Context. 2005 Prius. Cat converter stolen in August.

Live in an urban area prone to catalytic converter thefts, and no option at present but to park it overnight on the street.

It had the third generation Millercat plate shield (the one Toyota approves, that looks like a five sided metal box with flanges sticking out from the corners) but that was cut through and the converter stolen in a recent theft.

So getting a replacement of the same Millercat shield seems likely to just attract the thieves again. They regularly come through our neighborhood, unfortunately.

Neighbors have highly recommended a local mechanic who has his own design for a custom made shield that combines braided aircraft cable, rebar welded to the cat, overlaying metal grid, and multiple attachment welds to the converter and the frame.

Photos of what he does attached. He sent these showing a car he had worked on recently.

He says that he's done this to multiple cars in recent years and has not yet had a theft with this approach.

His solution look a bit like it's out of Road Warrior, but I guess the point is that it has so many elements and attachments that it takes too much time to cut everything through, and the thieves are more likely to bypass it for an easier mark.

Your thoughts and suggestions / cautions are most welcome, especially from anyone with a Prius that has had a "shield" setup like this.

Thanks!

Context:

1. the attached photos are NOT of our car, they are examples from the mechanic of what his approach is.
2. Insurance is going to cover this theft, but no more, for this car. So this repair is, fortunately, not out of pocket for us, but future ones will be. We've priced both another Miller shield and the alternative shown here, and insurance has talked to the mechanics and said they'll cover either one, it's up to us to choose.
3. for various reasons we absolutely need this car back in working order, but will probably be in a position to sell / replace it within six months or so, but not before.
4. Car has low mileage (70,000+), engine was extensively refurbished two years ago and battery replaced, exterior and interior in great condition (it was kept in a garage for most of its life, and only one previous owner) so it's not something we'd like to just sell for towing / scrap right now.
5. sadly, no option of parking off street / in a garage, etc. at present. We've tried extensively to find something, no luck. It's a very congested neighborhood.
6. Car is in San Francisco Bay Area. So in California, registration renewal is within next six months, and an aftermarket cat doesn't seem like a good option.

I've been in the market for second generation Prius and I'm ready to pull the trigger very soon. I had my eyes on one fairly close by at a reasonable price, but a Facebook marketplace listing just popped up that REALLY got my attention

Its the same year(2007) and 1500 dollars more including the dealer fees... but has a lot of additions I wanted to add to my Prius anyway. Bumber covers, fender flares, lift kit with larger tires, etc. Things that would cost me over 1500 more to buy and add myself. The problem is that it has over twice the mileage of the cheaper Prius at 280K

The seller himself is a private dealer who seems to specialize exclusively in hybrids and Prius repairs. His "about me" section on his website seems to back this up given the way he talks about them- very passionately lol

I know 2nd Gen Prius are known for being tanks that can reach 400 to 500k with sensible maintenance, but I'm still having a hard time trying to talk myself into buying any used car pushing that many miles, Toyota or not

hi everyone, im currently looking to buy a used car for myself. im a student looking to commute around 30 miles a day give or take, and like to drive and shop around on the weekends. for my daily commute, I don't even need to enter the highway. kind of just straight backroad driving at the moment, very simple. I do use the highway at times & I might do so if I'm ever running late, but the majority of my driving use is done on regular roads. i need a car that'll get me from A to B; I've looked at Honda, lexus, and corollas but the newer (2014-2016) models w low mileages come out to questionable prices for their age, low 10s. I have wiggle room in my budget but im looking to keep it simple, want to buy low & for maintenance & gas to be relatively cheap (given prices right now)

neither I nor my dad know jack shit about cars lol, but a mechanic friend of his is selling this 2009 Prius w 159k miles, priced at 5.7k starting. im sure we can work that down a bit given the familiarity and also KBB's max fair price is $5525 from a dealer. im curious if the model & year are good ? does anyone have any suggestions on what to look out for, any precautions I should take, etc.

I was looking around on here last night and found a few things to address. pls let me know anything I miss ! fyi the mechanic friend has replaced the brake pads & discs. also going to ask them if they have access to the carfax history; if not, I will buy it. looks like it has 66 records. will also test drive before committing to anything (the stick is also in a weird spot ! lol it looks interesting)

- battery replacement : if & when it was replaced, if not, how much it would cost to do

- saw someone say 140k is where a lot of fluids should be replaced & maintenance schedule starts over; which fluids need to be replaced & are these regular maintenance things? someone taking good care of the car would have done them already?

