2004 Prii owners with high mileage any problems??

My 2004 has 53000 and my 06 has 12000 no problems, great running cars.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tashome @ Jan 10 2007, 01:17 PM) [snapback]373664[/snapback]</div>

To clear up this confusion, here are some photos I have of the PSD:

 

I have a 2004 Prius with 28,000 miles. It's not surprising that the Prius is one of the top 5 new cars in terms of being trouble-free. It has been mechanically flawless EXCEPT for the MFD screen that went blank in the third year and was replaced (after a week's wait for a new unit) under warranty. Other than that, I understand that maintenance costs are LOW since most drivers are easy on the brakes and drive carefully. Because a new MFD costs $350 plus installation labor, I have purchased an "extended warranty" to year 7; it was under $1,000.

Cosmetically, there has been some design issues that favor problems over time.
1) The matte bronze coating on the glove compartment is very susceptible to gouging.
2) One's knee often rests against the side of the interior door handle; the paint was dissolved by some sunscreen lotion I had rubbed on my skin.
3) The MFD screen is often washed out when sun hits it; a cowl extension from Prius Accessories helps.

All in all, this is the most satisfying car I have ever had. Ergonomically, it makes great use of interior space and controls are well laid out. It has been remarkably reliable and economical, with an average of 44 mpg with the a/c full blast in muggy Miami summers (35 mpg for stop-start 30 mph zones; 50 mpg on highways with 55 mph limits). Best of all, the impression of serenity makes driving less stressful; the CVT eliminates the stepped rumble of acceleration, the sound-proofing is good, the electric mode is very quiet, the electrical a/c works even when the motor is off (unlike the Civic Hybrid's, that turns off when the engine stops) and the HEPA air filter keeps bad air out. With a $2,000 tax write-off, HOV privileges, low maintenance cost, high resale value and restful environment, it is a no brainer for someone who wants the least costly, reliable and comfortable mode of vehicular transport.

 

hahah after reading all these posts i have the highest mileage prius (175,000 km) 108,739 miles

no problems yet! except a "speedo and MFD issue that didn't came up but never returned, lession is don't close the truck with a fork in the middle!"

did some maintainence (inverter coolant, engine coolant and PSD fluid for around 3 bills something) and installed a block heater plus ev switch and the car came with can view, can't complain!

just need to do some pCV valve placing, and maybe change the spark plugs at 200,000km, yep its running on 0-20 mobil M1 syn with m1 filter.... although going to try the penzoil for hybrids next time

crap my tail light is out, anyone know how to fix? just my right rear, wierd... other than that knock on wood for being a taxi before!

also my A/C crapped out (apparently a pipe that got bumped leaked out the freon fluid, so it costed me around 4 bills to fix with finding scrap prius parts and then recharging the a/c after replacing the pipe (new pipe alone from toyota was 4 bills yowzers! thank god for independant prius mechanic shops!)

as for mileage i can pump 30 bucks at 1.04 dollars a liter and get 700 + km (400 miles) before seeing two bars on my fuel gauge again, if i had to guesstimate maybe 55 + mpgish?


also don't mean to be a dick but if you got prius in 06 and above and are getting problems have you considered because toyota switched to a CHINA manufacturing plant?!?! Look at the side doors (where PSI pressure is located) and see where yours is made in, built in good old Japan kaka!~

oh as for the sounds when turning 360 degrees anywhere i do get them but pretty faintly, i remember the classic 03 with 96000 km had a much louder "brakes rubbing" sound when doing 360's turns.

also the guy who sold me the car checked the oil (it was running on default oil, i did not change it when i got the car till 10000 km later ) and he said, "holy s**t you didn't burn a single drop, i'm impressed"

also just curious if the newer prius has problems because i predict the manufacturing plant in china has less quality control than the one in japan. 04-05 priuses were built in japan and then in 06 and above they switched to china to meet demand.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(philmcneal @ Aug 30 2007, 03:21 AM) [snapback]504196[/snapback]</div>

Sorry.. higher milage than you now.. 117,108 miles as of this morning..

Just replaced my MFD last night with one from a junkie..

Other than that.. no problems to report...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(p626808 @ Aug 30 2007, 10:16 AM) [snapback]504370[/snapback]</div>

i better find a MFD part and put it aside so i only have to worry about labor when the time comes

hey how you do the i pod to car? how much? can it be another mp3 besides ipod?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(philmcneal @ Sep 4 2007, 04:59 AM) [snapback]506685[/snapback]</div>

Yep.. should find one if you can..

I have an Ipod-to-car- connection.. it hooks up to the cd changer. it was about 100 dollars.

It can only be used for ipods..

Scott

 

53k miles on '04 with no problems at all. Averaging 50 mpg lifetime, with no mileage degradation noted.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(p626808 @ Aug 30 2007, 10:16 AM) [snapback]504370[/snapback]</div>

mines at 128,323 and so far nothing is wrong. Ran over dog and wife backed up and hit another car but nothing wrong. i average 50-49 mpg on syn oil and 87 gas

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Jan 10 2007, 04:08 PM) [snapback]373753[/snapback]</div>

No, no, no. Argh, the myths continue...

