My problem with Chris’s Prius battery replacement video is that he’s encouraging DIY amateurs to mess with high voltage electrical systems. This is not like a DIY brake job, only trained mechanics who understand electrical system should mess with hybrid batteries. It’s like teaching an amateur to rewire their house electric and fuse box with one video, just pay a professional to do it, it’s extremely dangerous if not done correctly: link to video in question: th-cam.com/video/Q3RCdrh666w/w-d-xo.html ⬇️Scotty’s Top DIY Tools: 1. Bluetooth Scan Tool: amzn.to/2nfvmaD 2. Mid-Grade Scan Tool: amzn.to/33dKI0k 3. My Fancy (Originally $5,000) Professional Scan Tool: amzn.to/31khBXC 4. Cheap Scan Tool: amzn.to/2D8Tvae 5. Basic Mechanic Tool Set: amzn.to/2tEr6Ce 6. Professional Socket Set: amzn.to/2Bzmccg 7. Ratcheting Wrench Set: amzn.to/2BQjj8A 8. No Charging Required Car Jump Starter: amzn.to/2CthnUU 9. Battery Pack Car Jump Starter: amzn.to/2nrc6qR ⬇️ Things used in this video: 1. Common Sense 2. 4k Camera: amzn.to/2HkjavH 3. Camera Microphone: amzn.to/2Evn167 4. Camera Tripod: amzn.to/2Jwog8S 5. My computer for editing / uploading: amzn.to/2uUZ3lo 🛠Check out the tools I use and highly recommend ► goo.gl/rwYt2y 🔥Scotty Shirts and Merch ► goo.gl/pTAeca Subscribe and hit the notification bell! ► goo.gl/CFismN Scotty on Social: Facebook ► facebook.com/scottymechanic/ Instagram ► instagram.com/scotty_the_mechanic/ Twitter ► twitter.com/Scottymechanic?lang=en
Also Scotty: Walking is very bad for you ,it wears out your knee joints and ankle joints plus you'd need to refuel every 10 minutes. The MpG is terrible!
A friend of mine at work would always act like he was a smart genius. Called me one day and said he couldn't get his prius to run. Talked to him a few days later and asked him if he figured out what the problem was with his prius. He said it was out of gas.
This is actually a common problem on high milage Prius, because the gas gauge becomes inaccurate (shows 2 bars of gas when you're actually out of gas).
Only the first-gen Prius (that looked like 4-door sedan Echo) had gas inaccuracy. It had a balloon in the tank that interfered with gas level measurement. 2, 3, and 4th gen Priuses eliminated the balloon, so the gas gauge is as accurate as any other gasoline tanked car.
I got that beat. A coworker was bragging about how good a photographer he was. I managed the work camera, and he needed it. So, I handed it off to him. Shortly thereafter, he came back to me and asked what was wrong -- he couldn't see anything in the viewfinder. Guess what was wrong. Yes, that's it... . . The lens cap was still on. I took it off and it worked like a charm! He was smart enough in general, and maybe his photography was done on an analog camera. But that was a doozy!
The car battery will just cause your tongue to feel pain but its completely harmless. If its a prius battery it can kill you just by touching the contacts with your hands
My dad ownes a driving school, so he thought it would be a great financial decision to buy old hybrid cars for the students. He thought the money he saved with buying used, and how much gas he would save would be awesome.... He is getting pretty good at replacing generators and battery packs...
I've replaced a prius hybrid battery 3 to 4 times (thank you doorman quality) and as long as you carefully follow procedure and use common sense it is not a bad job. If you use electrical gloves you will be fine, make sure to remove the breaker before doing any work.
@@needforrbg3420 glad to hear it. at my old job the IT guy had a 14 Prius with 180k miles never a problem, ran like new. I believe the more you drive them, the longer they last. They seem to be excellent fleet vehicles. Batteries hate the cold so keep em warm.
An interesting thing iv noticed over the few years iv been watching Scotty's videos. Is that anytime he mentions something. The image that pops up, its exactly what you'll need. So when you go looking for whatever the parts are that Scotty's talking about. You'll be able to recognize and find them. I noticed this mainly because if Iv never seen what it is I'm looking for and only know the name... I have a hell of a time finding it with any confidence. So thanks Scott, for making it that much easier!
Great video, but I have a couple of comments. I own a 2010 Prius and it's amazing that even with all of that glass, there actually are massive blind spots. You can (and I have) lost large SUVs in the blind spots. Second, I just refurbished my hybrid battery pack and it's actually not that difficult. A standard RC charger and basic tools were all that was required. You need an understanding of electronics and electrical safety, but the way the pack is designed, it's pretty easy to avoid the electrocution risk. Each cell is only 7-8 volts, making each module (2 cells) about 14-16 volts. This means that once you pull orange safety plug and bus bars, it's fairly safe. Pulling that orange safety plus essentially splits the pack in half, disconnecting the positive from the negative terminal. While I don't consider it a beginner DIY project, it can be done.
You're absolutely correct on the blindspots. The rear window and port windows are garbage. I drove for a 'Prius' cab company and then a delivery company [Det-Chi: 670 miles/day/6 days/wk], the blindspots are a higher level. It took an extra effort to check the blindspots and I learned to reposition my side-view mirrors. I became a better driver because of it.
I bought a 2005 prius with 205,000 miles replaced a wheel bearing and sold the car with 300,000 and still worked perfect on my second prius 08 bought with 148,000 miles not worried one bit. Thanks Scotty, JT
Depends on what you are buying. I bought my diesel pickup used for about one seventh of the price new. I can fix whatever breaks. The Prius typically doesn't need much tinkering but Scotty is right about that high voltage. Leave the repairs to the pros. This is not `wall outlet` voltage. It is much higher and commands respect.
Hi Scotty. I bough used one and replaced the battery cells myself pretty cheap. Then ballanced the lot and it works smooth for over a year. There are accually less things than can go wrong in it compared to traditional car drive system. I love it. Its really good on fuel
That"s because the people that value their carbon footprint from driving will likely not reach that mileage for at least a decade. Think about it. Hybrids and Electric cars have a bunch of tax incentives applied to them in big cities. Those tax incentives only apply to new purchases of those cars which start at like 30k. The type of person that buying a hybrid/electric car is feasible for has enough disposable income to greatly sacrifice the longevity of the car in exchange for less air pollution from the car. For long trips, that type of consumer would likely take a plane or train. If a consumer is mainly looking for reliability, they wouldn't take a chance on newer technology that barely any mechanics fully understand. Not saying that line of thinking about cars is good or bad, I'm just trying to explain it.
I bought a hybrid Camry during my first job out of college. Wouldn’t say I had tons of disposable income as you generalize hybrid owners to have. I did it because I wanted a nice car that got close to 50mpg. I commuted 130 miles a day and Regularly took it on 500+ mile road trips during the 2-3 years after purchase. 220k miles and 6 years later, the Camry was totaled and now I’m searching for overpriced used cars during a pandemic.
i love them both!love it ! one says so positively says diy and fix everything!you can do it!the other waves his hand and tells you whats garbage cars out there to stay away from because they always breaking down...
So bottom line the pruis is not a good deal for long term use . 100,000 miles is not much for cars now . Or how we drive nowadays . And after a little more than 100k miles ,you need several thousand for a generator or battery pack ? There goes any savings on gas .
As a Toyota tech, been through 3 dealerships for the past 6 years, have only seen ONE Prius have its generator replaced. We've worked and seen a bunch of them. These things are built like tanks. For the rust belt, the only thing you need to worry about are the rotors having excessive, thick rust and the rear (some front) caliper seizing. Even though the battery pack goes bad (I've seen a handful. I'm not allowed to touch these yet since I'm not a master tech nor hybrid certified yet, just electrical expert), doesn't necessarily mean the car can't be driven. You'll just have higher fuel consumption since the engine will be on more often. As long as they're serviced on their intervals (i.e. all fluids and hybrid filter if equipped), they'll last a really long time. One last advice, be careful where you have your oil changed. There are some that leave the drain plug loose. Have seen a few and had worked on one with engine seized due to no oil because of that tech/mechanic error lol
Hey Scotty I didn't knew a darn thing about cars but since I started watching your videos I decided to flush my cooling system, replace my drive belt tensioner and iddler, rotors and brake pads, replace the differential oil, and drain half my transmission fluid. I tried to replace the transmission filter but I couldn't . But done all that by myself so far.
