.

I think having the HVAC controls on the big screen is one of those advances (if you wanna call it advanced) those of us that are used to only having knobs to turn in the past can easily complain about. Even is it only takes a few months to learn the switchover. "We are borg, you will be assimilated" kinda thing.
Technology, these days keeps on keepin on and it's just another one of those questions to be answered by each individual, whenever possible.
In short, HVAC knobs are still available on the Prime base trims in Gen 4 and I believe Gen 5 too.

 

has that been addressed in later gen 4 models

 

Go to
http://Techinfo.toyota.com
And you can see all the legitimate info.

having said that, I would suggest you peruse this site with an eye to how many members do the bare minimum when it comes to preventive maintenance and then how many of those same people report “significant issues” occurring with specific generations. Then ask yourself “do I really want to take a chance on buying a used Prius from someone like that?” The Car Care Nut once said that there are no good deals on used Priuses because the people who REALLY take care of them like they should have a tendency to hang on to them. Those that don’t care for them like they should, have problems that they pass on to the next person.

 

not that i have read, but since there is a tsb, it is possible they did some upgrading at some point.

sometimes you can tell by looking at part numbers. when a factory production part changes, the number changes

 

Luckily for me, my Prius Prime 2017 had a single owner and he always did the services at the dealer so I had access to all the services he did. He followed the service schedule religiously and I'll follow in his footsteps. My next maintenance, beside oil change is transmission and coolant change at 160k km.

 

Hopefully you are planning your coolant changes based on testing of the coolant versus mileage or time. FWIW I have already seen a slight change in the ph of the coolants after just 18 months in my ‘22.

 

WHAT!? Bisco SHOULD know full well that Toyota changed the design of the heat exchanger (but then again he does 10K OCI AND wonders why he’s having head gasket problems) .

 

i don't do 10k oci, why are you making up your own facts?

please post the link to the design change, thank you

 

How do you test the coolant? This is what it looks like right now.

Is it the same test as for standard radiator fluid (ie. Prestone)?

I have these that I bought to test the brake fluid in my Modele 3 since the brakes are rarely use. It does test for coolants but not sure of it applies for the coolant used in the Prius

Phoenix Systems 8006-B Double-Ended Brake Fluid + Coolant Test Strips (15 foil wrapped test strips), 1 Pack https://a.co/d/9JIgGmR