3 Repairs That Could Warrant Selling Your Toyota Prius

Every Prius owner has a personal reason to sell their car. I know for me I usually sell mine after I have done the necessary research I needed and now it is time to sell.

Not every Prius owner gets to sell his car when he wants to, though. Sometimes repairs or incidents force these dedicated owners to rethink owning the car. Here are three reasons that could warrant you sell your Prius.

Toyota Prius Battery Failure
Prius owners were never taught to maintain their hybrid batteries. Most have no clue that the NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) battery develops memory loss over time. The reduced capacity of the battery then causes it to fail to leave the owner with a decision to make. Sell the car or fix the issue.

There are so many ways to fix the Prius battery these days, that it can be very confusing what to do when the battery does fail. For instance, the failure is due to modules or cells in the battery pack that can no longer hold the amount of charge needed to keep the battery balanced. This failure can be fixed in many ways; yes, however, there are only a few good ways to repair it properly.

You can recondition the battery, which anyone can do with a little "free" training and help. Learning this process is pretty easy and fun. You get to learn how the battery works and then can keep it running stronger for longer. A reconditioning kit is a fraction of the cost of a new or reconditioned battery.

Another way to fix the issue is to put in a new or reconditioned battery. There are many companies out there fighting for your business. They are offering lifetime warranties on their batteries also. Check out this story here about what one may be best for you. You can also do a new battery from the dealer, which is your most expensive option but is always a safe bet.

Lastly, you can sell or trade-in your Prius if the battery is at fault. Many owners do this and get into a newer, better Prius. The process makes them fall in love all over again. For me, I love it when people are willing to part with their Prius over a lousy battery. It gives me a chance to hone my skills and gather more information on the process.

If you have not taken the time to learn about how to keep your battery fresh and new, make sure you do. The time spent is well worth it. If this is your reason for selling, please let me know, I would love to make an offer.

The Catalytic Converter Was Stolen
Believe it; people are selling their Prius' in California over a Catalytic converter. The reason is that once these converters are stolen, it can cost an owner anywhere from $2,500 to $5,000 to have the repair done. Ouch, that hurts.

I have been looking online and see them all the time with the converters stolen, and the owners are forced to sell the car. I wish that more people would help stop catalytic converter theft and protect their vehicles with a Cat Security™ shield.

Many times if insurance is involved with these repairs, it can total the car even though the car was never in an accident of any kind. Significant renovations to a Prius can warrant that terrible branded title that no one seems ever to want. I hope you keep your Prius safe and out of trouble.

Toyota Prius Brake Pump/Actuator
This repair is a hefty one many times. The brake pump, which accumulates hydraulic pressure needed to help with clamping the pads to the rotors, does tend to fail over time. The cost of a replacement can easily set you back well over 1500 dollars, depending on where the repair is done. That is quite a bit of money for many people.

If you had the option to roll over your payments on your Prius or flesh out $1500 for a repair, chances are many would keep making payments. While not sound financial advice, some do not always feel they have another option in the matter.

Selling the Prius for a bad brake booster can happen, and while it stinks, some of us do not have a money tree that produces all the time.

Conclusion
Whatever your reason is for selling your Prius, I am sure it is completely personal. I know that after a few hundred thousand miles, you may be ready to trade in or sell that Prius, which has brought you loads of joy over the years.

Watch these 3 reasons to sell your Toyota Prius in a brief video report and click to subscribe to Torque News Youtube channel for daily automotive news analysis.

I do not blame you for wanting to do so and do what you will; it is your car, after all. If you do have one to sell, drop me a line on Twitter and let me know, I may be interested in picking it up and doing a story on it.

Thank you for reading. Be sure you check out my next story. Which Apple/Android Unit Best Updates Your Aging Toyota Prius

Watch the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid Prime video presentation and click to subscribe to Torque News Youtube channel for daily automotive news analysis.

Peter Neilson is an automotive consultant specializing in electric cars and hybrid battery technologies. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Automotive Service Technology from Weber State University. Peter is also an Instructor of Automotive Technology at Columbia Basin College. Peter can be reached on Linkedin and you can tweet him at The_hybrid_guy on Twitter. Find his page on Facebook at Certified Auto Consulting. Read more of Peter's stories at Toyota news coverage on Torque News. Search Toyota Prius Torque News for more in depth Prius coverage from our reporters.