@@X-i-l-e-n-t Who said I know everything about cars you douchenozzle. I'm learning one more thing to my inventory it crap that you learn in life. Like guns I walk around you in circles about guns but I wouldn't go say that you don't know anything because you are hiding behind a screen lol.
It depends on the level of competency, Rich Rebuilds has restored a lot of totaled Teslas already, buy that's a different situation. But I agree about Scott's safety concerns on general.
Have you ever heard the phrase "knows just enough to be dangerous"? Somebody that might know enough to get by with a 12v system thinks they know enough to tackle this - makes one mistake on a 200vdc system and they're dead.
I am here reading comments for a while now and I think I have to post something too. Well I'm a mechanic and i work for Toyota at a dealership. I personally keep my hands away from hot orange cables. It's not that I'm stupid or I don't know how the system works. No, no. I just KNOW I'm not ready yet to replace a hybrid battery. We who work at dealerships have a stupid amount of information about everything on the cars we are work on. All there at our disposal any time. But one must know when to stop. It's not that you are stupid or not careful as some of you say but the opposite. Overconfidence can lead to death. To be cautious means you know what the dangers are. Most of you have completely no idea of what you must be cautious of. Hybrid and electric technology is the peak of car technology right now. Learn the basics first. Attend seminars. Buy repair guides. And progress slowly. You can always make back the money you pay but you can never bring your self back from the dead.
Kershaw Silverado yeah and all the celebrities bought them to look like they were saving the planet while they really just ride around in limousines and private planes
I agree with Scotty that a so-called "refurbished" Prius battery is not a good deal. Look, everybody knows that if your flashlight is losing brightness, it doesn't make a lot of sense to replace only the weakest batteries. Rather, we figure it's time to replace ALL the batteries. Replacing only the weakest batteries is a waste of time. They all tend to weaken at about the same rate. So in short order, the other batteries will need replacement also. Recommending this kind of thing for Prius battery packs is even more ridiculous than recommending it for flashlight batteries,, given the larger amount of labor required to replace the battery pack. On the issue of safety, what is important about working on a Prius is not whether you are a do-it-yourselfer verses a paid professional, and it is not whether you are an amateur verses a formally trained professional, rather, it is simply whether you have the knowledge of electricity or not, that you would need. There are plenty of do-it-yourselfers, and amateurs, who have the knowledge. They know who they are. There are some professionals who, despite their credentials, are in actuality, incompetent. Just be aware that unless you both (1) have the knowledge and the skills, and (2) you have the patience, you are willing to take the time needed, to proceed carefully - you could electrocute yourself. While a typical 12 volt automobile does not present nearly as much of a risk, in regard to causing lethal injury, I would NOT want to send hold one terminal of a 12-volt car battery with one hand, and touch the other terminal with a wet tongue. Furthermore, it is not just the voltage from the battery that can be hurtful and injurious. From certain electrical contacts on a so-called "12 volt" alternator, you can get a greater force. About 35 volts, I think it is. Also, it seems pretty obvious to me that If the battery can turn the starter, and the starter can turn over the engine, and if you have a manual transmission you can actually move the car forward with the starter motor - then if you put your finger between a belt and a pulley, the battery might be strong enough to snap your finger off.
Hybrid owner: I have saved over $3000 in gas in the 5 years I’ve owned this vehicle. Also hybrid owners: I just spent $6000 repairing the charging system in my 5 year old vehicle.
You pay either way - with gas and high purchase price or high purchase price and higher gas usage. There is no free lunch. Uhh Scotty, gloves, etc are used in high voltage and 200 vdc is not that that high.
I agree with not touching high voltage systems. I work with vehicle electronics for a living and we never go anywhere near the high voltage stuff, it's just way too dangerous.
B A kinda he was talking about how autozone is closer to him and he’s gone there for so long they know him. He doesn’t hate oreillys he just doesn’t go there more than autozone. He said that most of the stuff is pretty much the same
I bought a used 2005 Toyota Prius with 132000 miles on it and it now has 250 thousand miles on it and is still running strong! The Toyota Prius 2003 to 2007 is the highest rated car in history for durability and reliability. I am in the gig economy and have put it through hell and back and it just goes and goes with very little maintenance. Scotty Kilmer has some things wrong and this is one of them because one of the best used cars you can buy is a Toyota Prius and I I am evidence of that.
Couple things you didn't mention. In CA the battery must last (by law) 150k miles or 10 years. I know people who have the original 1st edition of the Prius with over 250K miles and the battery (when tested) was still at 90 percent. Consumer reports also took apart an old Prius with over 200K miles and the battery was at 90%. If a battery pack must be replaced with a refurbished battery buy it from a company in CA where there business depends on the quality of the battery. More hybrids and electric cars are sold in CA then any place else.
The taxi businesses always buys these Toyota hybrids with 120k+ miles and they last forever. Bought a used 07 with 140k and the battery is still good even at 200k.
I changed out the hybrid battery on a Lexus GS430h. Had to get special high voltage gloves and some other stuff to protect myself. I definitely wouldn't have done it in my shop without the proper insulating equipment. Looking like Harry from home alone is no my idea of fun.
Scotty you know a lot of useful information and I love all of your videos. However, you are wrong about a few things with hybrid vehicles. For starters, if you disconnect the hybrid safety plug, the battery loses it's combined voltage as the cells will not be able to work combined. The only thing you need to work on this vehicle is a decent scanner (the modules in the Prius can report all of the data you need) and a volt meter if you are rebuilding the battery. I taught myself how to rebuild the battery and it was very simple. On the 3rd generation Priuses, some of them had issues with the inverters and abs pumps. Check the vehicle if it has an open recall on the IPM internal piece of the inverter. These cars are cheap to work on as used parts cost next to nothing. You can get an inverter for under $200. These cars are actually easier to work on and require less maintenance than regular gas vehicles as the electric motor takes pressure off of the gas engine. Also, you rarely need to do brakes since the regenerative braking is doing most of the braking.
4000 electrocutions a year is not trivial. I am an Electrical engineer, but my Honda hybrid says “You Will Die” on the label, so I didn’t attempt replacement. Not worth dying. The mechanic did the job for just $1200 refurbed battery, which is no more expensive than a timing belt change (something else I don’t do myself)
@@electrictroy2010 You're and electrical engineer and you were intimidated by a label that said you would " die" and that was enough to extinguish your competitiveness to investigate. Where pray tell did you get your degree??
Scotty, you advise well on vehicle repairs. But you know precious little about the 3rd Generation Prius( from 2010 onwards) I bought a used one at 136,000 miles, it is now over 250,000 miles. Minimal repairs.Just oil changes at 7500 miles. Another family member bought one at 196,000 miles and it is now at 309,000 miles, again minimal repairs. and we have averaged 42 mpg over the period!
And you know precious little about the principle that supposes most future events are likely to balance any past deviation from a presumed average and Special Pleading. He's saying, on the whole, it's bad to buy a hybrid with high mileage. Your singular experience doesn't speak for the entirety.
I own a Prius. I don't know what it is about those hood latches, but it even I have trouble with it occasionally. It's never been a problem with any other car I drove.
I'm in complete disagreeance with your advice to stray away. I just finished reconditioning my hybrid battery to my ancient Prius I bought at discount. 274k mile, this is the second battery rebuild on this car. Runs like it's only a few years old now. The only issue is that it's time consuming and requires diligent research. A multimeter and an RC Balancer were the only special tools needed for the job. Plus anything I needed could be easily found and pulled at a junk yard, such as the generator, because plenty of non-mechanics just junk the car when the battery gets "bad." Most of the time it's only a couple cells that go bad. Batteries can be recycled and reconditioned, that's why stores buy back yours in the form of a core charge. I'm now happily driving a reliable car and can easily sell it for far more than I spent on it. It's not rocket science, it's as complicated as any other car. Just requires a mind that wants to learn.
Prius being a "zippy little car" as someone who owns a Prius I can confirm they are not that zippy at all. With power mode and flooring it, my 0-60 is still almost 13 seconds
I bought my used 2015 Prius at 65K miles two years ago last November specifically for Uber/Lyft driving. I'm at over 167K, I get 47 MPG driving up and down San Francisco's steepest hills on power mode all day. Fluids, filters, tires and pads. That's all I've had to deal with. Replaced the brake pads at 120K which is typical for a '15 Prius. Still waiting on all this doom and gloom. I know the battery will go out, expecting that at 250K.
