Just won an auction on a 2015 Prius V, initial maintenance suggestions?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by ChaseE, Dec 23, 2024 at 11:30 AM.

  1. ChaseE

    ChaseE Junior Member

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    As my business has been growing, my gen 2 is getting cramped for storage hauling my product (oil lamps I make from crystals, fossils, etc.) to events...it carries a ton, but for longer distance events and festivals several hundred miles away that last more than two days, I can't carry enough to stay fully stocked with inventory if I'm really busy. So the search began for something to handle the job.

    Luckily I found a government auction where a county was selling a 2015 Prius V with 105k miles...bid on it, and won for 10k! It has full service records as it was fleet maintained based off Toyota's schedule it looks like, but this issue is the records are not specific. It will show 80,566mi PM SERVICE C $544.07 for instance but not provide any description about what was actually done parts and labor wise. I can infer some things based on research of fleet service codes A B and C in terms of inspections and mandatory replacement items, but it's largely a guess.

    With that in mind, what would YOU do as a baseline with these miles? I already ordered a new oem egr cooler (will chop off the bracket for the demon nut so I can alternate between the two easier) and plan on cleaning the intake manifold, throttle body, egr valve immediately. Also ordered new ngk plugs, toyota ws fluid, SLLC coolant, liqui moly pro-line engine flush, oem oil filter and mobile 1 esp 0w-20, and am probably going to get rear springs from prius offroad to handle the weight of hauling 450lbs of rocks on a regular basis.

    Anything else?
     
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    All the items you listed are good, but if this were my car, I would change the oil first and then drive it 1000 miles to make sure nothing is really wrong with the car. See how much oil it burns (if any), then decide to do all the maintenance you listed.
     
  3. ChaseE

    ChaseE Junior Member

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    Good point...im hoping since this is the 2015 with revised pistons and rings I'll be ok with the consumption, but I guess I should get a baseline idea first.
     
  4. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

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    IMHO, I probably wouldn't do the Liquid-Moly engine flush and use Valvoline restore and protect oil instead. It's not a good idea to remove large chunks from 100K miles of build-up. Placing large chunks into suspension can clog or 'gum-up' the small passages of the engine's internals, especially small passage mechanical hydraulic timing control valves. I would prefer a more gentle scrub of engine internals. Since the car has been regularly serviced, I wouldn't expect much build-up, unless the state was using crappy oil....

    Hope this helps....

    The Truth About Whether Valvoline’s Restore & Protect Motor Oil Really Works | Torque News
     
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  5. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    OUCH!!! $10,000????? That's pretty high.

    Do not do the engine flush. It's a waste of time and money. Just change the oil. Just to
    know it is done. Along with the TOYOTA oil filter. No reason to us the restore and protect.
    It doesn't work. At least NOT is the real world.

    "IF" the service record is correct, you probably don't need to change the oil, but better safe
    than sorry, and it's cheap. Did they change the oil at 5000 miles????
    And if they used synthetic oil, you will NOT have any sludge.

    Engine and inverter coolant is due, spark plugs, trans fluid.
    No reason to buy a new cooler from Toyota, unles you like spending a LOT of money.
    Search online for them for less than $100.

    You probably should remove, clean and regrease the front and rear guide pins for the brakes
    Don't forget to clean the old grease out of the caliper also. And time for a brake fluid flush.

    Check engine air filter, and cabin air filter.

     
  6. ChaseE

    ChaseE Junior Member

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    That price was actually very cheap where I'm at in Oregon, 2015 Prius V's with 140k miles sell anywhere from $11,000-$14,000...sometimes with salvage titles.

    I've had good results with liqui-moly flush in the past but I see your points...I'll take a look first at the intake manifold to see if its gunked up or not, and maybe remove the valve cover.

    Yes there was service every 5-6k miles for around $55 so Im assuming that was oil changes.

    Yup that's why I got the coolant and ws atf...ordered the egr cooler from japan directly for $143.

    Regrease the guide pins...got it! Yeah good idea on brake flush, its so easy to do...just take some pvc pipe and clamp it to the steering wheel to keep the brake down, and open the bleeder screw...assuming I can just do the one furthest from the reservoir until I've gone through a couple bottles of dot 3?
     
  7. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Front brakes are normal. Just use a hose in a bottle, clear is best, and keep
    it higher than the caliper. DO NOT LET THE RESIVOIR RUN OUT OF FLUID!

    EGR might not be so clogged with the newer rings...

     
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  8. ChaseE

    ChaseE Junior Member

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    Oh it doesn't matter which one I bleed from? Yeah I usually bleed in 5 second intervals so I can check the reservoir.

    As for the rings, thats what I'm hoping! I'm going to remove the tube first, then the manifold and decide if I need to go further than that right away or save it for a "garage day" when I intend to spend 10-12hrs messing with things.

