Just Purchased 2013 Prius Five in Rough Shape

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by RyanS2013Pri5, Apr 1, 2025.

  1. RyanS2013Pri5

    RyanS2013Pri5 New Member

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    Hi All, Ryan here, new to the site. I just purchased a 2013 Prius Five with 125k mi. I thought I looked it over pretty well, but I've discovered I most definitely didn't. Shame on me. This is a Massachusetts car and the rust is a lot worse than I thought it was, so I now have a local mechanic lined up to replace the rear axle beam with a used one salvaged from the southern states, as it is rusted through near the hub on the driver's side. I also noticed the sunroof rubber trim is shot, but it appears that's cosmetic and the bulb seal beneath is what seals out the weather.

    I bought this car for my commuter vehicle, and although I feel like I may have gotten the raw end of the deal I'm not ready to give up and off load it on someone else. I can't afford new, and I desperately want this car to get me through as many years as possible.. I may be naive but I was hoping for another five years minimum. If the high voltage battery goes, well, I'll probably want to replace it. Unfortunately I am several owners in and there are no records after the initial dealership warranty period, so I'm not sure how this car was treated. It's a very nice trim level and is very very clean on the inside, but that means nothing as far as maintenance. I would like to start replacing fluids, but also parts that are most likely to fail shortly based on the issues this gen has been proven to suffer from. I'm hoping the kind people here might be willing to help provide opinions and advice on what parts and procedures should be dealt with in order of importance.

    After doing research online, I have a list of items that I'd like to tackle, but I can't take care of them all at once. Can ya'll help me determine what's most pressing? I'll skip oil change/ air filter changes because those are easily done. I'm also curious opinions on whether certain parts should be oem or can be aftermarket. I'm fairly handy with cars btw, mostly thanks to taking it slow and watching youtube videos til my eyes are twitching.

    1) Replace EGR valve with Toyota TSB kit 25620-37120
    2) Replace EGR cooler with aftermarket (Not sold on trying to clean this die to time constraints)
    3) Replace intake manifold and pcv valve with aftermarket (Not sold on trying to clean this due to time constraints)
    4) Replace coolant and inverter coolant with Toyota oem
    5) Replace trans fluid (likely never done) with Toyota oem
    6) Replace water pump and thermostat with aftermarket
    7) Replace spark plugs with Denso oem
    8) Replace coil packs with aftermarket
    9) Clean out the blower for the battery air, and install a filter (this car has none)
    10) Replace the boot on the driver's side outer tire rod, which is leaking grease.


    Eventually I need to replace the front strut mounts as those are severely rusted, but for now they are not in danger of failing. I also need a second key fob as the car has only one and I don't want to be caught with a dead fob.

    A lot, right? Any one want to point me in the right direction, PLEASE..? PS I'm new to/ not too good at forums.
     
    bisco likes this.
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome!

    i would probably oem everything from a dealer due to the proliferation of counterfeit parts.

    not sure you need coil packs at 125k. you've just hit the first big maintenance milestone. plugs are usually in pretty good shape, so no rush.
    fluids definitely, but the egr circuit is the top priority soyou don't blow the head gasket.
    all the best!
     
    Danno5060 and RyanS2013Pri5 like this.
  3. nicoj36

    nicoj36 Active Member

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    Your list looks good but I would add the following:

    MAF cleaning
    Bottle of redline fuel treatment
    permatex rust treatment spray for rusted parts, make sure you wash undercarriage first using high-pressure washer.
     
    RyanS2013Pri5 likes this.
  4. AzusaPrius

    AzusaPrius Senior Member

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    Download the CARFAX Car Care app
    You will find a lot more maintenance records other than the Toyota dealer.

    Buy a Carista obd reader.

    Download the Dr. Prius app.
    You can determine the health of the hybrid battery and be able to turn off the reverse beep and seatbelt beep.

    Download the Hybrid Assistant app.
    With this app you can monitor the temps of the engine and the inverter and other data.
     
  5. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Trim 5 doesn’t have a sunroof.
     
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I don’t think there’s aftermarket alternatives, nor an advantage if there was. Everything you have is eminently cleanable. The intake manifold PCV valve EGR valve are quite easy to clean. The EGR cooler takes more care and attention, but with your miles, 4~6 hour-long soaking sessions with oxi-clean solution, or similar but with lye solution, if heavily carbon-impacted, and you can have it all in like-new condition.

    see top two links in my signature for more info. (On a phone turn it landscape to see signatures)
     
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  7. RyanS2013Pri5

    RyanS2013Pri5 New Member

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    Thank you for the advice!

    Thanks for the advice! Permatex is a rust converter, right?

    Thanks for the advice! Carista is your preferred OBD?

    Haha, I took the sellers word for it. Looks like my username was a fail!

    That’s great news, thank you!
     
    #7 RyanS2013Pri5, Apr 3, 2025
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 3, 2025
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  8. flim

    flim Active Member

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    Did you get a good price for all your troubles? Good luck!
     
  9. ColoradoCrow

    ColoradoCrow Senior Member

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    Ryan,
    Welcome! Time depending on the EGR(y) I understand....so pull an EGR cooler off another Prius from a junkyard and clean and soak that in Oxyclean per Mendel's link information. This will give you practice on removing it from the car (including the bolt you don't need to put back) and make you more familiar with the system. They you can always have a clean spare on hand. If you get great at it you could provide this service to others for a fee.( I know someone who does this and makes an extra $500 a month pocket money)
    I would also spray down the radiator with a 50/50 mix of simple green and water. rinse gently and repeat.....Suspension is easy and you can do it as you save money. Rear is easier than the front. If you get the car up on stands you and lube the chassis points...and inspect the rocker panels. A new Hybrid battery will run $2-3K if you do it yourself. It is involved but I not difficult IMHO. I second Bisco on OEM Parts...lots of junk on Amazon....you might get lucky. I get mine through Olathe Toyota. they do mail order as well. I run the Autel OBD2 unit and Dr. Prius. App.
     
  10. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    There are no aftermarket for these parts but a new cooler from Japan via ebay is cost effective.

    You don't want the aftermarket egr valve - most will stick open right out of the box - the real failure mode of the egr system any dealer mechanic will tell you.

    Big mistake

    . You should make this a priority. If you lose or damage your fob it is far more expensive to get the system initialized and configured for new fobs.

    Cooling system drain and fills every 50k with oem fluid is key for long hg life, even though the past is unknown and a hg job is almost guaranteed at this point.

    The brake by wire "brake booster" and hybrid battery are very likely to be changed on your watch. These are not sudden failures so get a rainy day fund built up.
     
    #10 rjparker, Apr 4, 2025
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2025
    Brian1954 likes this.
  11. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Your list is a way to spend a bunch of money in advance without gaining much protection from future failures.

    Better just to keep your savings account fat- you're going to need it.

    Exceptions: replace the coolant, that one is a good move, and get the 2nd key done. 125k is fair for changing the plugs but don't change coils- factory coils are much better than the replacements and most people never need them in the first place.

    IF you decide that there's a problem with the water pump, replace it with a Toyota pump. Even the real-deal Toyota pump is implicated in some cooling system problems; the aftermarket ones are less good than that.
     
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