For most, it's more a matter of age than a matter of miles. Of course, at some point, miles matter, but just seeing people on priuschat discuss, it's typically folks with 10+ year old cars.
@@belavet The biggest issue on the Hybrids like the Prius is you have to keep the cooling fans for the batteries clean. They are air cooled, and heat kills batteries. Most people who replace hybrid batteries find that dust and hair clogged the cooling fans years ago, and the battery slowly roasted to death. There is a Prius in Canada with 600,000 miles on it and the original battery. The reason is simple. Canada is cold, and the battery stays cool. Most people who replace the batteries also find the terminals have become corroded over time. Most rebuild kids include plated terminals, instead of the brass terminals that corrode over time.
Last night my husband asked me "What used pickup does Scotty think is the best buy?" Thanks for everything I've been learning just by listening to your channel.
When I was looking at buying a new car 15 years ago, I did the math. I figured gas would be around $4/gal eventually. I would have to drive the Prius for 40 years to save enough on gas to make up for the cost over a regular car.
I replaced my main battery and was one of the easiest things to replace. Grab one from the junk yard $800. I noticed my old battery would of been fine if I kept my battery fan clean. My Prius has 340 k miles.
@@TheCreamRisesToTheTop If Hybrid car owners did the fan service, a lot of those battery replacements wouldn't be necessary. My friends RX-450h need a new battery around 110k, and when he checked the battery and the fans, they were completely clogged with hair and dust. These batteries are air cooled and without airflow, they will definitely die prematurely.
I typically love your content but this is the most alarmist thing you've ever posted, by far. Step 1: cut the power before wrenching on anything or removing any shielding. Step 2: do all the rest of that. I guess it should be expressly said that you NEED to cut the power. But saying this should only be done by a professional is like saying only a trained electrician should change out a light switch or wall plug because the DIYer might be stupid enough to forget to kill the power at the breaker and then test for live voltage before working. I've done two Prius batteries and I haven't so much as change a tire, brakes, or even oil IN MY LIFE. You neither need all this special equipment to replace a hybrid battery nor have I seen any trained technicians wear any such equipment. All it takes is going onto priuschat forums to see hundreds to thousands of people do this with no major electrical knowledge. Just be careful and don't be stupid. I mean, changing a tire can kill me in a wreck if I don't know what I'm doing. But you wouldn't recommend a person Not learn to do that. Right? Just silly.
You realize the "average person" is the reason warning labels exist, right? Batteries still have stored power so the possibility for electrocution is still there. Pretty surr I'm gonna take the advice of the mechanic with 50 years experience over somebody that can't change a tire.
Adam Wiggins take whoever's advice you want dude. I'm sure thousands of people have died replacing battery cells on their priuses this far. You can't be too careful. The mechanic told you to be scared.
Even if you disconnect the battery, if you start to mess around with the battery systems which still has high voltage in them, isnt there still a risk of electrocution? Just bcuz you have changed a prius battery twice doesnt mean it wouldnt kill you the third time, or kill me the first time I do it. Maybe its wrong to encourage people to do this particular job themselves. Also, electric/battery fixes in a Prius can get more complex than you analogy about changing light switches or wall plugs imply.
@@chris2kgreat yes it's still dangerous if you go about poking battery terminals. And remember there wired in series, so for example, a Prius primes battery pack is approx 351V, but theres 5 stacks, each of 19 cells. So each cell is 3.7V, and each pack a little over 70V. Anyone with the common sense to be able to do the job, will have the sense to not touch live terminals.
Bought me a used 07 Prius for $700 with 270K and I still have it no issues just regular maintenance and it’s at 310K and still running. Ugliest car I ever own but can’t beat how reliable they are.
I fixed mine years ago, since I didn’t want to spend all that money. No electrical background. Was super careful. Risks are inherent to fixing anything.
@@khalidalmarzouqi5652 Yeah exactly, I've heard the battery packs last a long time but $6000 generators going out is new to me and way more concerning. I'm curious what the average life of them are.
@@JoeUrbanYYC Generator failure is extremely rare. Electric motor components are very robust and you should never have an issue with one. Also if you research independent hybrid shops in your area you can get the battery replaced for around $1000 for your Prius, and many will even come to your home and do it in your driveway in about 1-2 hours time.
skorpiius Generator failure is incredibly rare, like one in tens of thousands of cars. Batteries are known to wear out after 200-250k miles, and the engine may need new seals after 250-300k, but generators last virtually forever. Even if they do fail, you can easily get a cheap replacement from a junkyard, as there are several Priuses totaled due to crashes for each one with a drive train failure.
I don’t want to be told what I can or can’t do. I want to know how to do something and I’ll decide if I think it’s something I can do or not. Don’t baby me Scotty I’m old enough to make my own mistakes. (I wired my house from a TH-cam video and had an electrician inspect the work. Best money I’ve ever saved)
Wrong. 460000kms on one in the past. One set of brakes, front only. Regenerative braking saves the mechanical brakes from a lot of wear and tear. Highway driving.
I worked at Toyota for several years...definitely possible to get 80-120k out of a set of brakes on a hybrid. They just don’t wear. More times than none, I recommend brakes due to the rotors creating a massive rust ridge or are badly pitted...it’s not even because of the pad wear.
Miss my old girl friends 1981 F250 straight 6 engine with the C6. It was a great truck which hauled horses across the country several times! Easy to work on & you could achieve 20 mpg easily & when towing HEAVY trailer up horrible hills in Wyoming it still would manage 8.5 mpg.
The hybrid system isn’t any different than any other part of the vehicle. If you don’t know what you’re doing, then it can either get expensive or someone can get hurt. Battery packs are like any other part of the car. If you buy new they will last longer. If you buy used/refurbished then the life expectancy is less. Same with buying a new vehicle vs used. Still there is no reason why someone can’t buy used and repair it themselves as long as they know what they are doing and take the appropriate safety measures.
Or... You could just buy a car that doesn't have complex parts that cost a fortune to replace and are dangerous to change yourself. Just stick with something simple that you know you can fix if something goes bad.
Scotty didn't say don't buy a Prius. He said if you buy one, buy it new, and if you buy it used, don't buy one with a "refurbished" battery, but with a new battery directly from Toyota. Even with a new battery, if you buy it used, expect other things may be wrong with the car that will need to be repaired soon. That's all he said.
For what it's worth, I agree with Scotty. Those batteries are NO joke....plus all the electrical complications. I also like Chris, but he should NOT be so rash. Good lookin' out Scotty. Thanks.
Scotty's right to issue a warning like this, because some people, even if you give them exact instructions, they'll invent extra, pointless steps found nowhere in the instructions, or leave out steps, don't wear rubber gloves, etc., and when you're messing with such high voltages, the results can be unfortunate.
I love how you put the FJ up as a car with HORRIBLE blindspots. I had one for almost 5 years and can confirm, the blindspots are AWFUL. Also, the side mirrors aren't heated and the windshield doesn't have a deicer, so it turns into a frozen slush box that you can't see out of in any direction in the winter. Was happy to see that one go!
In Spain they used Prius for Taxi service for long time until 2016, and many of them have 500.000 and 700.000 KM and 0 problems (no more than 1.000 dollars to spend in basic maintenance) you can buy one with 500.000km for 3.000 dollars full equipment 🤣 I have one and is strong as rock and easy to repair.... BUT The coins is that you can not install the hook in Spain, is prohibited by law, you can not use a trailer until for ligth motorcycles.... Because the Prius is not safe for " hook use" 😫😫😫😫
New York cab companies use the prius and put more wear and tear on a car than you can imagine. The cars last a couple hundred thousand miles with no major problems on average. Yes there are a few that can have the problems stated but umcommon even on higher mileage prius.
I agree with you scotty high voltage stuff should never be done by an amateur even with full gear accident happen, this kind of stuff should always be done by the pros.
Technically doing any repairs can kill you. Going to the store to buy parts and tools can kill you. It's not good life advice to encourage everyone to avoid things that have the potential to harm you. What you should instead be doing is helping people understand the dangers and offer tips on how to stay safe.
Going to the store to get some tools, and messing with 200V are 2 completely different things, DO NOT MESS WITH ELECTRICITY unless you know what you are doing.
