Could u pls expand on these - in particular what/how you saved money?
Secondly, are you saying Prius is pretty much done at 191k compared ICE - if the battery is only $3.5k, why wouldn’t you replace and keep the car?
I am not recommending this place, it us up to you to decide. There may be others out there.
Sciconf — Some vehicle run what seems for ever and some don’t . That means this question does not really have an answer . So buy what you want and take car of it .
Thank you indeed - the m/c might not have these internet based places to buy - he bought the replacement through regular channels, meaning the Dealer - so was expensive. I learnt something. Thanks
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Hi @Cavell @thegreendrag0n
There is something I learnt off YouTube:
Gen 2 Prius has so called eCVT - it has a MG1 & MG2 - MG: MotorGenerator - in ICE its the Alternator which is easy to replce.
So I guess if MG’s go bad then its a hard job due to its location. Perhaps the entire eCVT can be replaced. Don’t know the cost!
All Prius cars have that setup. I’ve read of zero problems with the MGs. You keep asking about various issues with one of the most reliable cars on the road. Why?
Trolling ?
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The above is an example for it - they say when “Paul is talking Peter, he is talking about himself!”
I am considering buying a Prius - just ironing out - clarifying it myself. Naturally it is not on the top of my mind so I tend to dig a bit deeper. I imagine driving a Volt or an Accord Plug in. Thanks
People seem taken aback when they hear about someone having to replace a $3000 battery pack on a hybrid. But they never seem to hear about the ones that are still on the road with 300,000 miles and no more than routine maintenance.
A Tahoe can have a transmission that goes bad at 120,000 miles that costs $3000 to replace. A Subaru can have a head gasket failure that costs $2600 to repair. A Dodge can have a differential failure that costs $2500. Any car can have a major repair.
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I guess the difference is that the battery pack replacement is a given, at some point. And the hybrid will have all of those other components that you mentioned (transmission, head gasket, etc.) as possible failure points too. Which would make a lot of folks wary of buying a hybrid. It would dissuade me from buying a used one. A $3k battery pack replacement could buy a lot of gas…
You might check your area for hybrid battery repair shops. They could help you check out candidates as far as their battery condition goes.
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Well no, not really. When a Prius is driven as designed, as a commuter car with daily service, I expect the battery pack to outlast most other components. Factor in other maintenance items like getting 200K on a set of brake pads, fewer hydraulic items (the steering is electric so no pump or hoses to leak), no belts or tensioners, and a Prius has a long term operating cost less than a Corolla (I can’t remember the study where I read that, but I believe it).
And remember, the point of driving a hybrid is using less gas, not spending less money on gas.
I get 100k miles on a set of brake pads already. Half as much, but brake pads are not very expensive. And to be fair, pretty much all new cars have electric power steering. Not trying to be contentious, but does a hybrid not have 99% of the components of a normal economy car? Plus the battery pack and hybrid system? So, even if that system is super reliable…it’s still another system made up of components that can fail, right?
I was under the impression the point of a hybrid was to save money by using less fuel. I assumed that’s why most folks bought them. If it’s just a “save the planet” thing, that’s cool, carry on.
I had the opportunity to buy a used Prius that was well maintained from someone. It is a 2011, had over 100 K miles on it. It has navigation too. So far we are at 110 K miles. I am a manual ICE type of a guy, but the Prius actually drives well, has good visibility and pretty roomy. We are getting 45 MPG with the kids driving, mostly mixed local and fwy.
I have done the spark plugs, cleaned the hybrid fan, oil change and ATF drain and refill. I think the car will go for a while. Would consider another used Prius as a replacement for wife’s car. I think it is a decent value.
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eCVT has no friction points what are normal wear and tear of the classic automatic or belt-driven CVT.
@asemaster made a good point above that $3K battery as a replacement item is in line with other cars expenses to replace CVT or transmission or such, which is also “given” if we start comparing apples to apples.
Now, batteries in NYC cabs were reported to go 300K and up, while for “regular folks” they were reported to fail much earlier but, importantly, they fail at certain age (12-15 years or so), not mileage, so its one or another when considering battery life.
My 2005 Prius battery failed in 2019, at 117K miles, after prior owners stopped commuting regularly and car was sitting with no moving for several weeks at a time, then driven for 1-2 miles to the nearby grocery store. Failed in 6 month after regular commute was not done on it. Nearby hybrids repair shop would fix it by replacing dead cells, for $500, fixed price with 6 months warranty. I found 2 dead cells and another 7 cells of reduced capacity, replaced all of them for under $200 and it’s back to normal capacity and drive cycle.
Prior to that, I had Nissan CVT failed. $4,500 if I paid out of pocket… just a comparison point… and I would not have a luxury of DIY repair on cheap there.
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All good points. I don’t know enough about a hybrid trans to know if they inherently last longer or fail less than other transmissions. Apparently so.
I think my point that a hybrid has most of the components of a regular car, plus another entire system (that appears to be very reliable but anything can fail) is still valid too.
I’ll admit I don’t know very much about hybrids in general. And that’s probably one of the reasons I wouldn’t want a used one myself. I find it pretty hard to believe they don’t have most of the problems of a regular car. Plus some possible hybrid only problems.
@thegreendrag0n
Great points you made.
According to the Video I watched lastnight, eCVT has a manual transmission type pressure plate on the engine side - there is always a possibility I misheard, but I don’t think so.
The Nissan CVT - is it from an ICE engine/car?
Great tips - thanks
Reading everyone’s post, it appears that a hybrid can fail if it is less frequently used!