Good morning: I have a 2009 car and am moving to Northern Ontario. I need a block heater and when I called my Prius dealership in MA they said that thee are not block heaters for the car. Has anyone had a block heater installed by a dealer in the Boston/Framingham are of MA? Thank you for your help. Paul Hart
There are multiple threads on this. But Hobbit's recent write-up has all the info you need to either DIY, or to have any local mechanic install one for you. It is the same EBH that was used for the Gen II by the way. 3rd-gen block heater
Evan, note that he -has- a Gen II car. Not to worry. If you don't get the block heater installed it's really not necessary. It only improves the mileage a bit. The car will still start just fine. Do ensure you have 5W30 oil or even 0W20 in the engine. It will reduce the load on the starting system and lubricate better just after starting cold. Also ensure you have winter tires or -real- all season tires, such as the Nokian types. Depending on exactly -where- in Northern Ontario, you may need good snow tires (on all four wheels). You can also get a Canadian dealer to install the block heater. They -should- have the thing in stock.
Doh! It was in the Gen III thread...I'll move it. Here are the Gen II instructions: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...ine-block-heater-yourself-guide-may-help.html
I got mine at the dealer, so you can wait until you get to Canada to pick one up if you want....They know how to install it too, but will probably charge you for more than an hour to do it.
Yes, in Canada they know ... but on the otlher end of the warm/cold scale are the poor slobs at our local So Cal Lexus dealer. A couple years back, they tried & tried ... and couldn't even locate a part # for our rx-400h ... much less quote an install time. .
Was there a part ever made or an installation for a block heater for the 2009 Prius. I live in Michigan by the water and each winter it drops down to roughly 1 degree or negatives sometimes.
Yes. You might want to check out this thread. https://priuschat.com/threads/want-to-install-an-engine-block-heater-yourself-this-guide-may-help.35035
My third gen experience, fwiw: I’m on my second block heater, first dealership installed at time of new car purchase, in 2010, had a shorted out wire about 5 years back. I DIY replaced with another, part number revised, dealership parts department determined the number. The only change apparent was the wiring, heater unit “looks” identical. I did notice the first one had NO evidence of heat transfer grease ever being applied. The second one’s worked flawlessly since (about 5 years) but is subject to recall by Toyota Canada. I’ve contacted dealership service manager regarding that, he’s supposedly talking with Toyota, but it’s been months now. anyway it’s worked flawless for me, used year round with virtually every cold start, for about 2 hours usually. Our use of the car is become quite light though, about 3k kms yearly.