@@charliew6024 that's the point Nick made, if you don't know what you're doing you're going to hurt yourself, so do a load of research before doing anything
LED Garage I rented a Prius before and honestly they let me choose between that and the minivan, and I chose the minivan but it had just got rented out LOL The Prius actually handles well but it is nowhere near quick And because it's on the electric motor most of the time if you are on a hill, that thing rolls back QUICK as soon as you get off the break
RobBroderick44 In fairness this was a 2013 Prius because this happened to me in 2014 The new one is probably better, but Toyota doesn't offer any type of hill start assist until recently... its ANNOYING My 2011 Camry was just as bad because they have a throttle delayed about a half a second delay on throttle response
Had a 2010 and now a 2013. My mother in law now has the 2010. Purchased the 10 at 110, and the 13 at 150, have 200, on both of them so far trouble free. Have a 120 mile commute everyday. Kept buying cheap cars and was in the garage every weekend, finally got tired of it. Now my sister and parents are running one. I do dread the day I ever have problems.
I DYI my own electrical at home all the time. And, despite my expertise beign in music and computers, I'll replace the pack on my used 2011 Prius if it goes out. I love your videos, but I sure hope you're wrong here. lol
The charging system went out on one of my customers at my shop. I had none of this special equipment and basically touched all of the orange danger parts and I’m still here. We also fixed it for 300$ not saying this is all cases just my particular case. And that was the first time I had ever worked on a hybrid. It was neat
I have a Lexus RX 400h that has done 250000 miles so far with no trouble at all with the hybrid system or hybrid battery. Only repairs or maintenance has been the same that you have to do with any car: brake pads, brake discs, changing fluids and oils. And the gasoline engine does not consume oil between oil changes. The best car I’ve ever had and comfortable to drive too.
I remember doing a coil and spark plug change in cylinder 3 on one of these, it was hell you have to remove like 20 bolts and remove the windshield wipers and the cover for it just to get to the spark plugs.
Not at all...He gives great advice on what and how to do,but does warn and discourage "do it alone" those that have no clue what they are doing..at least when it is something they seriously shouldn't be doing
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My problem with Chris’s Prius battery replacement video is that he’s encouraging DIY amateurs to mess with high voltage electrical systems. This is not like a DIY brake job, only trained mechanics who understand electrical system should mess with hybrid batteries. It’s like teaching an amateur to rewire their house electric and fuse box with one video, just pay a professional to do it, it’s extremely dangerous if not done correctly: link to video in question: th-cam.com/video/Q3RCdrh666w/w-d-xo.html
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Shut up, let me buy $2,000 Prius so my family will pay me a funeral 😎
If you drain the battarie, will it be safe?
Hahah call him out! Your the shit scotty, keep it up.
I know, what the flip is Chris thinking?
*So you melt a harbor freight wrench 😂 Most will catch on...*
Chris's response video: Scotty is wrong about the '94 Celica.
💀
*That would be declaration of war*
Scotty would go bananas!
Comments like these kill me 😅😅😂😂
Worldwar 3
What i have learnt from this channel: Don't buy ANY car!
@RBenceHUN what if it’s a Toyota celica?
Sounds about rite. 🤣🤣🤣
Except for a '93 Cilicia
Hahah.
Exactly 😂😂😂
Me: hey Scotty what car should I buy
Scotty: you should just stick to walking
Toyota Toyota Toyota Toyota Toyota........🥴
Well it would be healthier
94 Celica.
Also Scotty: Walking is very bad for you ,it wears out your knee joints and ankle joints plus you'd need to refuel every 10 minutes. The MpG is terrible!
ChrisFixn’t
It's true guys. I done it myself and I'm now dead.
How are you still commenting
Darn
Rip
Rip
Rest in peace bro
A friend of mine at work would always act like he was a smart genius. Called me one day and said he couldn't get his prius to run. Talked to him a few days later and asked him if he figured out what the problem was with his prius. He said it was out of gas.
It's quantity vs. quality. The smart make fewer mistakes, but when they do, it's always a high quality mistake, and sometimes a real whopper.
lol he didn’t know it’s a hybrid
This is actually a common problem on high milage Prius, because the gas gauge becomes inaccurate (shows 2 bars of gas when you're actually out of gas).
Only the first-gen Prius (that looked like 4-door sedan Echo) had gas inaccuracy. It had a balloon in the tank that interfered with gas level measurement. 2, 3, and 4th gen Priuses eliminated the balloon, so the gas gauge is as accurate as any other gasoline tanked car.
I got that beat. A coworker was bragging about how good a photographer he was. I managed the work camera, and he needed it. So, I handed it off to him. Shortly thereafter, he came back to me and asked what was wrong -- he couldn't see anything in the viewfinder. Guess what was wrong. Yes, that's it...
.
.
The lens cap was still on. I took it off and it worked like a charm!
He was smart enough in general, and maybe his photography was done on an analog camera.
But that was a doozy!
Disclaimer: DO NOT PUT YOUR TONGUE ON A CAR BATTERY
Why not?
@@alans8728 it has enough kick to kill you.
The car battery will just cause your tongue to feel pain but its completely harmless. If its a prius battery it can kill you just by touching the contacts with your hands
@@alans8728 do it and find out why.
Yeah 12V but lots of potential current. Shouldn't play with electricity kids
Who clicked on the vid for the comments? 😂
Oh yeah lol
I'm just here for the drama.
Me
Gamer With A Gun right here bro 😂👌
yo mama
This guy seems like the dad who yelled while you hold the flashlight😂
No cap
He’s the dad who ripped all his kids posters off the walls
No, he seems like the dad who kept you from sticking forks in electrical sockets.
He's the uncle who teaches you to fix cars and gives you your first beer
Hahaha. So true!! Memories with my old man.
My dad ownes a driving school, so he thought it would be a great financial decision to buy old hybrid cars for the students. He thought the money he saved with buying used, and how much gas he would save would be awesome....
He is getting pretty good at replacing generators and battery packs...
You had me in the first half, not gonna lie
@Bold One "class action lawsuit for electrocution deaths"
inverter not generator?
He should've started the video with "Hey Guys, Scotty Kilmer here!"
😂
true, it should have been Hey guys, Scotty Kilmer here
Ultimate disrespect
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Scotty should of did it all gopro and wearing his blue gloves.
I've replaced a prius hybrid battery 3 to 4 times (thank you doorman quality) and as long as you carefully follow procedure and use common sense it is not a bad job. If you use electrical gloves you will be fine, make sure to remove the breaker before doing any work.
The problem is that 90% of humanity does not use common sense.
@@knockout7611 Common sense is a common myth!
@@knockout7611 I would be worry if someone just used common sense. The same idiots that claim that the earth is flat use common sense!
If you tied his hands to his side, would he still be able to talk?
Lmaoooo
Pretty sure you would break him.
Legend has it that he won't be able to talk! 😅
Yes. Just not as fast.
I think he is Italian descendant
First time Scotty ever said to buy a car new
Well there are some new cars you can trust... which most happen to be Toyotas
Yeah he said buy a new one then confirmed that they only last 100k before something fucks up??hes losing it
My dad bought a 2015 Prius new when it came out and now it has 260000 and it’s still great no issues
@@needforrbg3420 glad to hear it. at my old job the IT guy had a 14 Prius with 180k miles never a problem, ran like new. I believe the more you drive them, the longer they last. They seem to be excellent fleet vehicles. Batteries hate the cold so keep em warm.
That Guy
I was like, woah!
An interesting thing iv noticed over the few years iv been watching Scotty's videos. Is that anytime he mentions something. The image that pops up, its exactly what you'll need. So when you go looking for whatever the parts are that Scotty's talking about. You'll be able to recognize and find them.
I noticed this mainly because if Iv never seen what it is I'm looking for and only know the name... I have a hell of a time finding it with any confidence.
So thanks Scott, for making it that much easier!
Lol the two most relevant car mechanics got beef 😂
@@changolord93 battle of the century
one sided beef lol
Great video, but I have a couple of comments. I own a 2010 Prius and it's amazing that even with all of that glass, there actually are massive blind spots. You can (and I have) lost large SUVs in the blind spots. Second, I just refurbished my hybrid battery pack and it's actually not that difficult. A standard RC charger and basic tools were all that was required. You need an understanding of electronics and electrical safety, but the way the pack is designed, it's pretty easy to avoid the electrocution risk. Each cell is only 7-8 volts, making each module (2 cells) about 14-16 volts. This means that once you pull orange safety plug and bus bars, it's fairly safe. Pulling that orange safety plus essentially splits the pack in half, disconnecting the positive from the negative terminal. While I don't consider it a beginner DIY project, it can be done.
