Yesterday my X5 stalled and when I went to restart, sounded like I had a volcano under the hood of my car. Called my mechanic this morning and he was available to see the car. He received a code 268 and that the number 1 cylinder was acting up. He replaced the spark plugs and wiring last week, so he kept looking for other issues. Apparently he found a crack in the air intake boot and thinks this may be causing the issue. $185 including labor. My mechanic said the age of the vehicle (2001) and mileage (97000) could cause the crack in the rubber boot. I was a bit skeptical, but will have to take his word on this one. This could be my cheapest trip to the mechanic to date. I will be sure to give it a serious road test the next few days.

I've yet to vent on my blog, and I'm a bit embarrassed by some of my thoughts...but I'm sick of my X5. First off, I have a 2001 X5 and it was the first production year for the 3.0 model. Of course, most people tell you to avoid the first model year as the problems can be addressed and tested for the next model year. Well, I should have waited as nearly every mechanical issue has plagued my X5. Window regulators, engine wiring, oxygen sensors, temperature switches, dead pixels in display, fuel sensor outage, more window regulators (do they go out every 10k miles?), GPS display going on and off. This is just off the top of my head as I know I've had more items replaced. I do believe that the car is extremely safe and fun to drive, but at what cost?
Today, with my two children in the car, I was at an intersection waiting for the light to turn green and the service engine soon or (SES) light turns on. Unfortunately, this is a common light that comes on for my X5. I said a few adult expletives under my breath as my 4 year old is very curious about the situation. I explain that daddy's car is acting up again and that I need to turn off her music so I can listen to my car cough and sputter as if it's taking it's last dying breath. I hate this SUV or SAV as BMW calls it. Engine sputters and dies. Next step, turn on my hazards. I'm really getting too good at this process. I then say a quick prayer and turn over the engine. It starts again, but is sputtering even more. I gun it and just make it to the curb where I call my mechanic.
I will have the X5 towed over to the mechanic who can troubleshoot the latest SES light and codes. Should be a fun conversation as the mechanic supposedly fixed the same issue last week. Same issue and he replaced all six spark plugs with new wiring and all codes were removed after road test. Cost last week $800
Good news...car is paid for. Bad news...trip to mechanic always runs $350-1200.

I purchased a used 2002 Prius two years ago and feel it has been the best vehicle I have ever owned. It may not do 0-60 in 4.0 seconds or be able to hold 7 passengers, but it has been the most reliable and economical car I have owned in 18 years of driving. My other car is an SUV and far from economical and reliable. I can’t wait for Toyota to make an SUV with Prius technology and then I can trade in my old SUV. Well, I love my Prius for the following reasons:

1. Obvious answer: Great gas mileage. Current gas prices in the bay area are $3.39 for regular unleaded. I’m not going to say I get 55-60 mph but I realistically get 40-45 mph average on highway and city.

2. Carpool lane sticker. Love it! My wife uses the Prius to commute over 100 miles a day and uses the carpool lane with no other passengers required. She does belong to a carpool but on some days she is the only person in the car. Many mornings she saves 30-60 minutes on her commute time.

3. Cheap maintenance costs. I have spent a total of $485 on maintenance over two years. Two new tires: $220. Oil Service 4 @ $29 each. 70k mile service $149. New wipers $20. I could probably even save some money on the oil service but am happy with my relationship with Toyota and my customer service representative. In comparison, I have had four or five customer service reps for my SUV.

4. No smog testing or certificate needed for DMV. As I get older I hate waiting in lines and making appointments, and spending between $50-75 just to get a vehicle smog is a waste of time and money. The Prius is a low emission vehicle and not subject to smog requirements in California.

5. No or cheap brake maintenance. I went to my dealer and asked if they could check my brakes during 70k mile service. The service rep said they would but they have never replaced brake pads on the hundreds of Prius’ sold at their dealership. He then explained the benefits of the Prius technology and regenerative braking. More info can be found http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/tech/TechSnapPrius1_5_01b.pdf

I would love to hear from other hybrid owners and post a comment of what you love about your car.

I made it about 20 yards in my Prius before I noticed that the left rear tire was completely flat. I changed the tire and found out that the spare in the trunk is a tiny small dounut of a tire. The Prius tires are small. But, this spare is really small! It even has this really attractive yellow center that makes everyone notice you're driving with a dounut. I just replaced the two front tires three months ago, so luckily the flat happened on the rear tires. I called Costco and they told me they do not carry the tire I needed, a Dunlop P175/65 R14. Costco doesn't sell this tire and said they recommend a different tire. Also, Costco won't replace a single tire at a time. They charge $89.99 to install the tire. I then called Toyota and they said they carry the tire but it costs $110.00 to install and they will replace both rear tires. Total cost $220.00 Unfortunately, after they had my car for a few hours working on oil service and finishing the 70k mile service, they called to tell me that the tires are on backorder and not in their inventory. What? They told me they had the tires in stock and could put them on today. Fortunately, they were able to take a large wood screw out of the tire and repair the leak. The service rep told me the tires are on backorder from Dunlop and they will be available in January. Hopefully, I can avoid wood screws and all sharp metal objects for the next month and a half. I spoke to my service rep and calmly stated that I was frustrated that the tires were not availably after he told me they were in stock. After a short pause, I mentioned that I had an expired coupon that was emailed from Toyota for 5% off service. He quickily told me he would honor that discount and applied the 5% discount to my total of $215 for the 70k mile service. A savings of $10.75. Not a lot, but I'm hoping to get another 5% coupon via email to use on the tires. Or, I could ask my service rep to honor the 5% for the tires too. Spending $200 on my Prius is small compared to my "other" vehicle. I could write for hours on my "other" vehicle. That will be for another day!