1. First of all, the term "continuously variable transmission" refers to stepless variable drive ratios. Most CVTs are of the belt-and-cone type. However, the Prius transaxle also provides stepless variable drive ratios, and is therefore a CVT.

2. eCVT generally refers to the system used in the Japan-only Estima. It has too many differences fro the Prius drivetrain to mention here. Ford also uses the term eCVT. They probably didn't know Toyota was using it in Japan.

3. The power split device refers to the planetary gearset ONLY. About five pounds, fits in your hand. I know of no knowledgeable technician, instructor, or engineer who refers to the transaxle assembly as a PSD.

 

"

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(philmcneal @ Aug 30 2007, 02:21 AM) [snapback]504196[/snapback]</div>

No, 2007 Prius we bought last October is 100% Made in Japan.

I haven't heard that Toyota was exporting Prius made in China, those are said to only be for sale in China for domestic use only.

I would not be surprised if Prius production was expanded to a factory in USA however, as the Camry was in the late 1980s.

 

04 coming up to 90000 miles ...the usual wear and tear stuff...however, i'm starting to see the SOC going up and down at a faster rate than usual...more green , in summer and more pink...don't know if we are going to dealing with a HV battery issue or what...any suggestions......still running on the original 12v battery...checked it out ...no load 14.2V, under load with no charging...12.2v, with car running...13.8v...very surprising that we are still working off the original...

 

101,600 miles for me. I am definitely seeing more green (7 bars) now, but no change whatsoever with pink (2 bars). My hyphothesis is that regen becomes more effective over time, as parts loosen up with age.

Seeing more pink for you could just be the result of a hotter than usual summer or something to that effect (more stealth and A/C).

.

 

My 2004 has 90,480 miles and only one problem to report. The JBL 6 CD changer displays an error message when you try to play a CD. The cassett and AM/FM still work fine. Thanks to Patrick I was able to change the axle/cvt fluid and pcv myself.

 

2004 - ~72K miles. Only issue is the passenger side HID is doing the 'wink out' thing that is most often reported with 2006 MY Prii.

If you've not followed the threads, you can 'fix' it temporarily by turning the headlights off then back on. In my case, it might happen several times in 15 minutes then be fine for half an hour or more. I've ordered new bulbs (D2R 35W 4300K for a 2004/2005) from a business seller on eBay (thanks to Windstrings for the link). At $35/pair they are a lot more affordable than the ones Toyota is selling (~$350 EACH).

I don't think the OEMs should be dying yet as the bulbs should have a life of 1000s of hours. But I have used them as DRLs a lot of the time so maybe I have gotten to their EOL. Even if the manufacturing and quality control aren't 5 star and they only last half as long as the OEMs, I can replace both lights 10 times for the price of 1 bulb from Toyota.

 

Regarding your HID headlights failing intermittently. I have a 2006 and it seems Phillips had a quality issue with the HID bulbs used on the the 2006. I paid Toyota service to replace the first one, ($240. Installed) and then the second one failed at 36 months and almost 60,000 miles. I called the national Toyota Service Center and they paid to replace the second one. They actually issued me a check after I had paid the local dealer to fix it. Headlights are much brighter and seem to project further than the originals ever did.

 

Yeah, We commute in our Blue 9 2004 and have 130,500 miles. We run it pretty hard. 80 to 90 mph routinely. On our 3rd set of tires, Michelins from Costco. Both front wheel bearings have failed recently. Right side was really howling, but I changed both. It was a difficult job and I would not do it again. Especially without the shop manual. I wrecked both ABS sensors and the lousy axle nuts really wreak havoc with the axle threads. You must use a specially shaped drift punch to lift the indented flange or it will destroy the axle threads. My front brakes are getting toward the end of life. I'll let Toyota do the bleeding since it requires some fairly sophisticated interface with the re-gen. system. Other complaints: Seats are built for little round fat people not tall skinny people. Steering wheel is too far from driver and not adjustable. Nor are the pedals adjustable. "This is where you sit" ergos suck for me. I wish it had a rear sway bar for cross wind control. The wheel trim rings began falling off at about 80k miles. I threw the last one away and run the car without them. Now I can pick out mine in a parking lot full of blue Prii from 200 yards away because we don't have those rings. The nav screen is difficult to see in bright mid day conditions. The nav sw needs updating regularly and isn't simple to do. Center console / arm rest fabric is peeling away from front of arm. Bluetooth phone speaker doesn't pick up voices very well, you have to nearly shout. Both front fog lights fractured early in life. It was cold and the roads were wet when they popped. I think they broke from thermal shock. I hate the ABS and VSC systems. It won't climb a slippery (mud or snow) hill worth a damn, stopping all wheel spin. There are times when you need wheel spin to get out of situations. The ICE valve train ticks. We've always run Mobil One full synthetic oil. The rest is good. We've averaged about 40 mpg over the life of the car, and it gets over 50 around town. We're getting ready to swap this one for the 3G soon. Cheers.