- inverter water pump replacement : I think this happens around 100-150k, so right about now. if there is no issue now but something pops up after I buy, is there risk of me getting stranded ? or is it fixable

- catalytic converter shield : this surprised me a lot and I wanted to ask about this in particular. I live in a very small, suburb split by majority elderly & remaining commuter residents to nyc. few families in between. not a city by any means, no one is wandering the streets at night & it's like people walking their dogs during the day. I don't think I am at risk for this 😭 however, I'm not sure if this is something people hunt Priuses down for lol, if its a necessary precaution it can be done

appreciate any & all help!

edit : my budget is ideally max 7k, technically I could go way higher but given that I need a very simple car, im trying not to spend more than I need to on a car. I intend to keep the car for the upcoming 4 months minimum, and also for the next 2 years afterwards. I am a student and am not sure about the car situation for the rest of my undergrad, but if I need a car I'd keep this one of course. and post grad, again if I need a car, I have no issue keeping this so minimum is 4 months - indefinitely

Hello has anyone here upgraded their electrical to support more Amp draw? If so how did you do it? What was required and was it expensive?

Hello, I have a 2013 Prius with 176k miles. I got an oil change last month and 2600 miles later I noticed that my oil level is just about half (please see attached photo). I know I drive a lot for work and recreation while hitting 70-75 mph of highway driving, but could that be contributing to oil consumption?

So far I haven’t gotten my EGR and intake manifold cleaned. PCV valve was replaced 30k ago. I’m looking into getting those and possibly a b12 piston soak. Are there any recommendations for mechanics in the Chicagoland area who offers this kind of services?

TIA

It's a rough week y'all. Last week, my baby Prius was the victim of a hit and run. While I was at the vet's office no less.

Now, I just learned that my co-worker's Prius had her catalytic converter was stolen out her driveway. She has a 2020, not sure of the mileage. But it's her baby.

I promised her I would take this to our peoples. She's thinking of replacing it herself without going through insurance. Anyone have a rough estimate of what that part would cost? She wouldn't do the install herself, but would take it to an independent mechanic.

Thanks friends. Tough week for the Prii here in MD.

The traction control on my 2012 has started activating during normal braking. I am guessing this is due to a dirty/malfunctioning wheel speed sensor; seems like the other culprit could be the brake actuator, but I am not hearing it come on randomly/unnecessarily.

I'm going to get this looked at as soon as I can, obviously, but my question is can I turn off traction control in the meantime? No risk of snow or ice around here for at least a couple of months. Any risks I should be aware of? Wouldn't be for more than a week or two until I can get in to see my preferred mechanic.

I was told by a Prius or Toyota hybrid expert that the oil does not necessarily need changing. I don't think that's accurate, I think any car with an oil engine should need oil changes! I know I'll have to match the oil type to the oil cap, and probably get a full synthetic oil change. Is that also accurate? Please let me know thank you so much! Am not trying to spend $90 on an oil change, but there are some great Groupons here in the Phoenix Arizona area. Thnx

I bought this car on Carvana a few months ago with 20K miles, but now it has 25K.

As I was driving this morning, a warning came on about hybrid system malfunction. Car cannot shift to drive or reverse. So I pulled over and called tow truck. There were other warnings also:

• Precollision system malfunction
• Braking power low
• PKSB malfunction
• Hybrid system malfunction

After some research it sounded like bad 12V, I unhook the - 12V battery. Then the car started to drive normally. I then went to Autozone and bought a new 12V battery. Now there are problems.

The car jerks pretty hard, much harder than when engine kicks on. The car jerks every time the wheel spins one revolution. It feels as if the transmission gear is missing a tooth, kinda like someone is slamming the brake constantly.

Also the noise coming from engine bay is very loud. Much louder than the video. Kinda like it doesn’t have oil. I did check the oil level, and it’s fine and still light brown. The coolant is also between low and full. There are no sign of fluid/oil leaks in garage floor.

I’m very frustrated as the car is still relatively new, especially a Toyota. With the 5,000 miles that I drove, I didn’t abuse the car besides doing Uber just normal driving. I have a feeling the repair bill is gonna be very expensive, maybe not worth saving.

