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Question for the Prius folks here... Date: May 22, 2024 08:38AM |
... my dealership, where I routinely get service done (and has generally been very reliable and honest in the past), last time I brought it in (a 2014 Prius II), they said that the brake pads would likely need replacing soon. The car has only about 11K miles on it (!) and they said there was 4mm left on the pads.
From the little bit of Googling I've done so far, it sounds like this might be a scam on the part of the dealership. On the other hand, I've read that it may be due to things like rust, if the car is sitting around a lot without being driven. (Obviously, I don't do a lot of driving... mostly just commute back and forth from home and work.)
Anyone know about this kind of stuff? I'm not much of a car person...
TiA
Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)
From the little bit of Googling I've done so far, it sounds like this might be a scam on the part of the dealership. On the other hand, I've read that it may be due to things like rust, if the car is sitting around a lot without being driven. (Obviously, I don't do a lot of driving... mostly just commute back and forth from home and work.)
Anyone know about this kind of stuff? I'm not much of a car person...
TiA
Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)
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Re: Question for the Prius folks here... Date: May 22, 2024 08:49AM |
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freeradical
How can a 2014 car only have 11K miles?
Because, as I said, I don't drive much.
Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)
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Re: Question for the Prius folks here... Date: May 22, 2024 12:13PM |
Thanks everyone.
Indeed most of my driving is stop and go, particularly because the lights here are timed to make you do that, and I do tend to have a heavy foot on the brakes because of the other drivers here. (Do NOT get me started on the drivers here!)
I'm sure brake fluid has been done-- I've brought the car in for routine maintenance at every point it's been due.
I'll see if I can snap a quick photo ... don't want to deal with taking a tire off, I'm supposed to be bringing it in for service tomorrow and that's part of why I was asking about this... in case they argue that I need them replaced.
Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)
Indeed most of my driving is stop and go, particularly because the lights here are timed to make you do that, and I do tend to have a heavy foot on the brakes because of the other drivers here. (Do NOT get me started on the drivers here!)
I'm sure brake fluid has been done-- I've brought the car in for routine maintenance at every point it's been due.
I'll see if I can snap a quick photo ... don't want to deal with taking a tire off, I'm supposed to be bringing it in for service tomorrow and that's part of why I was asking about this... in case they argue that I need them replaced.
Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)
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Re: Question for the Prius folks here... Date: May 22, 2024 12:39PM |
OK, I snapped a few quick pics... not sure how useful these would be, not exactly sure what I was looking for: [imgur.com]
Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)
Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)
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Re: Question for the Prius folks here... Date: May 22, 2024 01:31PM |
Can't see the pads, but it seems they're pretty thin. If this is the first replacement of pads for a 2014 car, I'd say you're doing ok, cost/mile wise. They'll probably suggest replacing the rotors too.
The rust issue is usually not with the pads, but on the rotors. They pick up condensation, especially if the car sits outdoors a lot and not driven a lot. The condensation causes rust on the rotors, and the pads grind against the rust, accelerating the wear on the pads. Just sayin'.
The rust issue is usually not with the pads, but on the rotors. They pick up condensation, especially if the car sits outdoors a lot and not driven a lot. The condensation causes rust on the rotors, and the pads grind against the rust, accelerating the wear on the pads. Just sayin'.
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Re: Question for the Prius folks here... Date: May 22, 2024 02:53PM |
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special
How are the tires?
Also 10 year old car, even if low miles, you need to consider if any of the engine belts need replacement.
Replaced the tires last year.
I would presume they'd have told me if any of the engine belts needed replacement.
The scoring is, I would say, fairly superficial -- I can feel it with my finger, but they aren't deep gouges.
It could be exactly what lost has suggested ... the humidity here is insane, which I could imagine causes rust. (We've also had flooding to the point where the water has reached up into the tires...)
Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)
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Re: Question for the Prius folks here... Date: May 22, 2024 04:13PM |
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anonymouse1
Get a second opinion. Brakes aren't rocket science.
Prius brakes usually last about 100K miles because much of the "braking" is regenerative. But it sounds like you're really an outlier because of your driving situation.
Also, that generation, the 2010-2015, had problems with, and a recall related to the brake booster system. It is/was a multi-$1K repair. I believe the recall eligibility has past.
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Re: Question for the Prius folks here... Date: May 22, 2024 04:52PM |
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AllGold
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anonymouse1
Get a second opinion. Brakes aren't rocket science.
