2009 Prius Saga - About to give up.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by oofrostonoo, Jan 3, 2023.

  1. oofrostonoo

    oofrostonoo Junior Member

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    2009 Prius
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    I'm about to call it quits with my 09' Prius, but wanted to see if anyone here might have some insight as to what is going on. Here is a timeline of issues and "fixes."

    135k Miles, regular oil changes, drove GREAT until.....

    Problem 1 / Fix Attempt 1
    In June this all started with a loud popping and clicking sound as I drove slowly. I took it to a mechanic near by who suggested we replace both front struts and control arms. ($920)

    Continuation of Issues
    With the new struts and control arms the repeated loud popping and clicking was gone as I slowly drove. However there was still a single or double click right when I started accelerating from a start AND/OR when I was coming to a stop. Like a clunk/clunks when I started or stopped basically.

    Similar Issues / New Fix Attempt
    I went to another place who replaced both CV Axels and Front Wheel bearings.

    When I drove away I thought the issue was fixed. No pop or clunk when moving forward or stopping. I live in a city so didn't take it on a highway for a few weeks. When I did, after hitting 65-75 MPH, I noticed a howling sound. Loudest at 70mph. This is consistent and hasn't gone away. Also a little more vibration in the pedal than before new parts. When making a very hard left or right turn from a stop (like out of a driveway) there was still some creaking and now some un-evenness feeling or shifting in the tires.

    I drove around like this for a few thousand miles and then began to notice excessive wear to the outside of my front tires (which I just bought before all this shit happened).

    3 More Diagnosis
    Went back to the place that installed the CV/Wheel Bearings. They said maybe it was the parts from the internet we ordered that weren't good.

    Went to another place and they said they wanted to replace literally everything for $2,000. (struts, control arms, bearings, CV)

    Went to a third place that said the transmission was bad and the car was totaled. There was a large language barrier at this place so i didn't get a really detailed summary.

    So I'm basically lost at this point.

    I'm in North Jersey, so if anyone has a rec for someone to sort this out or an idea of what is wrong I'd be extremely grateful. Was hoping for another 100k out of this car!!
     
    #1 oofrostonoo, Jan 3, 2023
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2023
  2. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    There may be problems with the new wheel bearings, or maybe it's your first chance to hear a bad one in the back that was previously being drowned out by the fronts. The best shops use a specific tool named "Chassis Ears" to properly figure out bearing noises. Ask around for a shop that has 'em.

    It also sounds like the car hasn't been aligned after all these miles and that work. That could make a significant difference to tire wear and handling, I suggest doing that before you lose too much more tread.
     
    #2 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Jan 3, 2023
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you're spending so much money, you might as well go to a dealer and get it done right
     
    #3 bisco, Jan 3, 2023
  4. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Hearing noises in a 14 year old car isn't something to worry about. But because you are worrying about these noises so much people are fleecing you for un-needed repairs. When I got my 2007 Prius in 2012 it had some bad noises in the metal plate next to front disc breaks and I work on Prius all the time for people and here we are 11 years after purchase at 280K miles and I haven't worried about that noise yet because everything is mechanically working ok. It's just a noise! Old cars make noises. Stop fixing things that don't need to be fixed! Drive the car until something actually breaks before you spend money on fixing it.
     
    #4 PriusCamper, Jan 3, 2023
  5. MCCOHENS

    MCCOHENS Active Member

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    Ignore the noises, but get the ftont alignment checked. The tire wear could be toe or positive camber. Either could have been caused when replacing parts in the front end. You need to find a better mechanic.
     
    #5 MCCOHENS, Jan 4, 2023
    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller likes this.
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    btw, if you do decide to give up, it's worth a lot of money
     
    #6 bisco, Jan 4, 2023
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