Prius less economical as experience and miles pile on

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cbs4 @ Nov 5 2006, 12:23 PM) [snapback]344113[/snapback]</div>

hi cbs- hid headlights are much more expensive than standard halogens. that's going to be true with any car that has hid's, prius or not.

condition known as "screwed by dealership"- very common. battery costs a couple hundred bucks, true enough that's more expensive.

let me clarify this a bit.

on the 04 prius there is a known condition with the mfd. there is a tsb out, but it's not a recall. for those out of warranty, toyota sometimes covers the cost. if you're way out of warranty, it's very likely you're paying for it yourself.

toyota has set up an out-of-warranty exchange program for owners who have this problem so they don't have to purchase the brand new $4000 screen. however, not all dealers know about or want to deal with this program.

there are also unscrupulous dealers who are simply out to make more money by selling the new, more expensive screens rather than the more economical (and less profitable for the dealers) refurbished screen. in fact, many people are told that the only option is to purchase a new one. they come here to complain and are shocked to find out there is another option.

so we set up this program with the parts department at DH's dealer shop to distribute refurbs to people who are otherwise going to get screwed by their dealership.

we will make $13 per mfd, it's safe to say that we're not running any kind of business by doing this.

 

a continuation...

in DH's experience, overall the prius is more reliable even than other toyotas. when problems crop up with the engine or hybrid system, yes, the repairs can be more *expensive* per problem. (hey- remember the 8/100 hybrid system warranty!) but general repairs are much less frequent in a prius than in other toyotas and cost about the same.

now as far as this hid business goes- first, is this $2k for parts alone or parts and labor? parts alone for a computer, light and housing together shouldn't run to $2k. if i recall, your dealer really didn't seem to know what to do, so is it possible that they're just guessing and since it's covered by warranty they're going to replace the entire thing in one shot and get it all over with?

unfortuantely with prius you're kinda stuck with lack of experience. however this should be no different than any other toyota with hid lights. you have to remove the bumper cover to change a headlight on a sienna too. (and a talented tech knows how to do this without removing the bumper!)

do be warned that hid bulbs can run $300-400 each if you need to replace them in the future. and that's a wear item not covered by warranty.

 

My 2 cents..

81,000 miles no problems..

Cost to maintain... minimal... oil changes and air filters...

 

Even if I have to buy a new battery and mfd the Prius is far more economical than my old diesel car.

My old car cost me regularly:

every 2 years over $2000 for brake repairs. Generally it was the rear calipers that were seized.
every 4 years an extra $1000 for brakes to replace the emergency brake cable that stretched!
every 2 years over $1000 for new exhaust system
every 5 years over $500 for new door locks.
And after my AC failed and they repaired it for $3500 only to tell me they could not fix it, I ordered my Prius.

My Prius so far has cost me $0 not counting the oil changes I do myself. Also those oil changes cost me 1/3 as much since the engine holds about 1/3 as much. Change interval the same.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(p626808 @ Nov 6 2006, 09:49 AM) [snapback]344421[/snapback]</div>

My 2 cents...

47,000 miles and no problems either. Maintenance costs the same - just oil changes and air filters. I for one couldn't be happier with my car!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cbs4 @ Nov 5 2006, 10:23 AM) [snapback]344113[/snapback]</div>

"People want economy and they will pay any price to get it."
- Lee Iaccoca, New York Times, October 13, 1974 edition

Fogball

 

As others have pointed out, You haven't been seeing the whole picture. I could go back to my old Pontiac Sunfire GT and quote you three repairs which, while covered under warranty, would have cost me over 5k total. But that doesn't really mean anything - i have a friend who had virtually an identical car and she hasn't had any problems other than normal wear.

Yes, the MFD is expensive, but the refurbished program takes 90% of the cost off - all provided by Toyota after they recognized the problem with this critical part being so expensive.

Yes, when replacing the entire headlight assembly (you still haven't specified what all is included in the replacement), it will be more expensive than a cheap old fashioned bulb. Further, new technology in the HID's gives you better light at night, but costs a little bit more to replace just the bulbs (as Galaxee said). If the cost isn't worth it to you, have them replaced with old halogen lights and sell the HID's on ebay. you'll probably make a pretty penny.

Finally, yes the battery itself is a little more expensive. however, thats the problem when you go to a dealer to get ripped off... they'll charge you way more. Others have posted alternatives on here (don't have links handy, sorry) which were much cheaper (in the 100-150 price range) that you could put in yourself.