    Might try that restore and protect for the heck of it, looks like it has the same metal wear rate as Toyota 0w-20 and it's actually cheaper at autozone than the Mobil1 I'd normally use...even if it doesn't help clean anything, it won't hurt either.

    Oh yeah, also have a feeling I'm gonna need to do some soundproofing based on people complaining about the V having a ton of road noise. Any input on where most of the noise is from? Usually I tackle butyl pads and acoustic thinsulate on the inside of plastic wheel well covers, and some butyl on the metal, spare tire well, doors skins, roof.
     
  9. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Toyota has a procedure for bleeding, you can look that up.
    Usually, the caliper furthest from the master cylinder is done first.
    Then each one after is shorter and quicker...

    Not sure about soundproofing. I just turm my podcast up... (y)
    And the thought of taking everything out of my Prius to do it, is not going to happen.
    Unless I get another Prius....


     
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  10. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    I usually start with "Before you spend a few hundred bucks on parts and fluids" but I see you're already past that, so I'll wish you luck!
    Worn out wheel bearings that nobody bothers to diagnose or fix.

    I'm not kidding, people get old cars and think they have terrible road noise problems and go nuts on the soundproofing when the problem was a worn out wheel bearing all along.

    Investigate before covering up.
     
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  11. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Wheel bearing at 105,000 miles? Not very likely, at least for Toyota's...
     
  12. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    *shrug* we already had one go bad (and very loud) at 75k miles.


    I agree that it was less likely on Toyotas from the mid 2000s... but it happens more often now.
     
  13. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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  14. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Prii have almost no sound proofing on purpose to minimize weight. But some don't have the under engine cover with sound deadening and many have tires that are noisy. Tires make a big difference in ride and noise but the best in those areas may not optimize mpg.

    A Prius v wagon is a lower mpg hybrid to begin with and has a higher numerical final drive ratio and an oversized ac with a less aero design.

    Bad bearings get louder up to 45-50 mph and then seem to go away as they are masked by tire and wind noise.

    A ten year old gen3 Prius will test your patience with upcoming expenses.
     
    #14 rjparker, Dec 23, 2024 at 11:11 PM
    Last edited: Dec 24, 2024 at 7:47 AM
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  15. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Gov fleet generally takes care of their vehicles very well, springing to a liq moly flush is when drain intervals are unknown and poorly taken care of. If so, it shouldn’t have been bought. At least you’ll be an egr cleaning club member and soon salty pack battery replacement member with a code to save us 5% off.
     
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  16. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    I replaced mine at 239,000 miles, bad road erosion as state road Repairs decided to delay road repairs. Would have last longer.
     
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  17. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    Since your planing to do your own maintenance, while you're doing it, pay special attention to anything that is still original factory. Take as many pictures as you go. It's a pain and adds time to the work, but it can be a life saver, especially if getting in to deep to soon and reassembly has unanswered questions about how to put it back together the right way.

    Be sure to get a 2 day subscription for viewing the repair manual for $25. The repair manual for your Year and Model is well worth learning how to use, especially if you are going to use OEM parts. You'll want to check in the manual how to do a job without techstream and not try to do a job that doesn't have instructions for doing it without techstream. Typically, the two different methods and not interchangeable.

    After reading how to do a job in the manual it will be much easier to understand what is being described by others that have already done the job themselves. Of course, doing the job yourself the second and third times makes it even easier to understand what others are saying in post and videos.
     
    #17 vvillovv, Dec 23, 2024 at 11:30 PM
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2024 at 11:38 PM
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  18. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Witness Leader

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    Have a look at the brake fluid change link in my signature. (On a phone turn it landscape to see signatures.)
     
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  19. ChaseE

    ChaseE Junior Member

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    Wheel bearings, check!

    SoundREDUCING is actually easy in most cars...the biggest impact I've seen in cars most of the time is making sure door/hatch seals aren't worn (thin bead of white lithium grease on the seal, then close the door/hatch and see if there are any gaps in greasy spots on the other side), then simply removing the rear plastic wheel well covers and applying butyl pads (low end noise) and acoustic thinsulate fabric (mid-high noise)...takes about an hour to do. Then if its easy to get to bare metal (usually the spare tire well and side plastic panels take 5min) you can just tap on metal and put some 6x6" butyl pads anywhere that sounds like toms on a drumset. Will set you back $150-$200 but makes a big difference. Just didn't know if there are any SPECIFIC problem areas in the V.

    I have "acquired" a 2013 factory service manual and techstream software from 2018...should be good for most things. Great idea with the pictures, I can label items in post and make a spreadsheet.

    Will do sir!
     
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  20. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Did you get us a code to save us 5%?!