You're absolutely correct on the blindspots. The rear window and port windows are garbage. I drove for a 'Prius' cab company and then a delivery company [Det-Chi: 670 miles/day/6 days/wk], the blindspots are a higher level. It took an extra effort to check the blindspots and I learned to reposition my side-view mirrors. I became a better driver because of it.
J
How it's so far the new battery?
Are both of you short? I find it easy to see, I don't consider it having large blind spots
I bought a 2005 prius with 205,000 miles replaced a wheel bearing and sold the car with 300,000 and still worked perfect on my second prius 08 bought with 148,000 miles not worried one bit. Thanks Scotty, JT
Yeah prius goes until 400K
Scotty is the kind of person that tastes test his gas before filling up his car
Scotty's Cola! (To much ethanol)
So right shut up scott
🤣
🤣
"You should buy a NEW car, not a USED car."
Dave Ramsey's head implodes.
You can get a new car, making sure it's the correct car and doesn't cost more than what you can afford
A new electric car, and a used gas car. That's the rule.
I would love to see Dave Ramsey drive a junker car, and live in Austion on the gangster, east side for $2000 a month.
Depends on what you are buying. I bought my diesel pickup used for about one seventh of the price new. I can fix whatever breaks. The Prius typically doesn't need much tinkering but Scotty is right about that high voltage. Leave the repairs to the pros. This is not `wall outlet` voltage. It is much higher and commands respect.
Rather B Fishing he did drive a junker. With 350,000 miles “and the main paint color on his car was bondo”- It’s how he got out of debt. Research bro.
Second! I bought a 1994 Blue Toyota Celica ST on Craigslist in honor of Scotty.
I have a
1981 Toyota celica ST check my Profile original 22r engine
TheLizardKing1967 congrats 💀👊🏼
Wow, you're lucky to find one!
Send a picture of it to Scotty!
I got a 92 Celica Convertible after he talked about how good they were. I love it
Hi Scotty. I bough used one and replaced the battery cells myself pretty cheap. Then ballanced the lot and it works smooth for over a year. There are accually less things than can go wrong in it compared to traditional car drive system. I love it. Its really good on fuel
Same here. They’re very bland little cars but if you maintain the hybrid battery they’re great!
Scotty: you can’t diagnose or fix a vehicle over the phone
Scotty: diagnoses and fixes vehicles online though
LMAOO , what 50+ years of experience can do. He's probably seen it all, his troubleshooting skills are probably god level.
Video does lie a little less than people on a phone.
EITHERRRRRRR WAYYYYY!
he gives possible problem suggestions he never says exactly what it could be because he cant test it
This is the first time I’ve heard Scotty insinuate that 150k miles is a long time for a car to last.
That"s because the people that value their carbon footprint from driving will likely not reach that mileage for at least a decade.
Think about it. Hybrids and Electric cars have a bunch of tax incentives applied to them in big cities. Those tax incentives only apply to new purchases of those cars which start at like 30k. The type of person that buying a hybrid/electric car is feasible for has enough disposable income to greatly sacrifice the longevity of the car in exchange for less air pollution from the car. For long trips, that type of consumer would likely take a plane or train. If a consumer is mainly looking for reliability, they wouldn't take a chance on newer technology that barely any mechanics fully understand.
Not saying that line of thinking about cars is good or bad, I'm just trying to explain it.
I bought a hybrid Camry during my first job out of college. Wouldn’t say I had tons of disposable income as you generalize hybrid owners to have. I did it because I wanted a nice car that got close to 50mpg. I commuted 130 miles a day and Regularly took it on 500+ mile road trips during the 2-3 years after purchase. 220k miles and 6 years later, the Camry was totaled and now I’m searching for overpriced used cars during a pandemic.
i love them both!love it ! one says so positively says diy and fix everything!you can do it!the other waves his hand and tells you whats garbage cars out there to stay away from because they always breaking down...
Hoovie did it, if he can do it without killing himself anyone can
classicforreal yeap
And the Charles Darwin Award goes to Hoovie.
So true, 😂
very true!
I agree with Scotty...but I'm doing it anyway lol. The risk is worth the fun and savings.
Prius Prime? The Transformer that everyone hates :D
That's Optimus Primes less famous sibling
Mac Daniel lol good one 🤣🤣🤣
Ya, he's the Transformer that nags the others for not using organic lubricants or green energy for their power cells.
Transformers use energon. Come to think of it wouldn't the Prius work as a stealth car?
So bottom line the pruis is not a good deal for long term use . 100,000 miles is not much for cars now . Or how we drive nowadays .
And after a little more than 100k miles ,you need several thousand for a generator or battery pack ?
There goes any savings on gas .
As a Toyota tech, been through 3 dealerships for the past 6 years, have only seen ONE Prius have its generator replaced. We've worked and seen a bunch of them. These things are built like tanks. For the rust belt, the only thing you need to worry about are the rotors having excessive, thick rust and the rear (some front) caliper seizing. Even though the battery pack goes bad (I've seen a handful. I'm not allowed to touch these yet since I'm not a master tech nor hybrid certified yet, just electrical expert), doesn't necessarily mean the car can't be driven. You'll just have higher fuel consumption since the engine will be on more often. As long as they're serviced on their intervals (i.e. all fluids and hybrid filter if equipped), they'll last a really long time. One last advice, be careful where you have your oil changed. There are some that leave the drain plug loose. Have seen a few and had worked on one with engine seized due to no oil because of that tech/mechanic error lol
here is a question why so many dealer ships in the past six years, that is 50% were the dealers that bad to work for?
Hey Scotty I didn't knew a darn thing about cars but since I started watching your videos I decided to flush my cooling system, replace my drive belt tensioner and iddler, rotors and brake pads, replace the differential oil, and drain half my transmission fluid. I tried to replace the transmission filter but I couldn't . But done all that by myself so far.
You still know nothing, all that is maintenance stuff. If anything you only know 10% of how a car works...
@@X-i-l-e-n-t its a step in the right direction
You actually know less about your car now, like you reverse learned. You know -10% about cars now. JK that guy's being a dbag lmao
Hey Pewpewtube, Xilent has something ridiculous to say. You don’t want to miss it, it’s hilarious!
@@X-i-l-e-n-t Who said I know everything about cars you douchenozzle. I'm learning one more thing to my inventory it crap that you learn in life. Like guns I walk around you in circles about guns but I wouldn't go say that you don't know anything because you are hiding behind a screen lol.
Telling people who don’t know anything about electrical systems not to work on high voltage equipment seems like common sense.
It depends on the level of competency, Rich Rebuilds has restored a lot of totaled Teslas already, buy that's a different situation. But I agree about Scott's safety concerns on general.
Scotty is absolutely spot on !!! Am a DIY man but with exceptions ,,, especially since am far more mechanically inclined.
You would think so...
You would think that. People are stupid as hell.
Have you ever heard the phrase "knows just enough to be dangerous"?
Somebody that might know enough to get by with a 12v system thinks they know enough to tackle this - makes one mistake on a 200vdc system and they're dead.
i love the pictures this guy puts in his videos, especially when he's laughing. top notch. great channel.
3:43 I like how Scotty put a picture of a crow when you hear a crow in the video lol
I have heard crows in the background of several of hs videos.
hes so self aware and a funny guy lmao
has nothing to do with the video and he still took the time to edit it in
150,000 miles? My 2002 Mercury Sable has over 200,000 miles and it's still running. It had over 100,000 miles when I bought it.
A Gough seriously I was about to say the same thing bro 😂
Mine quit at 180k lol
We have a 95 mercury sable almost 200k ,that is nice to see someone else with one.
They're solid built cars. Even Scotty agrees and made videos about them as well as the Crown Vic.
