100,000 Mile Club

Purchased my 2003 Classic new in April 2003 and now have 102,000 on it.

I've averaged 45-55 mpg depending on the season although I just purchased a heat plug and will also block the grill next winter as it will be interesting to see if there are performance gains. My last tank was 56 mpg.

Major costs have included 3 sets of tires, an A/C compressor replacement and an engine control module (warranty). I haven't replaced the tran. battery yet but will before next fall as I had a couple of issues last winter. I also recently noted that my headlight housings are beginning to cloud a little so I'd like to replace them. I have a couple of nicks on the rear passenger side where I'm supposing that someone's car door made contact and I have some scratches on the top of the trunk from placing scuba tanks up before I put them on!

 

Today I marked the 3rd anniversary of picking up my stock Prius...bought it this day, June 6th, 2005. Now have 104,832 miles on it. Three sets of tires, one windshield (due to rock chips, very common here in Houston), and two displays-one died and was replaced by the dealer for 50% of a new one (it was way out of warranty when it died, but the dealer got me a refurbished one and installed it for around $350.00), the second one crapped out due to the Ipod accessory I purchased and installed about a year and a half ago (it's the unit that's sold on the PriusChat site). Evidently, the accessory itself died, and took the display with it. Once taken out of circuit, the display came back to life. Go figure!

Generally getting anywhere between 48-51 mpg in and around the Houston area. I notice that when I go north, the mileage deteriorates markedly.

A really great car. I will probably replace it with a 2010 if and when it comes out, and if I can even get one-one of the Toyota dealers told me they've stopped taking orders for the 2008 since they can't tell customers (who've paid a deposit) when there cars will even get to the dealership.

Radioguy in Houston

 

I'm at just over 105,000 miles and am now out of my super-warranty. I've had to replace the tires once (I bought 80,000 mile-warranty Perrellis at 40,000 so I've still got 15,000 miles theoretically on my tires), not including a couple nails (also under a hazard warranty I bought for them from America's Tires).

I've had a chip in my windshield for about a year and a half now that I've been meaning to fill with that epoxy stuff, but haven't gotten around to it.

The upholstery is starting to look a little ragged; various stains on my passenger seat (where I usually put my lunch, and occasionally spill it), and the arm rest on the drivers side. The button on my glove compartment (upper) has most of its paint chipped off it after a slight scratch grew over time.

The plastic piece that covers the undercarriage has broken the holes which hold the clips up. There's only one clip left holding the whole thing up and sometimes it comes undone and I have to pull over and tuck it back in. That's recent, and I'll probably be taking it in Monday unless someone gives me a better idea in my post in the maintenance thread.

When can I expect the batteries to go out? I know those are under warranty for another 45,000 miles, but what should I be looking out for as signs and symptoms of a failing battery?

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Edit: Forgot to mention this! Back before the recall with the gas engine shutting off, I had the problems associated with it, and brought it into the dealer. This was before the recall actually came out so nobody actually knew what the heck was going on. The dealer just started replacing computers and did two computers in the system (a brake computer and something else). The bill was over $6,000 charged to warranty. The problem went away. A few months later, I got the recall notice and recognized the symptoms they described, and had the car updated, but I can't help but think they replaced two computers at enormous cost for no reason.

 

Hit a 100 grand (!) April 13, now at 103-ish. Car has been trouble free, and a joy to drive and own. Thanks Toyota.

 

Footprintx: If you haven't fixed the windshield chip in 18 months, my understanding is that the UV cure epoxy will not be effective. Next time a rock hits you, try to respond within a week or 2.

I think you should expect that the HV battery will never go out. For a small proportion of prius within 300k miles, it will. We are still working on knowing that proportion.

The symptoms may include reduced fuel economy, rapidly varying battery SOC display and of course the ! inside the triangle. However none of those are unique to the battery.

Symtoms may also include: shortness of breath, rash, and blurred vision. Contact PriusChat if you experience any of those and do not operate heavy machinery.

 

Now that I have the big 100K, I've suddenly wondered what will be the expected life of the aux. battery? My car is now 4.5 years old, no signs of battery weakness, as in the lights not working. No wheezing, and the car can still fit in the same clothes it wore at birth!

 

Great detailed info, Rick!

39 mph is the perfect Prius-pace for passing 100K -- wishing you many more!

 

My mom put about 112000 miles on our 2001 Teal Prius. Im pretty sure that the battery was replaced due to the recall. the only other problems were when she hit a deer and when she backed into the garage and dented the rear quarter panel.

