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Hello, I'm new, have question about 2018 stator reliability

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by PatricioDaSilva, Apr 15, 2022.

  1. PatricioDaSilva

    PatricioDaSilva New Member

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    Hi all,

    My name is Patricio and I'm new here --- and I've owned a 2018 prius (I think it's an LE) , purchased it new and now have 100k miles ( I drive for GrubHub, which is why there are so many miles) . I was watching that Scotty guy on Youtube who spooked me about the 'generator', he was comparing it to your non hybrid type car's alternator. Says it costs $6k to replace. ?

    Now, I was wondering is that an apples to apples comparison? Probably not, I suspect.

    Another thing, how reliable are these things? And is there a cheaper option rather than removing the engine and trans, as Scotty claimed had to be done, in order to replace it?

    I'm not that worried but, still, I got spooked by Scotty, I know these cars last a long time, but, a $6k replacement is pretty scary. I'd like to know what to do, what to expect, etc. I purchased the car with negative equity, as I was underwater on my trade in ( to the tune of $8k) so my purchase price was sky high., I still owe some $23k on it, it will be paid off in 2025, so I'm kinda stuck with it until it's paid off or close to it.

    Needless to say, I'm trying to find another means of earning a living so I won't put more miles on it. (I"m a senior - semi-retired) Doing the math, I'll have put another 75k miles on it when it is paid off. I"m really gambling and it is my means of income, for now. As for the negative equity, I used to drive for Uber, who screwed us by not compensating drivers for usage of their cars. Well, we were made whole when we got a class action and sued and we won, and I was paid $10k by Uber as my share of the settlement (wish I was the lawyer:) ) , which makes up for the deficit they caused me, as I still owed a lot of money on my trade in, as it wasn't worth much for all the miles I put on my previous car driving for uber. Again, with Grubhub, I'm headed in the same direction, but they compensate us about $100 per week extra for auto repairs for my 2018, none of which have happened, been changing oil every 5 k miles religiously, etc, so I"m okay with Grubhub. Anyway, I put that money in the bank against any surprise repairs which might happen on my 2018, still, I'd like to avoid such expenses, if possible, or learn about expectations and all. You know the drill, we all have the same fears. eh?

    In the mean time, I'm worried ( a little. Thanks a lot, Scotty! ).

    Should I purchase carshield? any advice?

    Am I asking too many questions?

    I think I better read the forum rules :)
     
    bisco likes this.
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    I vaguely remember that Scotty video, saw it quite a while ago, it's goofy.

    Alternators are pretty much a routine wear item in conventional cars.

    There have been some Prius transmission failures reported here. So it's not as if it never happens. But you're not likely to ever see one.
     
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  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    change the tranny oil, you'll be fine
     
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  4. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    Haven't seen any reported on Gen 4 - it's a very different arrangement from the earlier ones, so the early car's track record be irrelevant. Plus - I've read very few with older cars.

    That said - there have been (older) PRIUS which drove 1,000,000 kilometres as taxis with only routine servicing, tyres and brakes.
     
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    no worries
     
  6. 2010moneypit?

    2010moneypit? Active Member

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    I agree with Bisco. No worries..
    A lot of the YouTuber Channels like to do that kind of video as click bait. I have seen the video that you are talking about. Very few problems with the Prius set up. If you do change the fluid make sure you use Toyota brand fluid for the Prius to avoid breakdown of the insulators within the transmission. ( the stater or in the video he called it alternator)
     
  7. ColoradoBoo

    ColoradoBoo Senior Member

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    Yep, no worries! I like Scotty but he can tend to be a bit dramatic and over-generalize sometimes! My favorite Toyota YouTuber is "The Car Care Nut" who's a master Toyota mechanic/technician with over 10-years experience so has worked on probably thousands of Toyota's.

    One thing he's seen is Toyota engines starting to burn oil if the owners don't change the oil regularly. He suggested every 6-months or 5,000 miles, whichever comes first, which is what I go by in our three Toyota's. He's seen many cars burning oil that have only had oil changes every 10,000 miles, including Hybrids.
     
    Doug McC likes this.
  8. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    There was a time when Scotty was Not a Hybrid fan !! like a lot of mechanics that still are not hybrid fans.
    Scotty has come around slowly to the benefits and pretty good reliability of the new technology. He still gets some stuff bass ackwards regarding prius, like most of us do from time to time :oops: .. To Scotty's credit he does do retraction videos when he's aware of something in one of his tubes that's wrong. And I think the best way to describe the comparison of the alternator to the the prius motor / generators (MG1 and MG2) which are the heart of the prius electrical system, was mostly just a rant about a new technology that was not clear to him yet exactly how it worked or how reliable it actually is. There are still plenty of things that can and do go wrong with prii and some are very expensive, especially when a dealer shop does the work, but the motor / generators (MG1 and MG2) are not typically one of those things that fail in a prius.
     
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