Also not necessary for Gen 3 in RHD countries. It's the weird double-jointed wiper making the cowl so big that makes it in the way for us, and in the markets without it, the spark plug access is easy.
Update: The prius was parked in an airport for a week. Came back and the radio is not turning on and shows no life. I’ll be checking the fuses but this is a huge bummer; my long commute will be awful without any tunes!
My suggestion is for you to purchase a Aigoss Bluetooth 4.2 Car Speakerphone, Car Stereo Music Receiver Player, Sound Enhanced (the "Aigoss Bluetooth"). See: https: //www. amazon. com/gp/product/B07PRQSSPM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I bought one. I can play music on the phone and then use bluetooth to play out of Aigoss Bluetooth speakers. Alternatively, I have a ton of mp3 music which I have downloaded to a TF card. The Aigoss Bluetooth then plays the music on the TF card. Finally, I can also use the Aigoss Bluetooth to receive/initiate telephone calls (Aigoss Bluetooth obviously has speakers plus hands free mike). Aigoss Bluetooth only costs $21 (with free shipping for Prime customers).
Fuse? I have not heard of these things gong dead from sitting at the airports. It's probably something simple.
@VFerdman and others, the radio randomly came to life today, so perhaps the 12v battery is weak. I imagine other electronics would be crapping out too if that were the case but I’ll investigate. It’s been super rainy and I don’t have a garage to work on it in a dry place right now. I’ll report back!
Spark plugs are hella easy on the Gen2, there's a relay block that you have to unbolt and move out of the way but then it's just a matter of the four coil packs and the plugs. Use a good anti-seize on the plug threads and dielectric grease on the tip of the plug. Locking extension also helps really well as sometimes the plug socket will get stuck on the plug and then you have to fish it out :-P
Cleaned the hell out of the carpets! Converted the shopvac to an extractor, used my steam gun, and used a drill with a brush attachment and went to work. I can post a tutorial for cheap detailing if you guys want. iPhone ?
Bad news, 12v battery is in a pool of water and a lot of the carpeting/insulation around it is pretty wet. No idea what’s causing that. Any idea on leak areas? I need to buy a ratchet set and remove it and shopvac that water out. Perhaps the water has been there a long time from the auction and is now sloshing around while I drive (not good).
It's a common issue and is due to the body panel seam under the plastic trim on the roof near the upper edge of the hatch. I never had to deal with it, but read enough about it to realize that it can be a problem. I think there is a reasonable simple fix for this. But first you need to get the water out of there.
You need to treat this vehicle like a flood damaged unit and completely remove all the carpet for a very thorough cleaning. Next, this is not a suggestion for a $875 car but new carpet would do wonders for this interior.
@fotomoto Agreed, I’ve shampooed/extracted the mats already and ozoned the car three times now in the past month. Ones I clear the water out I plan on sticking a space heater in it and a dehumidifier and letting it sit for awhile. iPhone ?
Just an update about 1.5 years later. Still have it. Car is running like a champ. It has a CEL for the o2 sensor but it seems like a pain to change so I’ve been lazy. I recently had a tank get 57.5mpg average. With heavier foot driving I get around 50mpg per tank. I really would like to get a prius with a cleaner interior and nicer options but this one just won’t die. I’ll keep running it! iPhone ?
It's quite the opposite of a pain... Because if you need to replace with an aftermarket catalytic converter that costs less than $200 you can sell your old catalytic converter if its the original one for $1500 cash to a precious metal scrapper.
Certainly still a nice looking vehicle for the $$ spent, maybe you could buy a better interior from a parts recycler ( is that what they call an auto wrecker over there?) along with some of the options you'd like to have ...... Forget about resale value as far as getting your money and labour costs back, it's all about making the vehicle into the vehicle you want and then driving it till it won't pass what ever inspections they have over there .... even then, weigh up how much to get it up to the required spec verses how much you would get back if you sold it and how much a replacement would cost ..... Functionality over form every time ....... and your vehicle still has good form as far as I can see .... T1 Terry
Have thought about swapping a leather interior over. Really would have liked the nav unit and JBL audio. My speakers are atrocious to listen through but like you guys said, a good running car is priceless. I’ll keep this one going! iPhone ?
