2010 Prius I 257,000 miles ran fine but very suddenly didn't. Worth repairing

2010 with 257k miles, you've had a good run. Time to retire it. If you throw money at it now (and it'll need a lot), you won't be able to let it go, it'll become a money pit. So advertise it for $1000 on craigslist or Facebook and call it a day

 

I don't understand how they can replace a head gasket for only $1,000. They're going to regret quoting you that price for sure. I'd keep the car. The value of the car is not what you can sell it for, but what it's worth to you. It keeps you from spending $40,000 on another one that gets the same fuel economy. So this one in a way could be seen as $39,000 saved. Put that $39,000 into investments and triple it in 5 years and you'll have $120,000. Triple it again 5 years later and you'll have over 300 k. All of my cars are more than a decade old

 

If you're near Lakeland Florida, I'll buy it from you

 

Run now as fast as you can before you're tied in too much with money there are tons of cars out there that are way better than this model here and for near nothing to purchase but that's usually not the problem so hammer away at something different a Yaris a Corolla I mean a more sporty a Yaris rally car whatever there's plenty for you to get to get you out of a generation 3 this is not a keeper vehicle It is not a long haul vehicle this is what you get from these in particular looks like it's going to continue through well the current year we're in so Prius time is not good going forward doesn't look good gets rave reviews as long as you're out of the cars at about 1:50 $160ish You're good You're passing the book on to the next person and well you've done the right thing you know in your world. But these are not the Toyota's that I grew up with so there's always that All of our Toyotas have gone double the distance of this car always you know since like 1975 so getting something like 200,000 and a blown engine is quite unt Toyota like in the world I've lived in but I guess it's expected now like with most things.

 

the OP states he has no car repair skills, while you're a ASC certified mechanic. I think there is a big difference in you keeping an old car vs the OP keeping an old car.

 

Dump it

 

Or get started pulling it apart and “suddenly” revise the quote upwards?

Traditional 3rd Gen head gasket failure symptom.

 

It's worth it to replace the head gasket. Hopefully, the head is not warped.
You haven't put much money into it, so it's worth it.
You never know what you'll get with a used motor. Plus, how long has it been
sitting???
You can get a remanufactured motor for about $2-2500.00.
I just turned 327,000 miles on my 2010. I replaced the head gasket at 301,000.
I caught it first knock and noticed the coolant a slightly down.

Hopefully, your mechanic will do a good job. Keep us up to date!

 

Hope isn’t a plan, all the best!

 

Keep posting here (it's not possible to "delete your post", except for moderators); it'll be good to hear how it turns out.

Check out my signature. If your mechanic is an independent the bottom link in particular will be of use. Also check out the EGR cleaning tips (It's my belief clogged EGR is the main contributor to these head gasket failures), and the head gasket replacement specific links

(if on a phone turn it landscape to see signature)

 

All your problems will be solved for another decade or longer by putting a gen4 engine in your Gen3 Prius... Not cheap, but cheaper than replacing the car entirely.

 

Gen 4 transplants have been getting a bad rap for causing over-heating, and I don't think anyone's got to the bottom of it yet. Hybrid Pit Stop sells rebuilt gen 3 engines, worth checking out. Maybe cheaper than having a mechanic pull the head, send it to machine shop, and replacing the short block.

 

Sure would be nice to actually see some documentation on that... As the years go by the more I'm realizing a clogged EGR valve makes engine run hotter but not enough to cause head gasket failure. But then those dumb electric engine water pumps starts blinking out and those two problems combine to pretty much immediately cause the gasket to fail between cylinder 1 & 2.

 

The fluids alone is $100. The head gasket is $100. If all goes perfectly and they're reusing the head bolts, they're only getting $800 in labor charges. That's $50 an hour and they're not paying for shop time. You won't find me giving away my time like that. They're giving it away. Keep us updated on how it goes

 

Pulling trailers. I have to hold my foot pretty close to the floor pretty often. A lot of times spent at redline. I wouldn't take a chance with a 4th gen transplant. if coolant flow is all wrong I'll find out fast by blowing this engine