 

I have an '05 Tideland Pearl at 102,000 miles. Other than being hit by a Texas deer, no significant problems. First set of tires lasted 60K miles (40psi) and current set is still very good. Original brakes. Last tank was 48 mpg, normal is 45+. Putting in some new spark plugs this weekend (Iridium, 90,000 mile type). Use Mobil 1, change my own oil, filters, maintenance. Great car!! Looking to get a second. I have had no repairs by the dealer. Will soon have the inverter fluid changed out (100k recommended).

 

I sold my first Prius just shy of 60,000 miles. So my wait until seeing 100,000 took way longer than expected. But last night, this Prius hit that mark.

With my video camera on stand-by, I was ready to fillm the moment while driving. I even managed to do the celebatory honking at the same time. The result is somewhat cheesy, but that's the point. No doubt about it being authentic.

Anywho, here's a DIVX format download (right-click to save it) if you'd like to see the moment too.

Depending upon your computer's setup, you may need to rename the AVI extension to DIVX and/or download the DIVX codec for your preferred player, or just download the DIVX player.

.

 

My 2004 just turned 100,000 miles over the weekend.

Replaced the oil and filter every 5K miles, replaced the OEM tires at 50,000 miles with Michelin Hydroedges, and replaced the cargo net I lost on a vacation.

Bought the Platinum warranty, but the only thing I got out of it, other than peace of mind, was replacement of the driver-side sun visor (it wouldn't stay in position - dealer listed problem as bad vanity light so it would be covered. Darn it, now the passenger-side visor is starting to show the same symptoms).

Had the firmware, steering and brake light switch recall campaigns done and got the free navigation disk update.

I only have two cosmetic problems...
One of the glove box hinge spring holders broke and there's a little bump in the dash. The cloth covering the center console lid is starting to come loose. One of these days I'll fix those myself. (Thanks to PriusChat members for lots of DIY instructions).

I've noticed only a few glitches over the years.
The first was when I was switching cruise control on and off in a hilly area. After a while, the cruise control light would work but the cruise control function didn't. Since no one else was on the road, I stopped, turned the car off then on again, and all was well.
The second was on a hot day (~100 degrees F). I opened the driver-side window, then it wouldn't close. At the next stoplight I turned the car off then on again, and just like the cruise control incident, haven't seen that problem since.
The last "glitch" may actually be a "feature", but I haven't seen an explanation of it yet. Twice I've heard a "barking" sound when I press the brake pedal. This happened for a short time on two vacations. There are a couple threads about this on PriusChat. The sound went away before I could have it checked out, and it has never happened at home.

All in all, I am extremely pleased with the Prius.
Now I'm waiting for Toyota to come out with a 40+ MPG minivan (please, please, please)!
- Ed

 

i have an 04 purchased in 06 with 38k . I now have 105k and have been delivering mail with it. drivers side wheel bearing replaced at 91k pass side at 98k both done for free by the dealer. my mail route is 55mi 485 stops front brakes lasted 1.5yrs 45k haven't had to change the back brakes yet. i've had some trouble pulling away from mailboxes on a hill with snow built up. the anti slip transmission will not let you spin the tires. love the amount of room it has.

 

I am new to PriusChat, but read about the forum on a MSN article concerning hybrid battery life. Anyway I currently have 113,000 miles on my 2004 base Prius, which I believe was a fleet car before I purchased it with 18,000 miles on it in Sept 05. It was a certified car that included a 100,000 bumper to bumper warranty, which was not used at all except for minor cosmetic work and of course the software updates or steering recall. At this point I have the following to report for repairs:

Tires:

New set of Michelin Hydroedges at 42,000 miles from Costco for about $480.00 including taxes, installation, etc.- good tires for rain, snow and basic traction especially compared to the OEM's.
Just purchased the second set of tires at 111,000 miles for $432.00. Did not purchase the Michelin again. I felt they started to get loud as they got older and seemed a little hard on the bad Chicago roads! The new tires are BF Goodrich T/A's and are softer for a better ride. So far so good, but also probably lost about a 1-2 miles per gallon.

Brakes:

The rear drums started acting up at about 90,000, but just needed a cleaning and they were good as new.

The ABS red triangle light came on at 111,000. I took it to a dealer close to where it happened and they said I had to spent $50.00 to diagnose at first, but later wanted to charge another $400.00 as they couldn't tell from the computer read out what needed to be fixed as far the computer units!?! I preceded to take the car to where I purchased it and finally ended up having the Brake Actuator Assembly replaced for $2474.00. The actual fault codes were C1253, C1256 and C1391 if anyone knows what those are. I also had the spark plugs changed out, the new tires, brakes check(just cleaned and adjusted), brake fluid changed, alignment, and the cooling system and inverter converter fluids changed. This all added up to $3456.00 including a 10% discount from the dealer. They also gave me a free loaner for the 4 days it took to repair. Obviously it ran better after these repairs were done and felt like a new car. Could have been me justifying the money spent though!?

