Hello Everyone- Glad to meet all Prius owners. I just bought a 2011 Prius 4 with very low mileage, less than 60k . No accident, 2 owners. I think. I bought it at a good price. I have all the service record and the previous one about 2 months ago stated tires and front struts need replacement soon. This is from an independent mechanic which previous owner bring vehicle, I am okay with getting new tires as I noticed there is some wear and tear but should I be replacing front struts asap? Previous owner already had the brakes done. Is this common for a car with such low mileage...Also, is it common to have front struts replacement with less than 60k miles? He has been having oil lube filter with synthetic oil every 5k miles....Is this about right? Sorry, but I have never bought a used car before but got it from a friend so I trust him. I have NO knowledge of any car stuff other than knowing when tires need to be done.
Depends on how bad the roads that the previous owner travelled on. I was advised of front strut replacement closer to 100,000 miles (160,000km) Yes the oil change interval is 6 months or 5,000 miles. Toyota uses semi-synthetic 0W-20 but synthetic is fine.
The struts are likely fine. Only 60,000 miles. Depending on the types of rode it was driven on. How does it feel? Solid? or does it sway all over and a little bump in the road makes a loud thumping noise from the struts/shocks bottoming out? Replace the tires, you won't need an alignment, normally. Then drive it. If it all seems fine, don't worry about them.
thank you both for replying. What brand of tires should I buy? I live in Southern California so I am looking for all season tires. I don't drive much. Perhaps 3k to 5k maximum per year. I forgot to write that the sway bar link was replaced at 42k miles in 2022.
Look into EGR cleaning, sooner than later; definitely no later than 100k miles. See first two links in my signature (on phone turn it landscape to see signature). if the EGR cleaning is not addressed, periodically, say every 50k, third Gen Prius have a propensity to blow the head gasket, somewhere between 100-200k.
Thja Thanks very much. Do you think about 70k miles would be good for EGR cleaning. Is cleaning recommendation based on the year of car or pretty much based on mileage of car? Previous owner drove 2011 Prius mostly for city driving. Also, I called tire rack and was recommended to buy Bridgestone Turranza quiet track. If I want a cheaper tie, than Good Year Assurance all season instead. What would you recommend? I live in Southern CA. As far as keeping the car, presently the age of car is a bit bothersome for me cause don't know what may go wrong even though mileage is at 55k only. So not sure if I want to buy the more expensive Bridgestone Turranza
Congrats and welcome ! I would take it somewhere else for a second opinion, difficult to diagnose over the internet, except to say it shouldn’t need anything normally at 60,000 miles unless the tyres are original. And be aware that there are a lot of crooked mechanics out there
As soon as practical would be good. The EGR system slow-but-sure clogs with carbon, and head gasket failure is the usual outcome. Dealerships are not your firiend for this. Hybrid Pit Stop in LA may offer a thorough/complete cleaning service, for around $600~700? @RightOnTime works there, may chime in, with details, price, and opnion on when. My 2 cents, now would be good.
At 3-5k miles per year you could drive another 7-10 years before even thinking about cleaning the egr system...100k is soon enough, especially if you say you may not even keep the car that long.