Yeah my dad had one with 110k and it did nothing but break down constantly. 04 sable
I am here reading comments for a while now and I think I have to post something too. Well I'm a mechanic and i work for Toyota at a dealership. I personally keep my hands away from hot orange cables. It's not that I'm stupid or I don't know how the system works. No, no. I just KNOW I'm not ready yet to replace a hybrid battery. We who work at dealerships have a stupid amount of information about everything on the cars we are work on. All there at our disposal any time. But one must know when to stop. It's not that you are stupid or not careful as some of you say but the opposite. Overconfidence can lead to death. To be cautious means you know what the dangers are. Most of you have completely no idea of what you must be cautious of. Hybrid and electric technology is the peak of car technology right now. Learn the basics first. Attend seminars. Buy repair guides. And progress slowly. You can always make back the money you pay but you can never bring your self back from the dead.
Remember when the Prius was the Tesla of the 2000s
Kershaw Silverado yeah and all the celebrities bought them to look like they were saving the planet while they really just ride around in limousines and private planes
No, not at all.
Remember when that Silverado in your profile picture wasn’t totaled?
Don't know in my country there is no fuqin tesla or any electronic car except prius
Its still a better car than the tesla
Wow, I really did not realize the Prius has been around for 23 years.
Same
Same here
Study more
Dude I said the same thing
mariofan200 just nonthing oh yeah over a car lol
I agree with Scotty that a so-called "refurbished" Prius battery is not a good deal. Look, everybody knows that if your flashlight is losing brightness, it doesn't make a lot of sense to replace only the weakest batteries. Rather, we figure it's time to replace ALL the batteries. Replacing only the weakest batteries is a waste of time. They all tend to weaken at about the same rate. So in short order, the other batteries will need replacement also. Recommending this kind of thing for Prius battery packs is even more ridiculous than recommending it for flashlight batteries,, given the larger amount of labor required to replace the battery pack. On the issue of safety, what is important about working on a Prius is not whether you are a do-it-yourselfer verses a paid professional, and it is not whether you are an amateur verses a formally trained professional, rather, it is simply whether you have the knowledge of electricity or not, that you would need. There are plenty of do-it-yourselfers, and amateurs, who have the knowledge. They know who they are. There are some professionals who, despite their credentials, are in actuality, incompetent. Just be aware that unless you both (1) have the knowledge and the skills, and (2) you have the patience, you are willing to take the time needed, to proceed carefully - you could electrocute yourself. While a typical 12 volt automobile does not present nearly as much of a risk, in regard to causing lethal injury, I would NOT want to send hold one terminal of a 12-volt car battery with one hand, and touch the other terminal with a wet tongue. Furthermore, it is not just the voltage from the battery that can be hurtful and injurious. From certain electrical contacts on a so-called "12 volt" alternator, you can get a greater force. About 35 volts, I think it is. Also, it seems pretty obvious to me that If the battery can turn the starter, and the starter can turn over the engine, and if you have a manual transmission you can actually move the car forward with the starter motor - then if you put your finger between a belt and a pulley, the battery might be strong enough to snap your finger off.
Oh boy! There’s going to be some beef here haha
I'm Not A Car Guy LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!!!!!
Fight fight fight.
Not happening.
@Nathaniel Smith Which video??
Sam Kinison here started it...
It’s good to listen to more than one voice for advice. Good video, Scotty!
Hybrid owner: I have saved over $3000 in gas in the 5 years I’ve owned this vehicle.
Also hybrid owners: I just spent $6000 repairing the charging system in my 5 year old vehicle.
You’ll pay either way soy boys.
@@AVBibleBelieverMan
That's funny
Very good point
@@AVBibleBelieverMan
... let's call it what they are bich Boys
You pay either way - with gas and high purchase price or high purchase price and higher gas usage. There is no free lunch.
Uhh Scotty, gloves, etc are used in high voltage and 200 vdc is not that that high.
I agree with not touching high voltage systems. I work with vehicle electronics for a living and we never go anywhere near the high voltage stuff, it's just way too dangerous.
"And since it's Mechanic Monday, I'm givin' away one of these Toyota Priuses!" :D
Good thing I didn't see this while I was changing my head gasket. It would have really spooked me, ignorance is bliss 😓
I changed mine even after watching this video :)
Changed mine, too; good car.
Some times I think he's crazy, but on this one he's completely right, never (never) work on a high voltage system if you don't know what you doing,
luis santamaria gloves?
Keye Haze you need 100 dollar electric gloves
@@JDMHaze Yea that's like saying to someone whos going to race their bike on death road to "just wear a helmet"
Keye Haze , is not just gloves, special testers too
cat lmaoo
Good morning Scotty ! I’m 17 and I work at oreilys and I enjoy your informative videos on cars !
hello and thanks!
U can work at oreilys at 17?
Bannanaphone_32 yes
Didn't Scotty make a video saying how much he hates O'Reilly's?
He likes Autozone best.
B A kinda he was talking about how autozone is closer to him and he’s gone there for so long they know him. He doesn’t hate oreillys he just doesn’t go there more than autozone. He said that most of the stuff is pretty much the same
I bought a used 2005 Toyota Prius with 132000 miles on it and it now has 250 thousand miles on it and is still running strong! The Toyota Prius 2003 to 2007 is the highest rated car in history for durability and reliability. I am in the gig economy and have put it through hell and back and it just goes and goes with very little maintenance. Scotty Kilmer has some things wrong and this is one of them because one of the best used cars you can buy is a Toyota Prius and I I am evidence of that.
Scotty......
Why in the hell can't you use more hand gestures?
Lol
i just watched this video on mute, changed my entire electrical system on my prius just watching his hand gestures.
@@ryangauthier3957 lolololololololololol you are cracking me up!!!
@@joshuamarshall7927 i have the feeling you are very weird
Martijn Broeren aren’t we all
Couple things you didn't mention. In CA the battery must last (by law) 150k miles or 10 years. I know people who have the original 1st edition of the Prius with over 250K miles and the battery (when tested) was still at 90 percent. Consumer reports also took apart an old Prius with over 200K miles and the battery was at 90%. If a battery pack must be replaced with a refurbished battery buy it from a company in CA where there business depends on the quality of the battery. More hybrids and electric cars are sold in CA then any place else.
The taxi businesses always buys these Toyota hybrids with 120k+ miles and they last forever. Bought a used 07 with 140k and the battery is still good even at 200k.
I changed out the hybrid battery on a Lexus GS430h. Had to get special high voltage gloves and some other stuff to protect myself. I definitely wouldn't have done it in my shop without the proper insulating equipment. Looking like Harry from home alone is no my idea of fun.
It's Marv that gets electrocuted. Harry gets torched.
Scotty you know a lot of useful information and I love all of your videos. However, you are wrong about a few things with hybrid vehicles. For starters, if you disconnect the hybrid safety plug, the battery loses it's combined voltage as the cells will not be able to work combined. The only thing you need to work on this vehicle is a decent scanner (the modules in the Prius can report all of the data you need) and a volt meter if you are rebuilding the battery. I taught myself how to rebuild the battery and it was very simple. On the 3rd generation Priuses, some of them had issues with the inverters and abs pumps. Check the vehicle if it has an open recall on the IPM internal piece of the inverter. These cars are cheap to work on as used parts cost next to nothing. You can get an inverter for under $200. These cars are actually easier to work on and require less maintenance than regular gas vehicles as the electric motor takes pressure off of the gas engine. Also, you rarely need to do brakes since the regenerative braking is doing most of the braking.
4000 electrocutions a year is not trivial. I am an Electrical engineer, but my Honda hybrid says “You Will Die” on the label, so I didn’t attempt replacement. Not worth dying. The mechanic did the job for just $1200 refurbed battery, which is no more expensive than a timing belt change (something else I don’t do myself)
If you’re not Toyota hybrid certified you shouldn’t be working on them. You think you know but you have no idea
@@electrictroy2010 You're and electrical engineer and you were intimidated by a label that said you would " die" and that was enough to extinguish your competitiveness to investigate. Where pray tell did you get your degree??
Scotty, you advise well on vehicle repairs. But you know precious little about the 3rd Generation Prius( from 2010 onwards) I bought a used one at 136,000 miles, it is now over 250,000 miles. Minimal repairs.Just oil changes at 7500 miles. Another family member bought one at 196,000 miles and it is now at 309,000 miles, again minimal repairs. and we have averaged 42 mpg over the period!
