I think I was taken

LOL yep you were taken..

 

If it wasn't such a bad mistake to have to pay for you would laugh. Distributor cap? Hahaha.
If there was a distributor cap on the invoice ask the service writer to point out the cap under the bonnet to you so you can see the new part for yourself.
A distributor cap looks something like this.

You won't find one under the bonnet of a Prius as it has direct fire coils on each spark plug.
The coils have been known to fail, I know a cheap fix if you get to the problem soon enough.
Clean the coil with petrol to remove all traces of dirt then dry well and brush paint the outside of the coil with enamel paint paying particular attention to any cracks or seams. This has worked for me every time.

Do not continue to drive a Prius or any modern car when it is misfiring, it can harm the catalytic converter.

 

So how is the spark plug spark distributed to each ICE cylinder in turn?

 

Yes, but looking at my own 2008 Prius, it appears that each spark plug has it's own coil mounted on top of the plug. I am guessing that this module contains both the primary and secondary coils. The pulsing of the primary current via the engine ignition ECM generates the strong magnetic field and high (10k+volts?) in the secondary coil to produce the plug spark.

Since my ancient degree was in aero not EE, I'm guessing here. Enlightenment is welcome!

 

The engine ECU sends a pulse of primary current to the appropriate igniter when it's time to fire the associated spark plug. A knock sensor is bolted to the engine block to provide feedback to the engine ECU regarding whether ignition timing is too advanced or not.

This is basically correct. The high voltage output is probably more in the 20KV range.

Back to the OP's post:

What is the odometer reading?

Please provide the part numbers and descriptions of the replaced parts listed on the repair invoice. Then we can comment on what was actually done to the car. It could be that your service advisor is illiterate in modern automotive technology, and in good faith thinks that Prius really has a distributor system, like a car dating back to the 1980's.

Further, has the check engine light come on, since the car was retrieved from the dealer? If yes, then a DTC will have been logged and it will be easier to determine the cause of the engine misfire. If not, then basically the misfire will be due to either a spark igniter, a spark plug, or a fuel injector. However one problem is to figure out which cylinder has the fault.

In rainy weather, water may drip from the cowl to the valve cover. It is possible for water to then enter a spark plug well, causing a misfire. Although a rubber O-ring around the igniter is supposed to provide a seal, since only one bolt secures the igniter to the valve cover it is quite possible for the O-ring to leak.

 

Wasn't there a service bulletin on the 04's to reseal the hood someway to prevent water dripping on top of the engine to prevent this misfiring from ahppening?

 

At our dealer no work is performed without an explanation of diagnosis, a written estimate, and CUSTOMER approval. Are you saying they did $300 worth of work without your consent?

 

Yes, the TSB advice basically was to put a bead of sealant on the seam at the center of the plastic cowl cover.

 

Yep, Your stealership took you to the cleaners! Take him to court an clean him out! What is the name of the stealership? Let us all know!

 

The bright side to this might be that they told you a part that is clearly not replaceable. This will make it much easier for you to question the charges and probably get your money back.

Also, if they are a Toyota dealer you may have some recourse through
Toyota and it would be nice if you, as patrick has suggested, post more detailed information about your experience here. The experts who frequent this board will be able to give you precise information and this massive consumer base of smart people would like to know what dealers to avoid if indeed, they purposefully mislead and over charged you.

Really sucks to have a dealer you can't trust!

 

If OP is correct, this is more of an issue than simply getting their money back, imo. It's outright fraud, and deserves prosecution.

 

Ben Franklin said to "Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear."
Ben could not have known about the internet, but if he did, the percentage might have been even lower.

 

You should report the dealer to the Toyota regional office. With all the bad press they are getting right now, they should only be too happy to get this sorted out.

 

Someone took the steam generator out of his computer.

Tom

 

:bounce:

You are so baaaaaad Tom.

 

Yes Octavia, we oldsters on PC know how bad Tom is .... there's just no stopping him!

Which is good. This crazy world needs a few laughs to lighten it up.