looking for advice regarding head gasket

Discussion in 'Gen 5 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by TonyaT, Jul 21, 2026 at 8:29 PM.

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  1. TonyaT

    TonyaT New Member

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    I'm looking for advice on whether I should pay $$$ to have my head gasket replaced. I have a 2013 Prius Persona with 220,730 miles and a confirmed bad head gasket. I've had the car since new and the only other major repair was a brake system failure which cost ~$1500 to repair which frankly Toyota should have covered since this particular failure was a known issue...anyway, I'm weighing if I should spend the money (est $2300-$4K) to replace the head gasket and hope to get another 2 years out of the car or if I should just sell it as is for next to nothing. Note- no other repairs so original lithium battery, water pump, etc. Thanks in advance for any advice on this and other tips.
     
    #1 TonyaT, Jul 21, 2026 at 8:29 PM
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  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Getting another two years out of the car will be no problem with just the headgasket job. If you want to have the car for another 5-10 years though your high MPG pistons and rings are gonna start burning oil and I'd recommend http://www.skimmilkhybrid.com/ in Oklahoma. He rebuilds all the problems out of Gen3 engines for a very reasonable price.
     
    #2 PriusCamper, Jul 22, 2026 at 9:06 PM
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    sounds like a lot of money for a couple years, but there's a difference between $2,300. and 4k, plus the quality of the repair.
    otoh, you could fix it, sell it, and use the money towards a newer car.
     
    #3 bisco, Jul 22, 2026 at 9:14 PM
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