After how many miles will a Prius typically stay reliable?

I see Camrys online at auctions with knocks in the motor all the time. I'm assuming they don't have the most reputable motors otherwise I wouldn't see motor problems so frequently? I agree that Corollas are a nice bullet-proof A to B car that don't have some of the problems Priuses sometimes have. But those old Corollas aren't as pretty-looking imo....and the gas mileage is a bit worse. I'd take a Prius all day over a Corolla (talking strictly about the 2006-2009 years).

I think I'm approaching 220k miles I have zero brake actuator issues, 12V issues, hybrid issues, headlight issues, suspension issues, trans issues, heat/AC issues, dash blackout issues, inverter pump issues, touchscreen/info screen issues, even my check engine light (for "very small evap leak") disappeared during the summer but my mechanic said it will come back in the winter. Only issue my car has is oil burning which I believe is the only guarantee on a prius.

I have yet to have a single "this sometimes happens...." issue that you could say a Prius is known for. I think I might get 1 or 2 of said issues above when it gets closer to 300k miles.

 

I have a 2008 Corolla & a 2017 Prius.
The biggest issue I had with the Corolla was replacing the serpentine belt. The mechanic who did it had never done one before. He said he will never do another because it is so difficult.

 

Get er done!

 

Very reliable I'm just saying I'd gamble on the Prius which I don't think is really a high risk gamble.

Simply because I like the look better, the hatchback, and the slightly better gas mileage.

 

Gen2: 120k needs inverter pump under TSB. 180k brakes. 220k needs hybrid battery
Gen3: 120k is when oil burning starts. 175k brakes. 220 k head gasket plus hybrid battery
This is based upon 14 Gen3s in our fleet of friends-prius-owners, only one prior Gen2

 

https://priuschat.com/index.php?threads/209031/

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Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

For Gen3 an oil catch can regularly emptied should avoid the head gasket issue. For US DIY the hybrid battery pack can be replaced with the new cell kit for $1600 delivered giving you a new battery pack.

 

If we did not know that answer there, I am not sure why you think we would know the answer here.

 

Doesn't a child always play one parent against another?

 

We thought we had solved this, but we needed to have a time limit.

My Ex and I agreed that our daughter was not allowed to call the parent they were not at for permission. And she never did call.

In 2002, I moved to MS, she still has never called. In 2006 she moved to WA and has not yet called her mother.*

Who knew we should have taught her "don't call the other parent until you are 18"?

*She works 12 hour graves two time zones over, texting really is safer.

 

I bought a 2007 Prius last year with 166k on it. I now have 185k, and the red triangle. I can't find anyone nearby that will replace individual cells, and In not willing to drop $1600 for a remanufactured battery or $2800 for a battery installed at the dealership. From what I've read, the dealers quoted price isn't bad compared to other prices I've seen. Thing is, I would have way more in the car than it is worth, so tomorrow I'm going to go look at a 2016 rav4 limited with 31k miles. If anyone here is from the Dayton Ohio area, and knows how to swap out cells, let me know quick. If I can get it good again, then I would sell it outright instead of dumping it at the dealer if I buy the Rav.

SM-N950U ?

 

I’m pretty sure you can get more selling it on Craigslist then the dealer is going to give you.

 

You can get a kit of new cells for $1600 delivered from @2k1Toaster here. The website link is in my signature. That basically gives you new battery with better cooling air flow.

 

Got a guy 3.5 hours away from your location that will fix it for $450 --- I'm sure there are plenty of other people that do the same just go on craigslist and do a couple searches.

EDIT: If clean I'll buy it if you are letting it go for cheap.

 

Unless they spend care and time to carefully select, balance, and recondition the pack that is likely not a reliable solution. Fixing a pack using other old modules from a failed pack is a real gamble these days.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I don't expect much from the dealer, but I took out a small loan when I bought the car, and I don't want to add another payment. I'm ok with eating a bit of the balance of the loan to keep one payment and the extra spot in the driveway.
We'll see what happens this evening at the dealership.

SM-N950U ?

 

You'll get between 1 and 1.8k on craigslist if it is clean so hopefully you don't give it to them for scrap prices. Very easy, very quick, and very cheap fix.

 

... if you are not worried about reliability.
The time involved to choose, balance, & recondition properly is why the reconditioning companies do not do that. They take their chances during the warranty period.

 

Have had good luck so far with my prius mechanic. He's done about 8 just for me in the last year.

As I have stated in other posts 6/8 of them, when battery initially went bad, continued to drive perfectly normal aside from light on dash on the journey bringing to mechanic. 2/8 you had to delete the code as it would go into limp mode on the 50 minute drive to him.

1 of those 2 was so bad you had to constantly delete the code just for it to make it on the 50 minute drive. That one only had 90k miles on it. I told him in advance this one was real bad and showed 2 blocks bad on my cheaper scanner (he uses the toyota software on a lap top and looks at live data). Anyways, he rebuilt that one and it lasted 3 or 4000 miles before coming back. For $150 he swapped a different (used) battery in. I probably could have given him $100 but thought $150 was fair.

So far so good but depends on your definition of reliability. I'm happy if they go 50k miles or up to 2 years. So far they've been very reliable and spending over $2000 (vs. $400 which is what I pay) multiplied by 8 vehicles is almost $13,000 more.

Due to my situation of having a fleet it makes more sense to just have it rebuilt or put a used one in...I guess if you have thousands of extra dollars and only 1 Prius it may make more sense to pay a multi-thousand dollar premium for the good warranty and peace of mind.

$400 is not exactly "pocket change" but for an avg. vehicle repair it pretty much is as cheap as it gets whereas spending $2000 is a hefty bill.

I'm also in the camp where I believe it is extraordinarily rare for the hybrid battery to fail if you use a prius for its intended purpose (which is to drive it a lot). Which is why in the 200 and 300k plus thread it's more common to see "nope -- still on original battery" than "I replaced battery at XXX,XXX miles".

All of the fleet bought with bad hybrid batteries were lower mileage (in the 90 to 125k mile range) and were not being used which is why I think they went out at such a low mileage.

 

Apparently you have found somebody that does a decent job. They are rare, apart from a few hobbyists here. You may also be getting a discount because you give him your fleet service. A good situation for you. I cannot even trust my local Toyota dealer to service mine. My preferred dealer is 150 miles away.