2009 Prius

[Coopers ST]

Hey all,

My parents in law just made us a deal we couldn't pass up on a 2009 Prius. The part I will need to detail that I have never done is under hood. Being part electric is there anything I need to be extra careful about, or are they still like normal cars that is made to have water splash in and be ok? New to this hybrid stuff. I don't have the car yet, should soon though so I don't know the true condition.

Thanks

[Coopers ST]

I take it a hybrid engine bay is the same as a regular cars engine bay?

[Bhoppy1216]

I take it a hybrid engine bay is the same as a regular cars engine bay?

Yes and no

There is like a 400V battery in your engine bay and a lot more electrical components than you are used to. I had a 2005 Prius and I only ever detailed the engine bay twice due to fear of messing something up. It is a slight chance, but Prius's are not cheap to fix if you mess the wrong thing up, those batteries go for like 8K.

Now with that being said I did detail with full water from a garden hose. I used the fan setting because it had some decent pressure but was more spread out so it had less chance of focusing on one spot for too long. I lightly sprayed it down and then sprayed Chemical Guys All Clean and took a paint brush and agitated it and then quickly rinsed it off, I did not let it sit for long at all. That cleaned it out real good and then I dried it with MF towels and then turned it on to see if I had any lights, and to let the engine warm up the compartment for a bit.

After it cooled down I covered everywhere I could see with 303 Aerospace Protection because it was great for repelling dust and dirt and it gave the car a great deep shine, but not too shiny. After that it was just wiping it a bit with a MF towel and anything on there would just fall off due to the 303.

KEY THINGS: Most everything is covered with plastic so dont worry too much, and the 12v battery is in the trunk so you cant hurt that, its the big 400V one you have to watch for. It is covered in a silver box, and the cord coming form it is caution orange so you cant miss it. I would just say if you use a hose to avoid spraying the orange cord directly and just lightly hit the silver box. That was always the first things I washed and the first thing I dried, just in case. Also, you can just use a spray bottle of water, but I am impatient lol. I just would suggest not using a pressure washer, and stick with a hose if you dont already do so.

[Bhoppy1216]

59558


The red circle is the 400V battery that I am talking about and it controls things like the electric steering, all the many electrical doo dads, and it helps your car know when to shut off the engine when you are in traffic. It is completely in the silver case and it protected so that if you do run through a puddle it wont get wet, but would still use caution. Like I said these things run like 8-10K to replace.

The orange circle is where the orange wire sheath comes out of the battery, that is protected as well, but where the sheath and battery meet is the major concern of water getting where its not supposed to. It SHOULD be a water tight seal, but you never know and can never be too careful. Also make sure to inspect the orange sheath to make sure it is not broken or cracked.

The green circle is the engine itself, and that black box is the air filter housing, along with the washer tank, etc. You can treat this like any other engine bay part, but know there are no plastic covers for the spark plugs so pay mind not to shoot water directly on those.


My last piece of advice is to open the hood and then put your keys inside of your house. You should not need to disconnect anything to avoid getting shocked, but the keys do communicate with the car to turn on the interior light when you walk up to the car and to unlock the car when you get the key close enough. To just be super extra safe I would open the hood, make sure the car is off, and then go put your keys back in your house. That should be enough to prevent electrical shock. Still, remember I am not a professional and do this at your own risk, I certainly did lol. You should be fine though. Good luck!

Like always common sense prevails, if you see electrical connectors and dont feel comfortable spraying them with water — don't — or cover them up with something.

[Coopers ST]

Thank you. That is kind of the answers I got on a different page. Most detailers don't do them, and most customers don't ask, so really nobody knows for sure.
I will post pics later, (it isn't even here yet) but we bought the car and I just want to clean it up well. Not that I will show off the engin bay, but i can't stand to know it would be filthy. .

[Bhoppy1216]

Thank you. That is kind of the answers I got on a different page. Most detailers don't do them, and most customers don't ask, so really nobody knows for sure.
I will post pics later, (it isn't even here yet) but we bought the car and I just want to clean it up well. Not that I will show off the engin bay, but i can't stand to know it would be filthy. .

I feel you, the first time I did it I kinda just got sick and tired of looking at the dirt. I basically had to take the same plunge because a majority of people said not to do it, but there were a few that said they had done it and I followed their advice, which I pass on now. The one time I got my whole car professionally detailed inside and out — I was selling it — the detailer made me sign a liability form for my normal gas engine. It was a smart idea, basically said he would take every precaution to clean it safe and well, but that risk was still involved. The same applies here. There is risk, but just be smart bought it.

The lucky thing is that Toyotas in general, especially the Pirus I owned dont really get oily or greasy so its just road grime and dust you are dealing with, which is very easy to just wipe off once you get the first wash over with.

[OGcl]

Thank you. That is kind of the answers I got on a different page. Most detailers don't do them, and most customers don't ask, so really nobody knows for sure.
I will post pics later, (it isn't even here yet) but we bought the car and I just want to clean it up well. Not that I will show off the engin bay, but i can't stand to know it would be filthy. .

I work on these for a living. What he circled in red is not a battery, it's an inverter/converter. Spray away, you're not getting shocked under there unless you start pulling orange cables out. Treat it like a regular engine bay and you will be fine.

[Bhoppy1216]

^ well you heard him, he is the expert.

[OGcl]

^ well you heard him, he is the expert.

Hehe, hope I didn't come across rude. No worries in a Prius engine bay though :)

[Bhoppy1216]

Hehe, hope I didn't come across rude. No worries in a Prius engine bay though :)

Lol no no not at all, call it what it is, not what I thought it was. I just knew it had a lot of electricity running to it, and that was what people used to scare me into not attempting a clean. Kinda silly though if you look at it and realize that sucker is closed up tight.

[Coopers ST]

Nope not rude at all. This is what I am looking for. Hey idiot don't touch this, and don't be an idiot it's fine. I was thinking lots of ONR in spray bottle and ring out well towels.

Seeing as you work on them, how often do the batteries actually go out?