Windshield:

Had the windshield replaced after being hit by a larger rock from a gravel truck for $250.00. About two weeks later got hit by a much smaller stone and got a star on the passenger that hasn't gotten much larger after 3 mos, so I haven't done anything yet.

Other than the above I have replaced the oil and filter myself every 5,000 miles and rotated the tires at Costco about every 6-8,000 miles for no cost. The oil changes probably cost about $15.00 including the filter and the synthetic oil. I buy the 5 quart size and always have some left over after the 3-1/3 quarts are used.

Over all this has been one of the easiest car I have had to maintain and of course the best car I have had for gas mileage for the amount of driving I have to do. I'm in sales and have to carry large pallets and other parts to customer which fit into the hatch with the rear seats down. People always seem to ask about the mileage, battery and if it has to be plugged in. I plan on keeping it for as long as it will have me and I haven't really worried much about the battery's. I look forward to hearing more about the longevity of other Prius's on this chat!

 

I was looking for info on the brake warning light before I change the pads on my '05 Seaside Blue Prius when I came across this post so I thought I'd reply. My car just hit 160,000 miles. Not a HINT of trouble, even after being rear ended a couple of years ago and over $8,000 worth of body work! I'm changing my brake pads FOR THE FIRST TIME because they are starting to "grab" and the brake warning light (the yellow one, NOT the red one!) is on. I have been AMAZED by this car. I've averaged around 51 MPG overall for a good while now. I love my Prius!

 

At the 90,000 mile mark my brakes seem to grab very badly especially when raining. I took it in a dealer thinking I would have to have new rears at least as that was where the sound of almost metal rubbing or grinding sounded. To my surprise all they had to do was clean them and "align" the brakes or more like synchronize them. Due to the brakes being dirty it was fooling the ABS is what I was told. This was all before the ABS developed the problem at 111,000 miles and was replaced.

 

Just turned 100,000 miles on my '02 Classic yesterday. Bought it from original owner in late '04 with 52,000 miles, initially changed the worn tires with Kumho's for $250. Also replaced a cracked windshield last year. Other than that, no costs except oil and filter changes and 30K service intervals.

Transferred the 100,000 mile Platinum warranty from the original owner, but never had any reason to use it. The only thing that seems to have worn out is the center console plastic; I just noticed a one-inch stress crack to either side of the tape player insert. Other than that everything runs and works exactly as when I first bought it.

I've tracked my mileage by hand diligently for the past three years and averaged 45.5 MPG; finally stopped tracking a few tanks ago.

 

My 2005 just hit 100,000 yesterday. The only times it's been back to the dealer were for the steering assembly recall and just last week for a malfunctioning headlamp leveling sensor (HID light adjuster).

I had Goodyear Comfortread tires put on the car when I purchased it, and they lasted 60k miles. I replaced those with Michelin X-Radials from Costco, which in my opinion are much better tires than any I've ever had from Goodyear.

Other than regular maintenance, I haven't had any additional expenses.

 

Brand new member of the forum, here. We're at 99,600+ on our White '05 basic Prius and we'll roll through the big number early next week. We bought it new in October of '05. My wife and I share the car... she drives 100+ miles five days a week, and I have a 70 mile 'round trip four times a week... and of course that's not counting the proverbial "back and forth to church on Sunday" and a few trips to Las Vegas (from Southern California) over the years.

The car has been absolutely fabulous. We've kept up with the recommended service for the most part (though we stopped going to the dealer for oil changes once the warranty ran out), just had the front brakes done for the first time a few weeks ago, and have been through three sets of tires... the originals, a cheap set of I-do not know-whats that lasted about 30k miles and now a new set of Firestone tires about the same time as the brake work was done... and of course the steering recall.

Overall we've gotten between 40-45 mpg pretty consistently. We live halfway up a mountain and I get a big kick out of the fact that I get a 99.9 mpg reading for the first 11 miles of my commute. 35 miles later when I reach work I am usually at 50-60 (it's mostly downhill slightly between home and work) and by the time I get back up to my home at 4000 feet up Mt. Baldy, CA, it's between 30-35. I arrived home with a 40 the other day after some particularly careful driving and was quite pleased with myself (it's not a bad little hill climber). All this on 87 octane "California gas" (which I think is about lower sulfur and some added methanol).

There's half-a-mile of dirt road between our house and the highway (we live in a national forest) and my wife also does a little "off roading" on dirt roads for her work (she's an ornithologist - bird scientist). Our Prius takes it all like a champ. Best car I've ever owned.

I'm having my wife carry the camera with her next week to get the all-important odometer shot when we hit the 100K mark.

 

100K + for me.. finally... i've had 1 triangle of death with a failure like problem back at 43k or so... the only thing replaced is the center console material... under warranty at 5k miles.

love it