And you know precious little about the principle that supposes most future events are likely to balance any past deviation from a presumed average and Special Pleading. He's saying, on the whole, it's bad to buy a hybrid with high mileage. Your singular experience doesn't speak for the entirety.
old mechanic vs young mechanics , lets get it popping is beef time
LoL cant find the latch...edit that out 0:31 . Happens to the best of us Scotty
I own a Prius. I don't know what it is about those hood latches, but it even I have trouble with it occasionally. It's never been a problem with any other car I drove.
Literally every mechanic I know does the fumble under the hood to find the latch.
I'm in complete disagreeance with your advice to stray away. I just finished reconditioning my hybrid battery to my ancient Prius I bought at discount. 274k mile, this is the second battery rebuild on this car. Runs like it's only a few years old now. The only issue is that it's time consuming and requires diligent research. A multimeter and an RC Balancer were the only special tools needed for the job. Plus anything I needed could be easily found and pulled at a junk yard, such as the generator, because plenty of non-mechanics just junk the car when the battery gets "bad." Most of the time it's only a couple cells that go bad. Batteries can be recycled and reconditioned, that's why stores buy back yours in the form of a core charge. I'm now happily driving a reliable car and can easily sell it for far more than I spent on it. It's not rocket science, it's as complicated as any other car. Just requires a mind that wants to learn.
I guess you're the only one who wants to learn.....
Good job!!!
Everyone has their own opinions
Exactly older people especially mechanics don’t want to work on it
Prius being a "zippy little car" as someone who owns a Prius I can confirm they are not that zippy at all. With power mode and flooring it, my 0-60 is still almost 13 seconds
throttle is very responsive and linear though
@@poiiihyso is my BMW
Anything more than six seconds 0-60 is slow to me. That makes every car I've ever owned slow to me.
I had a 2007 Toyota Matrix once, and the 0-60 on that thing was nearly 18 seconds!
I'll agree to disagree
I will never own one but love the incredible information about it. Never stop learning!
I have 2 prius with no problems and over 300,000 miles. Its slow as hell but 50 mpg makes it a perfect courier/uber commuter car.
I bought my used 2015 Prius at 65K miles two years ago last November specifically for Uber/Lyft driving. I'm at over 167K, I get 47 MPG driving up and down San Francisco's steepest hills on power mode all day. Fluids, filters, tires and pads. That's all I've had to deal with. Replaced the brake pads at 120K which is typical for a '15 Prius. Still waiting on all this doom and gloom. I know the battery will go out, expecting that at 250K.
One Way Warrior they are great cars! One of the most reliable. Make sure to keep an eye on the egr.
Don’t buy a used battery
@@anthonymolina7416Yep, did all of my research months before I bought anything.
For most, it's more a matter of age than a matter of miles. Of course, at some point, miles matter, but just seeing people on priuschat discuss, it's typically folks with 10+ year old cars.
@@belavet The biggest issue on the Hybrids like the Prius is you have to keep the cooling fans for the batteries clean. They are air cooled, and heat kills batteries. Most people who replace hybrid batteries find that dust and hair clogged the cooling fans years ago, and the battery slowly roasted to death. There is a Prius in Canada with 600,000 miles on it and the original battery. The reason is simple. Canada is cold, and the battery stays cool. Most people who replace the batteries also find the terminals have become corroded over time. Most rebuild kids include plated terminals, instead of the brass terminals that corrode over time.
Last night my husband asked me "What used pickup does Scotty think is the best buy?"
Thanks for everything I've been learning just by listening to your channel.
What else does he ask you how to do?
Toyota Tundra, Toyota Tacoma or Ford F-150
@@necrom21221 💪💪
Trish Blassingame any American truck from 1985 and below
88-98 chevy/GMC truck and 2002-2006 silverado
When I was looking at buying a new car 15 years ago, I did the math. I figured gas would be around $4/gal eventually. I would have to drive the Prius for 40 years to save enough on gas to make up for the cost over a regular car.
How does that look now?
@@rafaelkestafa well without doing the math, obviously at $5.50 or so a gallon it would take down the years but still be around 35 years.
I replaced my main battery and was one of the easiest things to replace. Grab one from the junk yard $800. I noticed my old battery would of been fine if I kept my battery fan clean. My Prius has 340 k miles.
Yeah, i agree. These priuses are amazing.
I've done two. This is the most alarmist and, frankly stupid, video I think Scotty has ever put out.
@@belavet Then you should watch his Tesla video. It is stupid and alarmist x 10....
Having just done the battery fan service, this comment makes me feel a lot better about having 180k miles on the original battery.
@@TheCreamRisesToTheTop If Hybrid car owners did the fan service, a lot of those battery replacements wouldn't be necessary. My friends RX-450h need a new battery around 110k, and when he checked the battery and the fans, they were completely clogged with hair and dust. These batteries are air cooled and without airflow, they will definitely die prematurely.
I typically love your content but this is the most alarmist thing you've ever posted, by far.
Step 1: cut the power before wrenching on anything or removing any shielding.
Step 2: do all the rest of that.
I guess it should be expressly said that you NEED to cut the power. But saying this should only be done by a professional is like saying only a trained electrician should change out a light switch or wall plug because the DIYer might be stupid enough to forget to kill the power at the breaker and then test for live voltage before working.
I've done two Prius batteries and I haven't so much as change a tire, brakes, or even oil IN MY LIFE. You neither need all this special equipment to replace a hybrid battery nor have I seen any trained technicians wear any such equipment.
All it takes is going onto priuschat forums to see hundreds to thousands of people do this with no major electrical knowledge. Just be careful and don't be stupid. I mean, changing a tire can kill me in a wreck if I don't know what I'm doing. But you wouldn't recommend a person Not learn to do that. Right? Just silly.
You realize the "average person" is the reason warning labels exist, right?
Batteries still have stored power so the possibility for electrocution is still there. Pretty surr I'm gonna take the advice of the mechanic with 50 years experience over somebody that can't change a tire.
Adam Wiggins take whoever's advice you want dude. I'm sure thousands of people have died replacing battery cells on their priuses this far. You can't be too careful. The mechanic told you to be scared.
Even if you disconnect the battery, if you start to mess around with the battery systems which still has high voltage in them, isnt there still a risk of electrocution? Just bcuz you have changed a prius battery twice doesnt mean it wouldnt kill you the third time, or kill me the first time I do it. Maybe its wrong to encourage people to do this particular job themselves.
Also, electric/battery fixes in a Prius can get more complex than you analogy about changing light switches or wall plugs imply.
@@chris2kgreat yes it's still dangerous if you go about poking battery terminals.
And remember there wired in series, so for example, a Prius primes battery pack is approx 351V, but theres 5 stacks, each of 19 cells. So each cell is 3.7V, and each pack a little over 70V.
Anyone with the common sense to be able to do the job, will have the sense to not touch live terminals.
There are Tim the Tool man Taylor's out there who are accident prone... Just sayin..
Bought me a used 07 Prius for $700 with 270K and I still have it no issues just regular maintenance and it’s at 310K and still running. Ugliest car I ever own but can’t beat how reliable they are.
I agree, I fix most everything and I would be VERY careful to encourage average diyer's to mess with anything high voltage.
After you disconnect the plug, it would be hard to get shocked. Each module is 7.2 volts. Hardly a shock problem.
Also if you get good insulating electrical gloves... youd be good
Perfect car for me! I used to be a mechanic and now I'm an electrician!
I fixed mine years ago, since I didn’t want to spend all that money. No electrical background. Was super careful. Risks are inherent to fixing anything.
Risks are much higher fixing some things than others
$3,000 for a new battery pack is pretty good considering it should last 8 - 20 years. Then with the great gas mileage makes $3k very acceptable.
Not if the generator goes out
@@khalidalmarzouqi5652 Yeah exactly, I've heard the battery packs last a long time but $6000 generators going out is new to me and way more concerning. I'm curious what the average life of them are.
@@JoeUrbanYYC Generator failure is extremely rare. Electric motor components are very robust and you should never have an issue with one. Also if you research independent hybrid shops in your area you can get the battery replaced for around $1000 for your Prius, and many will even come to your home and do it in your driveway in about 1-2 hours time.
skorpiius Generator failure is incredibly rare, like one in tens of thousands of cars. Batteries are known to wear out after 200-250k miles, and the engine may need new seals after 250-300k, but generators last virtually forever. Even if they do fail, you can easily get a cheap replacement from a junkyard, as there are several Priuses totaled due to crashes for each one with a drive train failure.
