Have a 2015 Prius 3 with 76,000 miles. Quote is $7000 (dealer) to replace engine w/57,000 mile used engine. $5,000 offer for the vehicle in trade or cash. Am reading refurbished engines are better and the price w/labor for those is $7,000. Car just had new brakes, rotors, & back calipers ($900+) & new tires. Quote from independent shop is $4,700 but used engine has 99,000 miles (can get 3 yr warranty), $7,500 for a refurbished engine, tho wld take longer and checking on warranty. Dealer 'hasn't had good luck' with head gasket fix (said something about 'warping'...). If local guy only needs to do head gasket & no cylinders are cracked (anything warped), it could be a lot less... just don't know. Wish there was a car I liked out there as much. Wld like AWD & Hybrid or all electric & not have to mortgage the house to afford. So Appreciate your knowledgeable thoughts on this dilemma.
What is wrong they said that your 2015 prius needs an engine replacement @ 76K mile? Are they threatening for head gasket @ 76k ?
Did you buy this car when it was new or was it used. If used, 76k might not be the actual mileage or it might not have had regular oil changes.
Yeah reading between the lines: seems like they're saying head gasket is failing? Any more info on that? You were noticing some symptoms, brought it in, and?? My 2 cents, if there's there's fire behind all this smoke: For head gasket failing, if it hasn't been too long neglected (79K miles is low!), just do the head gasket replacement. Use the full Toyota gasket kit, and new head bolts (to play it safe), AND do a full cleaning of the Exhaust Gas Recirculation circuit and Intake Manifold (if you don't want another failed head gasket). EGR info in my signature. Have the head sub'd to a machine shop for a check-over and seal replacement. For head gasket failing plus run away oil consumption, say more than a quart per 1200 miles (a real long-shot for a 2015 with low miles), then do an engine swap as well the aforementioned cleaning. A salvage engine from a low mileage wreck would be good. Or a new short block replacement plus head gasket job. For new: Short Blocks (everything from the head gasket down) are around $2K USD, and Partial Engine Assemblies (pretty much everything you need) around $5~6 USD. International parts retailer, for reference: Engine, fuel system and tools for Toyota Prius 3 generation, restyling 12.2011 - 11.2015 - Toyota Car & Auto Spare Parts - Genuine Online Car Parts Catalogue - Amayama
