I'm considering getting a Prius (& keeping for a long time) and I'm curious about any unusual maintenance costs that might pop up - in particular the CVT (continuously variable transmission).

Anyone have close to or over 100,000 miles (& what kind of unusual maintenance items have you had)?

Scott

 

Scott,

The current Prius has only been available since the 2004 model year. My 2004 now has 46,000 miles and has been very reliable (2 software updates, new tires and an AC freon leak in 2 years).

There have been some high mileage use of the previous version of the prius (2001-2003 model years) especially as taxis. They have been driven over 200,000 miles. Try a search on Taxi on this board.

JeffD

 

The Prius eCVT transmission is probably about the most reliable (and simple in terms of mechanical complexity) out of any 'CVT' on the road. Here's the main component (power split device):



Since it's just gears there's not much to go wrong until the gears actually wear down, but that would be a very very long time. The other main component of the CVT is the pair of electric motors. They are not likely to fail since they are brushless AC motors, the bearings in the transmission may eventually need replacing, but again that would be after decades of driving. I haven't heard of any problems at all with the Prius THS or HSD transmission, so I think it will be one of the last components to require repair.

The main concern people have with the Prius is the battery. Your warranty will cover you through 8-10 years depending on where you buy, and they are predicted to last about 15 years under typical driving conditions. Costs are dropping for the battery, right now I think they are quoting around $2000, when the Prius I came out they were saying around $5000, and in 8-15 years you'd be looking at a lot less. Keep in mind that most cars need some kind of service, be it a clutch or tranny rebuild after a lot of driving, and the Prius will save you from having to maintain brake pads significantly, plus no DC starter to wear and no alternator and associated belts. Most people have very low maintenance costs on their Prius, they are very reliable even though there's been some small glitches.

 

Schwa, put in a scale bar! That CVT assembled is about the size of a soda can. Amazing.

I have 82k miles on 2001 Prius and all going well. The highest mileage fellow I know is at about 160k, he doesn't post much, nothing to say I guess.

I disagree about future price of the battery new, doubt that they will be less expensive in 10 because the cost of nickel is a big part of the battery, and that metal price is upward bound. In 10 years (probably less) hybrids will use lithium.

The probable source for HV battery, if I ever need one, will be from a wrecked vehicle. That is *already* the cheapest sources for ECUs, etc., for folks who have out-driven their warranties.

DAS

 

Hello,

I just purchased a pre-owned 2001 Classic Prius on November 5th for $9,500. I too had long term reliability and repair concerns. The car I purchased had 115k miles on it. I have now driven it a little over 3000 miles and it runs strong.

I'm coming up on my 120k mile service interval. My local dealers want $485 for it. It includes changing the spark plugs and inverter coolant.

I purchased the car from a Toyota dealer. While the car is not a "Toyota Certified" vehicle, the dealership did show me the service history, and all recall work performed. The Classic models had issues with the throttle assembly, the electronic steering assembly, the steering wheel "clock spring" electrical, some needed their computer changed due to hesitation at highway speeds, and the most recent was a battery sealant rework. Make sure that a used classic has had all that work performed, or that it really dosn't need it. Also try to verify that all regular maintenance was performed.

My local service manager mentioned that the ICE will most likely fail far sooner than the Hybrid components on the car, (and even then I should expect 250k miles with nothing more than regular scheduled maintenance). So, I priced the replacement cost by the dealership service department for major components like the ICE - $5,000, the inverter $1,800, the eCVT $1500, the hybrid battery $2500, the regenerative brake system $2000. I also priced the replacement of all these components by a local high-performance Japanese "tuner" shop, using readily available low-mileage wrecked Prius salvage parts, and the cost was easily as little as 1/6 of the dealer price. So, keeping the Prius alive for many more miles should not be too much of an issue.

 

Hi Scott,

We've found two 'fleet' reports on the web: (1) US Dept. of Energy, and (2) a Canadian report. URLs for both were posted in the "Model Comparisons" group since non-Prius hybrids were covered in both reports. The Canadian report also has the full maintenance history for a Prius taxicab with over 150,000 km of miles.

Bob Wilson

 

I just noticed a post in the share section (a while back even) from a member that just rolled over 200,000 miles...

 

man...still debating if I should get a 170,000*km Prius I and save the rest on repairs or finance a new car... hard decisions.

 

It depends upon how much self-maintenance you are willing to take on. With what I know now, I could have gone with an older car BUT I'm very happy with my 03 Prius. It has become my hobby.

Bob Wilson

 

I was thinking of spending the money at a Toyota dealer and following their maintenance schedule. If any problems were to occur soon maybe I can request the parts a little earlier and save time. Or it just doesn't work that way?

Phil