Prius brakes usually last about 100K miles because much of the "braking" is regenerative. But it sounds like you're really an outlier because of your driving situation.
Also, that generation, the 2010-2015, had problems with, and a recall related to the brake booster system. It is/was a multi-$1K repair. I believe the recall eligibility has past.
If it had any recalls on it, I definitely did them...
I guess I'll see what they say tomorrow. I'm seeing some interesting information on PriusChat ... for example, some suggestion that all the pads are good down to 1mm, and that the rear actually ships as 4mm. So I'm wondering now if the dealership was only looking at the front ones, which apparently ship as 11mm.
Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)
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Re: Question for the Prius folks here... Date: May 22, 2024 07:44PM |
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Speedy
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PeterB
Replaced the tires last year.
Tire shops usually check your brakes, too. Seems like the stealership just wants to screw you over. Take it elsewhere and save some money. Given your driving history I would wait until you hear metal against metal.
Got the tires at the dealership... in retrospect, maybe I shouldn't have, but I had no reason to disbelieve them when they told me that they'd had serious dry rot.
Let me see what they say tomorrow, then I might see an actual mechanic... just in general though, this dealership hasn't been what I would consider to be money-grabbing... generally, it seems they've only been doing really what needs doing with the car, over the 10 years or so that I've been going there.
Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)
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UPDATE Date: May 23, 2024 01:34PM |
Back from the dealership. He said the brakes were fine, but that indeed the problem is rusting on the rotors from moisture, which is then leading to the scoring. Solution = drive more! 
They also did the brake fluid, which he said was starting to look tinted.
I forgot to ask about the low mileage affecting the battery and/or engine, but again, if there were a problem with either -- they would have noted in the multi-point, which they didn't.
So... basically a clean bill of health.
Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2024 01:34PM by PeterB.
They also did the brake fluid, which he said was starting to look tinted.
I forgot to ask about the low mileage affecting the battery and/or engine, but again, if there were a problem with either -- they would have noted in the multi-point, which they didn't.
So... basically a clean bill of health.
Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2024 01:34PM by PeterB.
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Re: UPDATE Date: May 23, 2024 04:06PM |
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AllGold
It's not good for the engine to only be driven on short trips. It needs to be driven on a longer trip (10+ miles) every once in a while. With only short trips, it could develop a "wash down" problem where the rings don't seal effectively and fuel gets into the oil.
As it is, your 2014 may or may not have been produced with a design flaw where the piston rings are inadequate. 2014 was the dividing line where they redesigned the pistons in the middle of the production year. You can tell by the VIN; the seventh number from the end will be either a 0 or a 1. A 1 means it was produced with the redesigned pistons.
Oh, I do occasionally go on longer trips, just not that often. Unfortunately it does look like it's a "0" rather than a "1", but I haven't noticed any problems yet.
Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)
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Re: UPDATE Date: May 23, 2024 04:12PM |
Great! I’m glad I was wrong about your stealership.
Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.
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PeterB
Back from the dealership. He said the brakes were fine, but that indeed the problem is rusting on the rotors from moisture, which is then leading to the scoring. Solution = drive more!
They also did the brake fluid, which he said was starting to look tinted.
I forgot to ask about the low mileage affecting the battery and/or engine, but again, if there were a problem with either -- they would have noted in the multi-point, which they didn't.
So... basically a clean bill of health.
Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.
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Re: Question for the Prius folks here... Date: May 23, 2024 09:13PM |
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Speedy
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PeterB
The car has only about 11K miles on it (!)
When you go to sell it you might want to find a little old lady to front for you so you can get more money for it. Or advertise it as your mother’s car that you are selling for her.
You'll pry this car from my cold, dead hands. Apparently the older Priuses (Prii?) are going for tons of money, everyone wants them.
The ONLY thing I hate about this car is the problem with the side windows not clearing condensation when you roll them down -- that's a serious safety hazard.
Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)
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Re: Question for the Prius folks here... Date: May 23, 2024 10:53PM |
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AllGold
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PeterB
You'll pry this car from my cold, dead hands. Apparently the older Priuses (Prii?) are going for tons of money, everyone wants them.
All used cars are going for tons of money these days. Used Prii have always been in demand.
As far as your cold, dead hands, with your driving habits, you'd probably be a lot better off with a pure EV (although I don't know if you'd have a place to charge it at home).
Nope, EV is out for me. I need to be able to drive in the absence of charging options in case of weather events. That's part of why I went for a regular gas hybrid in the first place.
Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)
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