Before you go around telling people how horrible the car is, how the reliability sucks and the parts are all horribly expensive, you really should do some honest research and correct math. apples to apples comparisons, not dealer quotes versus DIY jobs.

 

The basic question is... will the Prius in the long run (as it reaches 80,000 to 125,000 miles) cost more to repair than a similarly priced regular car? The answer seems to be yes.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(p626808 @ Nov 6 2006, 06:49 AM) [snapback]344421[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ambrothe @ Nov 6 2006, 08:35 AM) [snapback]344456[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jamarimutt @ Nov 6 2006, 10:26 AM) [snapback]344498[/snapback]</div>

So lets see... one person has a high cost repair covered under warranty, and notices two other people who have been quoted high costs from the dealer for other repairs. and yet others here, with high mileage, have reported having no repairs... yup, sounds like the Prius is a bottomless money pit, designed to cost you your life savings and then some.

My old Pontiac cost as much as a package 1 Prius, and yet had way more problems... total amount charged to the warranty and extended warranty for that car was approaching $10k when i finally got rid of it (just after the warranty expired, go figure). So they're similarly priced, and the repairs were expensive as hell - and that doesn't even cover the 5k or so i spent on repairs for wear items.

run a poll for high mileage owners (say, 50k+?) and see how much those people have spent total on repairs. I think the results will surprise you.

 

I'm willing to admit that I was lucky to have my total cost of a replacement MFD be $89 for the initial diagnosis.

I guess if I burn out the HIDs somehow I can stomach the replacement cost, and might even spring for the brightest SC-legal bulbs I can get from Sigma.

And I'm sure the 12V will up and quit someday even if I never drain it by accident.

But to have really expensive components fail with no goodwill safety net would NOT encourage me to get a hi-tech car again without the extended warranty. Ummm, as long as whatever does fail falls into the covered-items category. And within the time limit.

Darn, now I'm worrying again about getting my 10 years worth, with only almost 3 down...

 

I have yet to expiriance those cost issues on my 04....

I will trade it in for an 07 when I hit 75k.

Thank god I bought that 72 mustang, the new replacement parts range from .50 to 900.00

 

Anyone who uses their local factory dealer to replace standard auto items like batteries, tires, windshield wiper blades and lights is just plain nuts! Our local dealership just quoted me around $275 to change the 12V battery in my 4Runner (our other vehicle).

 

Blimey - those prices are scary - with UK prices +30% at least - it'd be a bit painful !
When I bought Prius I bought green, I bought hi-tech and I bought reliability.
Mercedes did the same thing on parts and service so I left and took my money to Toyota

 

as far as i'm concerned buy any car and the longer owned, the more you'll spend on it.

the best we can do is go with a company with a reputation of offering cars with great reliability and toyota is one of those.

 

I, too, on occasion worry about the cost of replacing items such as the headlights...on the other hand, my '73 Pinto has the cheap round auto parts variety which are less than $15.00...

...yes, they're cheap to replace, but I wonder if the advantages of the HID units (like making it easier to see obstacles in your way) might make replacing even one of those cheaper than running into (Heaven forbid) a pedestrian or having an accident.

 

I dumped my 1998 Mercedes Benz CLK320 because (a) cost of maintenance and (b) putrid scum-sucking dealers.

I knew the affair with my car was over when I paid >$2000 for a tune-up. The charges included $500 for replacing the spark plugs in my 6-cyl. engine. I knew the plugs were platinum-TIPPED but had I known they were SOLID platinum I would have made jewelry out the old ones!

 

People will drop $5000 to $8000 on interest and $15,000 to $25,000 on depriciation without battiing an eye but $4000 to repair a transmission or in this case $2000 to repair a headlight really hurts. It all depends on what we are ready for.

A car is an expense, a big one. If we can afford that expense, it is bearable. I bet on the Prius and (knock on wood) so far it is payinig off both financially and in owner (my) satisfaction. I have yet to have a single malfunction of any kind. I did contact Troy for an extended warranty right away, just in case.

I think the best measure of the risk is the price of the extended warranty. These things are calculated VERY carefully. If there is 1 chance in 100 of a catastrophic failure, that 1 in a 100 WILL happen.

The pain the OP feels is very real. "There but for the Grace of God go I"

 

And note that with the Prius you'll never need a transmission job or a clutch replacement, because the car does not have them! And you may never need a brake job because it uses them so little.