@@tamask001 good to know, thanks!
Scotty is the best. I trust his knowledge over other guys.
I like them both.
adcolt54 same!
I don’t want to be told what I can or can’t do. I want to know how to do something and I’ll decide if I think it’s something I can do or not. Don’t baby me Scotty I’m old enough to make my own mistakes. (I wired my house from a TH-cam video and had an electrician inspect the work. Best money I’ve ever saved)
Don't badger my man Scotty.
2013 prius with 159,000 miles and I have only done oil changes and air filter changes. I still have original brakes and I am a uber driver.
Wrong. 460000kms on one in the past. One set of brakes, front only. Regenerative braking saves the mechanical brakes from a lot of wear and tear. Highway driving.
I worked at Toyota for several years...definitely possible to get 80-120k out of a set of brakes on a hybrid. They just don’t wear. More times than none, I recommend brakes due to the rotors creating a massive rust ridge or are badly pitted...it’s not even because of the pad wear.
It's not beef I've been shocked fixing my car before and it sucked I can only imagine an electric car trust me guys listen to Scotty it's not worth it
I prefer old mid 80s Ford trucks. So easy to understand and work on them
Miss my old girl friends 1981 F250 straight 6 engine with the C6. It was a great truck which hauled horses across the country several times! Easy to work on & you could achieve 20 mpg easily & when towing HEAVY trailer up horrible hills in Wyoming it still would manage 8.5 mpg.
The hybrid system isn’t any different than any other part of the vehicle. If you don’t know what you’re doing, then it can either get expensive or someone can get hurt. Battery packs are like any other part of the car. If you buy new they will last longer. If you buy used/refurbished then the life expectancy is less. Same with buying a new vehicle vs used. Still there is no reason why someone can’t buy used and repair it themselves as long as they know what they are doing and take the appropriate safety measures.
2011 prius was my first car and I still love that car to death and she is still running strong without any problems 9 years not a single problem
That means she's due.
Sorry. I hope she's not.
Hell yeah man !! Glad to hear it !!!
Got it fixed
Or... You could just buy a car that doesn't have complex parts that cost a fortune to replace and are dangerous to change yourself. Just stick with something simple that you know you can fix if something goes bad.
Now I understand why my mechanic said, "NO!!!"
Scott I'm a mechanic at toyota. YOU ARE SO WRONG AND OLD! PRUIS ARE THE BEST HYBRID CARS EVER MADE!! THEY RARELY MESS UP
Scotty didn't say don't buy a Prius. He said if you buy one, buy it new, and if you buy it used, don't buy one with a "refurbished" battery, but with a new battery directly from Toyota. Even with a new battery, if you buy it used, expect other things may be wrong with the car that will need to be repaired soon. That's all he said.
For what it's worth, I agree with Scotty.
Those batteries are NO joke....plus all the electrical complications.
I also like Chris, but he should NOT be so rash.
Good lookin' out Scotty.
Thanks.
Scotty's right to issue a warning like this, because some people, even if you give them exact instructions, they'll invent extra, pointless steps found nowhere in the instructions, or leave out steps, don't wear rubber gloves, etc., and when you're messing with such high voltages, the results can be unfortunate.
I love how you put the FJ up as a car with HORRIBLE blindspots. I had one for almost 5 years and can confirm, the blindspots are AWFUL. Also, the side mirrors aren't heated and the windshield doesn't have a deicer, so it turns into a frozen slush box that you can't see out of in any direction in the winter. Was happy to see that one go!
I love the look of the FJ but that's literally it. Poorly conceived on every other level
Now you're in a really bizarre situation. shows College sign, hahaha! nailed it🎯
🔥🔥
It’s true guys. Don’t become a mechanic, electrician, or even plug your phone in for that matter. Electricity will kill you
In Spain they used Prius for Taxi service for long time until 2016, and many of them have 500.000 and 700.000 KM and 0 problems (no more than 1.000 dollars to spend in basic maintenance) you can buy one with 500.000km for 3.000 dollars full equipment 🤣 I have one and is strong as rock and easy to repair.... BUT The coins is that you can not install the hook in Spain, is prohibited by law, you can not use a trailer until for ligth motorcycles.... Because the Prius is not safe for " hook use" 😫😫😫😫
That`s interesting! We have seen a few hooked up hauling very light tiny trailers here in the NW US.
Well I fixed my traction battery on my Prius. So there! Scotty you're not infallible.
Wow Scotty! You didn’t even hesitate to call out Chris in your title! 🤣💀
Savage.
adcolt54 Only Scotty I swear 😂
Which Cris? Thanks
Roman Shukshin on utube
He doesn't call himself Savage Scotty for nothing
New York cab companies use the prius and put more wear and tear on a car than you can imagine. The cars last a couple hundred thousand miles with no major problems on average. Yes there are a few that can have the problems stated but umcommon even on higher mileage prius.
When those start having problems just swap a Cummins into it
I agree with you scotty high voltage stuff should never be done by an amateur even with full gear accident happen, this kind of stuff should always be done by the pros.
Technically doing any repairs can kill you. Going to the store to buy parts and tools can kill you. It's not good life advice to encourage everyone to avoid things that have the potential to harm you. What you should instead be doing is helping people understand the dangers and offer tips on how to stay safe.
Going to the store to get some tools, and messing with 200V are 2 completely different things, DO NOT MESS WITH ELECTRICITY unless you know what you are doing.
@@charliew6024 that's the point Nick made, if you don't know what you're doing you're going to hurt yourself, so do a load of research before doing anything
No one:
Literally no one:
Scotty: *"The Prius is the ultimate zippy and powerful vehicle"*
Apex Seal lmaoooo
"Thing really gets up and goes" this guy must drive a mail truck for a daily
LED Garage I rented a Prius before and honestly they let me choose between that and the minivan, and I chose the minivan but it had just got rented out LOL The Prius actually handles well but it is nowhere near quick And because it's on the electric motor most of the time if you are on a hill, that thing rolls back QUICK as soon as you get off the break
@@JDMHaze No creep mode ? God I hate that 😒
RobBroderick44 In fairness this was a 2013 Prius because this happened to me in 2014 The new one is probably better, but Toyota doesn't offer any type of hill start assist until recently... its ANNOYING My 2011 Camry was just as bad because they have a throttle delayed about a half a second delay on throttle response
8:50 Crazy room in that trunk! Scotty fit a FJ cruiser back there. Wow. I am sold. 😁
Had a 2010 and now a 2013. My mother in law now has the 2010. Purchased the 10 at 110, and the 13 at 150, have 200, on both of them so far trouble free. Have a 120 mile commute everyday. Kept buying cheap cars and was in the garage every weekend, finally got tired of it. Now my sister and parents are running one. I do dread the day I ever have problems.
I DYI my own electrical at home all the time. And, despite my expertise beign in music and computers, I'll replace the pack on my used 2011 Prius if it goes out. I love your videos, but I sure hope you're wrong here. lol
You don't need gloves unless you're replacing the individual cells or modules. I watched someone replace a gen2 battery pack in 15 mins.
The charging system went out on one of my customers at my shop. I had none of this special equipment and basically touched all of the orange danger parts and I’m still here. We also fixed it for 300$ not saying this is all cases just my particular case. And that was the first time I had ever worked on a hybrid. It was neat
I have a Lexus RX 400h that has done 250000 miles so far with no trouble at all with the hybrid system or hybrid battery. Only repairs or maintenance has been the same that you have to do with any car: brake pads, brake discs, changing fluids and oils. And the gasoline engine does not consume oil between oil changes. The best car I’ve ever had and comfortable to drive too.
I remember doing a coil and spark plug change in cylinder 3 on one of these, it was hell you have to remove like 20 bolts and remove the windshield wipers and the cover for it just to get to the spark plugs.
WELL IT'S NOT LIKE YOU CHANGING IT EVERY 5000 MILES
Scotty seems like someone that would tell me it's a bad idea to fix anything on my car myself, and to leave it to "the professionals"
Not at all...He gives great advice on what and how to do,but does warn and discourage "do it alone" those that have no clue what they are doing..at least when it is something they seriously shouldn't be doing
Fact is most people who “work on cars” really should leave most things to the pros. I’ve learned from a LOT of trial and error.
You are right. Sister bought used 2012 Prius with lower miles. Within short time needed rear brake system. $2000 later fixed problem.