2012 bought with 157k miles

seems like a nice car to me. why not change the oil, drive it for 5k, and send the used oil to blackstone for analysis

 

Yes.....
Any car that is 2/3 of the way through its life cycle (this would make it mid 50's in people years) is going to be a little lemony, but I see that the previous owner(s) at least got the oil changed every 5,000 miles, so that puts them ahead of the pack in terms of maintenance.
5,000 mile oil change intervals do not mean that they checked the oil level as often as they were supposed to but at least the car wasn't run a quart low for an additional 5,000 miles....

The gap may be a kid going to college, family separation, or any of a number of other things.....like the owner getting torqued off at the dealer and taking the car to an independent mechanic for the oil changes.



You SHOULD be able to access the dealer records with the VIN.(for free) although I'm not sure that you will learn anything new.
I've never done it myself, but I'm told that it's possible.
For now I would just drive the car - making the EGR cleaning one of the first things on my to-do list.

Good Luck!

 

The v's hold up nicely from a body, interior and suspension standpoint. The transaxle and most accessories are solid. Now that you have it, drive it daily if possible.

The hv battery may get weaker as time goes on. Avoid long waits in Ready especially with the AC on. Your cooler environment is a plus for hv battery life. Check the battery fan and its air intake under the rear passenger seat. Heat kills. If you have to replace it someday, use new cells or a new battery.

You have until August 2022 to get Toyota to replace the Master Cylinder/Pump and or the Inverter should they fail. Both are well over $2k repairs. The brake by wire system is a weak point.

Stay with frequent 5k mile oil changes which already seem to be the pattern since 2017. Stop immediately if you get a temperature alert. Consider keeping high speed driving over 70 to a minimum. If you start having occasional cold start rattles, do something about it early. Your engine and wallet depend on it.

 

“Gaps” in the maintenance could mean squat. If you were to look up our 2010 using your criteria, you’d find it’s NEVER had maintenance, any. It’s a miracle car lol.

 

The brake failures announce their presence well in advance, with odd sounds when braking, and increasingly frequent/protracted whirring sounds (the system pressurizing).

With the inverter, make sure it’s had all the software updates.

 

easier to just brake while in reverse, or put it in neutrl around 20-30 mph and brake gently.

you only need to do that if you hear a scraping sound, which is the rust build up.

i only get it after parking overnight in a moist environment.

also, the car does use a bit of friction brake, even with regen. the harder you brake, the more friction.

as far as the oil analysis, yes, the gas dilution.

 

a rare only one gen 3 in the world Toyota unicorn electric prius that doesn’t need any maintenance! That’s why there’s no need to take it in. I solved it!!!

 

The brake problem is with the master cylinder and the hydraulic pressure pump. Hard braking does not help and may hurt if anything. Listen for the pump during your initial approach to the car and at stop lights. Usually it cycles off in ten seconds and stays off until the next brake activation. More frequent and longer cycling is a warning but it takes close to a total fail to get codes and coverage. Inverters will fail instantly and without warning. Either they are totally dead or sometimes you get a limp home mode.

This car has oil consumption and head gasket problems. They have become chronic and are recognized by Toyota mechanics as such. They have bad piston and rings. When you are driving at high speeds you are loading the relatively low power Atkinson cycle engine. Higher heat loads and rpm result. Keeping it at or below the speed limit or 70 is just a good idea. More preventative than anything but a blown head gasket is expensive and often requires a replacement engine.

Frequent oil changes may keep the rings clear. The egr theory is combustion gases routed to the intake by the egr under load conditions cool the combustion chamber and result in lower emissions and better mpg. Some believe clogged egr coolers can contribute to head gasket failures due to higher loaded temps in the cylinder. Egrs are closed at startup and low loads to ensure smooth operation.

Some engines develop pinging due to carbon buildup which is bad as well. Always use a "top tier" gas with an adequate additive package. Basically brand name gas like Exxon, Chevron or Shell.

 

mine gets driven 100 miles a day 5 days a week. My oil analysis from black stone says little to no trace of fuel dilution

 

That’s insanity!!!

 

Some have Blind Faith it does.

 

people have Carfax waaaaaaaaay too much credit.

Carfax only shows what was reported. lots of stuff can happen without it being reported.

I'm the old days, you checked the body for Bondo, listened to the engine, and hoped the odometer wasn't rolled back.

after a few thousand miles you could trust it.

nowadays people think Carfax has all the answers. but it doesn't .

 

The engine is port injection, not direct injection. Direct injection is the bad boy that causes valve buildup. Its particularly bad with a turbo. Toyota does use dual injection in some newer cars with a port and a direct injector per cylinder. This keeps the valves lean while allowing the advantages of direct injection. See pic. Honda is having oil dilution trouble with their turbo direct injection engine. Ask me how I know.

 

I was hoping I could say something that would put me into the Grit Signature Hall of Shame...