76,000 Miles, people tell me I will need a new engine soon

Re: Do lights have any effect on energy used?

Hi Teresa -

Well, I'm not sure why you're posting in this thread... but uh... just who are these "many owners? There's no reason to fear needing a new engine. What you CAN fear if you wish - is being happy about pouring gasoline into your car. That is scary.

 

Teresa,

Read your warranty manual.

Whoever thinks a Prius needs to have its "engine" or any part of its hybrid system replaced at 76,000 miles are definitely NOT Prius owners.

Real Prius owners know better than that. Like I said, read your warranty manual and you will see why. The numbers 8 / 100,000 have something to do with it. (or 10 / 150,000 if you are in one of the 8 states with California-standard emissions laws).

 

iff that where the case toyota will need to replace every engine from every prius on the planet....
warranty:biggrin1:

 

I can't resist...
Yes, the engine is no doubt on its last legs. Please sell it to me, and I'll replace my old Mercedes. Its engine is no doubt about to fall apart, with over 230,000 miles on the odometer, and no major repairs. Also consumes no oil. But it did have good maintenance during the past 22 years. I expect my Prius to go as far, with good maintenance. I guess Ill find out, eventually...

 

Even a normal ICE car wouldn't need its engine replaced at 76,000 miles and the Prius has way less wear on its engine than a normal ICE. I suspect that someone is jealous that you have a car that costs so much less to operate that they make disparaging remarks in order to make you feel bad about your choice of vehicle and that you really should have bought that Hummer after all! You know what they say; Misery loves company. Take their remarks for what they are worth! Absolutely nothing! Enjoy your Prius and do the regular maintenance and most of all ENJOY!!!!!

 

I have found, in general, that people are usually full of crap. If for some reason you actually did need a new engine (not that you would) they can be had very cheap ($500 or so). This is because there is no demand for replacement engines (or motor/transaxles) because they usually don't break that often. If one were to part out a Prius you could get more for a good coolant thermos can than for an entire engine.

 

GreenAdventures,

Yes, PC can be pretty snotty at times, but helpful too so don't let a few flippant replies run you off. I was hoping someone would address what the real basis probably is to your question. Hasn't happened so I'll take a stab at it: Most likely the person believed your battery/hybrid drive would soon fail.

There's been a lot of FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) thrown around about that in the mainstream of non-Prius owners. There is a finite lifetime to the traction battery. With an 8 year/100,000 mile warranty in most states and 10 yr/150K in California (and some other states) on the current Prius Hybrid system/battery you really shouldn't have a major concern.

The traction battery has a relatively long life because Toyota's hybrid management system takes pains to keep it in a safe charge range. As I understand it, few have failed under warranty. Some conditions (lots of cycling back and forth from high to low charge, running hot, etc.) will likely result in quicker failure. I don't think anyone knows what the mean time between failures will be but it is almost certainly substantially over 100,000 miles and probably over 150,000 miles--else Toyota would get murdered on warranty battery replacement.

If you do have to replace it, the battery can be had for something under $2,000. Yes the cost would be substantial, but is no worse than a transmission job in other vehicles. And some other vehicles were notorious for transmissions failing short of 100k.

There are some other drive components that can fail as I understand it, the riskiest/potentially most expensive being the inverter. It is susceptible to inverter coolant pump failure or more importantly to improper jump starting. Replacing a failed pump is reasonable. However, the inverter repair with a new one is on the order of $5,000 but a salvage one can be had for around $1,000 (if I've been paying attention.)

The Prius internal combustion engine (ICE) is unlikely to fail in the lifetime of the vehicle. It doesn't get all that much work compared to many other vehicles and engines have become very reliable over the past three decades.

If I've misstated anything, someone will likely correct me.

 

You did change the oil? If not, then they might be right.

Seriously, though, you are 24,000 miles from new spark plugs and changing the coolant. Other than that, you should be fine.

Tom

 

Exactly who are these "many owners" that spoke to you? Be specific.

A comment like that doesn't seem realistic, and is the problem with your post.

 

I smell a troll. I've been wrong before though.

... Brad

 

My 06 turned 70,000 last week, and never ran better. It has never ever been back to a dealer. I do all my own servicing. All it has ever needed are tires (at 67K), oil change, and, oh yeah, a little gas now and then. Tell your friends to go bother somebody else. I expect lots of more trouble-free miles. I thought our Subarus were bullet proof, but the Prius runs like solid gold. No worries.


P.S.

See my new post "Inverter collant pump failure at 70,000 miles"
(The engine is still fine though)

 

The only way the OP will need a new engine soon is if he has not changed the oil yet.

 

i have a 2006 prius ,it has 182,xxx on the clock.engine running like a champ.dont worry.do the maintanence on time.i dont see that engine going bad soon at all.

 

Hi Teresa,
I suspect you have been speaking to the "many owners" of Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Volkswagen, and Nissan vehicles. Yes for them 100,000 miles is a noteworthy achievement but for a Toyota owner that is just when the car is run in. Just service your Prius regularly, change the fluid in the hybrid synergy drive now if you haven't already and at every 60,000 miles and your Prius will last a very long time without a worry.

Enjoy

 

:huh:
I'm still trying to figure out who gave her a snide remark?
There is a bit of humor, but no one attacked her for her posting... though her "other owners" got a bit shot down, as to be expected.

I'm leaning towards the troll descriptor, as well.

 

Teresa,

When I was first considering a Prius the main concern about the car from people I talked to was the traction battery. I suspect that may be the concern they were trying to voice to you. You might have to search long and hard for someone who has had to replace a traction battery on a 2004-2009 Prius (except those damages in accidents). My understanding is that Toyota tested these batteries to around 170K mi. and they spec'd to 98%. (from a salesman) The internal combustion engine should and has run well past 300k mi (as proven from some Prius Taxi's). If you are really concerned about the engine check out the 100,000 mile club blog.

 

Somewhere around here there is a thread posted by someone who needed to replace the short block or perhaps the entire engine. The reason? The owner didn't change oil for something like 25,000mi. That one is a good read.