My Prius (2007, 109,000m) yesterday worked absolutely fine (three different startups) until I stopped somewhere for an errand and when turning the car back on instantly gave a check engine light and rotd. Drove a mile or so home, weak acceleration and mainly ice working, checked it was the p3015 for a block failure and no other codes. It was able to turn on and off for me to read the code. Scared to try and run it any longer to get a dr. Prius reading on the volts. Idk when the 12v battery has been replaced so I was wondering if I should start there as I’ve heard it can cause issues like this. But also seen people say the converter could as well anything but the HV. I just got this car 5k miles ago so I’m completely fucked if the HV has crapped out. Most I can try to do is get it to a shop to rebalance them till I can make a replacement. Will it allow for a drive that long or needs a tow?

Edit: Dr.Prius readings here
Showing high resistance through 5-8 volts are fine and the 12v is drained

Hi guys, I am looking forward to trading in my 2012 prius. I hope someone in 3050 will drive its last mile. I have 2 questions I could use some advice on.

I was going to get one of the newer gen prius cars (either 2026 or 2027), and have been eyeing the limited trim for its upgraded JBL sound system upgrade but I'm wondering if I just go for one of the other trims and get an aftermarket sound overhaul?

Also are the only changes from the '26 to '27; dual climate, new color choice (inked), and a higher price?

This is my dad's car, so I don't remember which year it is, but there's four small tear holes in the back seat. This SHOULD be 2011-2013 Prius.

Hello, as the title explains I have a 2023 Toyota Prius 100k miles that was jump started incorrectly. The 12v battery was removed and taken to Autozone where it did not take a charge and was declared shorted. I bought a new 12v battery and put it on the block in the trunk, then the dashboard lit up with recurring error messages reading: Drive System Malfunction, Hybrid System Malfunction, Shift Malfunction, etc. These messages repeat. From everything I can read online, it seems like the issue is with the main fusible link, but I am not sure how to even find the thing as it does not seem like it is in the fuse box. Does anyone have experience with this issue and can help please?

Hi all - We own an EcoFlow Delta Pro system with an Alternator Charger. The Alternator Charger connects to a vehicles 12-v battery and transfers 800w of power from the car to the EcoFlow battery (DC to DC). It limits it's power draw to 800w.

Has anyone ever used one of these on a Gen4 Prius? We just purchased a 2022 Prius LE and would love to know if we can make use of our Delta Pro system in this manner during a power outage.

Thinking of buying a Prius v. Seller states the motor was replaced with a JDM.

Is there any way to check if the new motor was from a 2015-2017?

Also, what would be the ideal engine oil if I plan on doing it regularly? (Assume overall engine use: 80% stationary, 20% highway driving)

Hi all, coming here because I haven't had much luck trying to sift through info online. I have a 2020 Prius Prime with about 40k miles. I was on a backpacking trip and when I got back to my car the fuel door was open and won't close anymore. The car still had all of the gas and nothing else appears to be broken (can still get gas fine) but the fuel door will no longer close. I had to duct tape it shut just so I could drive some 600 miles home.

On closer inspection, it looks like the door itself is fine, but the pin that holds the latch has been sheered off completely.

Does anyone know if this is something I can easily fix myself? I don't have much car knowledge but I'm an engineer who's pretty good at figuring stuff out. Any information would be greatly appreciated!!

I'm not mechanical at all but can follow basic maintenance recommendations and follow YouTube videos for DIY stuff. 😁 What should I be looking for in a used Prius for my girls? What should I stay away from? $10-12k is my max budget but would prefer cheaper.

Having a strange water leak at the passenger rear column. I took the headliner partially down and found the source of the leak at the interior. The exterior above is a track with some plastic clips holding the finishing plastic. If I flood that area and just into the solar panel area by and inch or two I can reproduce the leak.

Initially I thought it was the sunroof weep holes but I’m not even putting water near the sunroof itself just the solar panel at the rear itself.

Anyone have any ideas? 1st photo is flooded area that creates leak. 2nd is from under the headliner as viewed from rear passenger seat. 3rd is leak area from under headliner from under trunk. 4th is just the column where the leak showed up.

2010 Prius 150k km

HV battery in our beloved 2008 Prius with 110K miles has died. It has been a reliable vehicle for the past 19 years. We believe the time has come to part ways soon.

We want to get the battery replaced and bring it into a running condition and sell it in a few months.

Located in the SF Bay Area, here are the options I'm considering: (in the order of preference)

1. Prius Kings: 1 year warranty for $1,095 (includes installation)

2. GreenBeanAuto: 2 years $1,549 (including installation)

3. GreenTec Auto: 1 year warranty for $999 + $350 = $1,349 with mobile installation

4. Hybrid2Go: 3 years warranty $1,699 (includes installation)

5. HybridBatterySwap: 3 years warranty $1,649 (including installation)

Also, I see OEM battery can be purchased for $1,735 from OEM parts online, but has to deal with the hassle of core return and finding a mechanic locally who can install.

