Looks like their last post was in August of 2018...so not getting my hopes up. However, I sure would like an update too! BTW our Prius v is approaching 150K miles on the clock. We have a loooooong way to go.
How many miles do you have now? Any issues? I get all my work done at the dealership and everytime I get the car back, they say everything is in the green. I just get nervous everytime due to my back luck with getting cars that crap out once they hit 130,000 despite keeping up with the maintenance schedule.
The v is now 12.2 years old and would have had 366k miles by now except for covid - based on our previous 30k a year. As is the car just rolled past 300k today. Since most problems occurred early, I expect some repeats before it’s over. We have had a 2008 Prius, 2017 CRV and a 2022 RAV4 hybrid since the v was purchased. Combined those three drove 200k so the v rules when it comes to miles. 1) Have you changed the HV traction battery? Around 175k with oem mobile service in a Home Depot parking lot. Took the guy about twenty minutes since no panels have to be removed. 2) How about the 12v battery? Twice. One was a Priuschat favorite back in the day, an Optima Yellow top. It did not last as long as the current Auto Zone replacement. 3) Hybrid transaxle (transmission) fluid? Yes twice. Probably once would have been enough. 4) How often do you change oil? What brand? 5k miles with Mobil 1 except when a dealer does it using their bulk oil. Generally a buy one get one free coupon. Occasionally I will just pump the oil out from the dipstick and pour in $25 worth of Mobil 1. Filters at least every 10k. 5) How many sets of tires? Favorite brand/model? One set every 100k miles. Just put on the fourth set of Michelins. Hold balance well, great ride, reduced noise and tire life. Safe as well. I will replace a new car’s tires the first week if they are not Michelin. Rotate every 5k-10k, don’t turn the wheel when stopped to avoid scrubbing and rarely hard brake - perhaps 5 times overall. 6) Changed brake pads? Front pads and rotors are original. Rear rotors and ebrake drums are original, changed rear pads when a bearing went out just because they were off anyway. 7) Lifetime MPG? Right at 40 mpg primarily due to fast freeway driving 95% of the time along with full time AC use. EPA is 42 mpg due to a higher numerical final drive ratio. ——— Extra Maintenance includes twice as many oil and four times as many coolant changes than recommended. Notable failures include inverter stranding 100 miles from home late on a Sunday night when only an airport rent car was available, all at my expense. Brake Booster failure before the v was covered so I had to front Toyota the money for a year. Excessive oil consumption leading to an egr code with a blocked cooler. Bought new cooler and sold cleaned one on eBay. Cat may be going soon due to oil consumption. Notable successes include brakes, original water pumps, AC, suspension, body, interior, paint, electronics (except inverter and antenna amp) and it is still rattle and squeak free.
Keep up the EGR cleaning, say every 50k. I’ve seen EGR carbon build-up with no engine oil consumption, but leave that for another day?
Our 2011 Prius hatchback with 130K on the odometer doesn't burn any noticeable amount of oil, as measured on the dipstick, but the OCC catches a good amount of oil (approx 200ml) in the 5K oil change interval. So, it's possible for someone with no OCC to be burning oil through the PCV valve/intake route which could contribute to the oily deposits in the EGR valve/cooler/intake passages. SM-G781V ?
Egr was non-existent on gen2. Gen3 had an egr with its intake before the cats which are designed to burn off residual hydrocarbons. So gen3s egr gets excessive hydrocarbons through a poor design which included low tension rings. Like the gen3 rings, pistons, cylinder cooling and more, gen4’s egr was corrected. It now has an intake after the cats and it’s egr cooler is larger. Defending gen3’s flaws is a losing game. Gen4 and 5 don’t need egr cleanings.