So my warranty is up soon, the 3 year comprehensive warranty that is. It's all over in April, then I'm down to the limited powertrain warranty. So that's got me thinking. Is there any TSBs, recalls, or other known issues / information I should be aware of before the warranty is gone? This is the warranty work I've had done in the almost 3 years of ownership: - Replace front air fuel ratio sensor (o2 sensor) - Noise from auxiliary MP3 jack (TSB ) The dealer wanted to cut my gas pedal down smaller but I didn't want that so I signed some kind of paper that said I declined it. This has been probably the most reliable vehicle I've owned. I'm not buying the extended warranty. So are there any things I should check out while I have what is essentially free repairs? I know of no problems. Wait, I remembered one thing. The soft material on the driver's side arm rest is wearing out. Would this be replaced under warranty or is this a wear-and-tear item? I can take a photo of it you'd like.... Thx.
Hi Swamy, CHS water pump (does it squeal?), Engine Water Pump (stripe of coolant on underside of hood, above right wheel well area), Inverter Water Pump (if good , there will be turbulence in coolant resovior, if not fluid will be stagnant).
That's unusual. Was there any explanation by the dealer for why this happened? As far as your armrest, you'll just have to try it and see what they say. Normal wear/tear usually means tires, brakes, paint, etc. The armrest being an "interior appointment" ought to be covered, but you may need to go higher up in the food chain to get it. It is more likely if you have used the same dealer for all scheduled maintenance -- they want you to keep coming back.
No explanation on the sensor. But it was in the winter and the engine light came on after 7 hours of highway driving in freezing weather. So I suspect that some ice / moisture could have had something to do with it. The CHS water pump is fine (no squealing), and the engine water pump is fine (no visible fluid or loss). I'll have to check the inverter reservoir...
There is a Limited Service Campaign on the Inverter Water Pump. You should get a letter in the mail if your car is included. I think it includes 2004 to early 2007 models (my 2007 is included).
FYI, I just wanted to update the thread in case anyone else had a worn out armrest. I asked the dealer and they covered it under the 3-year warranty. They had to replace the entire door panel however, to the tune of about $800! I'm a little surprised that it was covered but I'm glad because that was one nagging thing that bugged me. Hopefully I'll be good for another 2 years or longer. I never did check the inverter reservoir. Not sure I will.
For anyone else that has this problem, there is no need to replace the entire door panel. Of course, if the dealer is taking care of it for free, then I guess it doesnt matter, however I had the EXACT same looking wear on my armrests (mine was much worse actually), and was able to take care of it for under $100 and get the entire interior cleaned. I took my Prius into a relatively middle of the road detailing shop, and got an interior detail because of some stains on the seats. I wasnt expecting this, but the detail actually had the armrests looking like new also!
I have exactly the same problem with my arm rests, my car is due for it's 50,000km service which i planned on booking in on Wednesday, i'll be asked Toyota if they can replace them as well
Another solution is to replace the door armrest fabric with a matching vinyl, as comes with the Katzskin, etc, leather interiors. Get the center armrest covered too. Our bisque fabric interior looked like crap after only 2 years so we had the leather interior put in. But the armrests were by far the worst.