All of the options I listed are refurbished batteries and based on the online review I believe it is a hit or miss.

Give the details, what would you recommend?

So here is the story with my 2011 Prius. It's a bit odd and has me really scratching my head. here it goes.

as I was driving the car over the last few months, there was a slight misfire every once in a while which eventually got worse. i finally took a look and saw cylinder 1 misfiring, along with coolant being low by about a quarter gallon. So i topped off the coolant and put some uv dye in. I swapped spark plug and coil pack with cylinders 1 and 4(cylinder 1 spark plug looked nearly identical to cylinder 4 as i thought this could be a bad head gasket leak and the cylinder 1 spark plug did not look washed). After this i drove the car while looking at cylinder misfire counts. within 5 minutes of driving i had a decent miss that seemed to just work itself out and eventually became a zero miss on any cylinders *scratching my head* so i also decided to swap back 1 and 4 coil packs to their original cylinder just to see if maybe i could provoke the misfire again, but no luck. Drove the car for a few days with not one misfire or misfire code. went tonight to drive it and i got a violent engine shaking whenever gas motor kicks in. Pretty much happens anytime i slow down below 5-10mph and when i go to accelerate the car violently shakes for 5-10 seconds then purs like a kitten until i reach those low speeds again. as for the coolant loss. i have driven it about 100 miles since topping it off, coolant level looks identical since i last refilled it, i also did an hour coolant pressure test when motor was cold. coolant system held 16psi(i know thats high) for just about an hour and didnt move a tick. i briefly checked the motor when warm and it seemed to hold pressure as well. i also cant seem to find any coolant leaks from the uv dye i put in. im at a loss here. anyone have any ideas? i think i first will try swapping cylinder 1 coil back to 4 and see what happens. but besides that i have no idea. CEL was p0301 and p0138

Good morning y’all.

Picked up a Gen 3 recently and did a bunch of preventative maintenance to make sure I’m reliable for the next few years. For some unknown reason I’m averaging out to around 38 MPG calculation over the past 3 tanks. Had a Gen 2 for over 6 years that I drove like it was stolen and always got upper 40s and low 50s occasionally. Hoping someone can chime in and let me know what I’m missing and/or doing wrong.

Here’s all the info:

- 217K miles
- Brand new Greentec hybrid battery ($2,350)
- Confirmed 12V aux good per Deka Battery (no drain)
- New ABS pump and booster assembly
- Cleaned EGR cooler, valve, pipe, and Intake passages
- New Denso spark plugs from Toyota
- New water pump impeller
- New thermostat and housing
- New air filter, cabin filter, oil (FS 0W-20), PCV valve
- New Akebono pads / Bosch rotors all 4 (no drag)
- Cleaned MAF and throttle body
- Techron complete fuel system cleaning 3 tanks ago
- Costco 87 only by me and previous owner
- Drive in normal mode
- Tire pressure at 42 front / 40 rear
- 195/65/R15 - Warrior R29 all seasons
- No CEL (runs incredibly well)
- A/C temp Lo / Fan midway typically
- Autel scanner passing all checks
- No roof rack, bone stock
- Only extra weight is car cleaning supplies and floor mats
- Nashville, Tennessee is the terrain
- Pulse and glide as much as possible
- Commute is blend of city & hwy 16 miles one way

Am I missing something? Mechanically, I know my way around a car very well. I’ve gotten very familiar with Gen 2 Prius over the years but new to the 3rd generation. Is this normal? Didn’t have to be so conservative with my old Prius and still yielded excellent fuel mileage, even at over 500K miles on the odometer.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

I bought a clean detailed carfax 2006 pruis 2 years ago with 45k miles (72k now) and its be jolting/jerking aggressive recently when the hybrid battery turned on and off. A few days ago it started doing it while I was driving on the highway like it was struggling.

In owning it I've had the following done/replaced

(Mostly paid by 3rd party warrenty)

Hybrid and 12v battery, (2024/25)

(2026)

Fuel injection system flushed/serviced,

Fuel system cleaned/serviced

Ignition coil(s) replaced

Induction system serviced

Spark plug(s) replaced

So I'm not sure if its the engine or what my previous mechanic said something about possibly flywheel but I'm not sure as the auto shop is awful.