Dealer wants $4500 for brake repair.... WHAT?

You forgot to mention that that guy and his family died in a fiery crash soon after the call. If they didn't, and if he were not a cop, no one would even give a damn.

 

This is what I would have done myself in this situation. Unfortunately, paying full retail price and labor at dealership amounts to robbery and rape combined.

Have you visited the NHTSA website yet? This is exactly what it is for.

 

I know about the death just wanted to concentrate on something else.

 

HeinzCatSoup, definitely go to the media and RAISE HELL. Tell them this has happened to other Prius owners - it's not just your car out of all sold. I was about to do this in my case when Toyota finally provided half the cost.

 

I am following this thread closely, the outcome will factor into my next new automobile purchase.

 

I trust that it will be a "very small factor" as every manufacturer experiences anomalies.

No doubt you are aware that Consumer Reports rates the Prius among the most reliable. This, of course, is of little satisfaction to the owner experiencing problems

 

What is unfortunate is Toyota may possible lose this person and his brand loyalty for the next 10 car purchases and I 'm sure all his friends and family will hear his story.

 

I had a similar situation with a Ford vehicle back in the late 90's. A known problem with head gaskets and transmissions. Ford refused to give any assistance. I took it up to Ford's District Manager and was still refused. I have not bought a Ford vehicle since and it will probably be some time before I will think about it.

This is my first Toyota and I am watching this very closely. As much as I like my Prius, if this were to happen to me it would be the last Toyota that I would buy for some time.

 

I would contact Steve at http:Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicle PHEV as a reliable source for salvaged parts. He can offer a tested unit at a reasonable cost.

JeffD

 

Maybe the dealer is planning to install brembo brakes front and rear for you, hence the hefty price!

 

toyota has had the worst pr of just about any company the last decade. still number one, must be doing something right.

 

Just google Prius brake problems endless posts

 

Priuschat podcast had one about similar experience coming back from a concert in Indio brake pedal went to the floor used emergency brake to stop the car. Out of warranty. Dealer got Toyota to pay for parts. The difference is the Service Manager took responsibility and meet with the Toyota Area Manager who discussed this and a laundry list of items and approved parts only.
The OP needs to call and establish a meeting with the Dealer Service Manager and or General Manager and give a historical time line of events and ask to plead the case to Toyota Corporate.

If it gets denied go to yelp and let em have it.

 

I didn't see this post when I did my search and posted my thread earlier, but my warning lights didn't go on when driving...did you have the warning lights on before you even switched the car into gear at any point? My car was parked and the lights were on. I am absolutely nervous about driving mine especially after reading through this thread and of course my other half has to be out of town.

 

I just did. This caught my attention:

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchResults.action

Clearly, the recall was not enough and OP is not the only person having this problem and not covered by the recall. I have a feeling that if you give it enough time, all gen 3 prius will end up with brake failures.

 

I sent him an e-mail. He doesn't carry 2010+ Prius parts now, but he will next year.

 

NHTSB safety recall page information. Links to file a complaint.
Recalls.gov

 

The car being used has a major impact on considerations for goodwill.

Unfortunately, as ridiculous as it is for a master-cyl to fail before 100k, it is an exposure that you have to deal with as a vehicle owner.

The Toyota recall did not include your vehicle and the warranties have long expired, so there's little business reason for them to help you.

If you can find someone else who's willing to order the part for 2k and charge you less than 1k for the labor, $3k in repairs for a 100k car is certainly an anomaly for a Toyota, but is far from being the worst offender.

 

In a 25 year career as a qualified mechanic I've never, NEVER heard of a bill that high for anything related to brakes. Please post a full inventory of what it is they are proposing to replace and any incidentals. This smacks of rip off to me. I would be happy to walk you through the quote and break, no pun intended, it down into plain speak. It's just not plausible that it needs that amount spent on it. Ask them to provide you with a written report detailing the required work, what the exact diagnosis is and what exactly has failed. In adition, ask them to also report on the diagnostic procedures they apparently carried out in order to arrive at this quote. You may find they dig themselves a hole or back down and be more reasonable when asked to justify the outrageous cost. Why not simply repair the master cylinder if that is what they say is wrong. The ABS control unit can be costly, but hey, not THAT costly. Usually around 2k at most. They do not fail or give issues very often, only heard of a few in years in the trade. Master cylinder on these is such a simple thing to replace or better yet recondition, and as for an accumulator, ask around for either a repairer or wreckers, (breakers), unit. They can be rebuilt also, by ppl with the right gear. Non of this is rocket science, despite dealer attempts to baffle poor customers with bs.

Upon thinking this over, I suggest you could try bleeding the system if you feel confident to try it. If m=not you could have an independent garage do it, it's not hard. It's a simple procedure to flush the system with fresh fluid. The issues you've described can be caused by contaminated fluid, and a flush can rectify it sometimes. Have an assistant sit in the car foot on brake, car powered up, in park will do. Open the caliper bleed nipples one at a time at each whee and make sure to top up the resi as you go so as to not run it dry. let a decent amount go at each wheel, say a cupful or so. they should be 10mm nut at front and poss 8mm or 10 at rear, can't remember. It's a simple things, the pump will activate and push the fluid through, cleaning the system of all old fluid and possibly removing any debris in the process. Hope this is helpfull. Don't like seeing ppl taken advantage of!

 

You might want to contimplate doing the repair yourself. If you have the wear with all and skills, it can be done relatively cheap. If you look on eBay, there are many used ABS modules and brake cylinder combinations for around $400. I would have no problem doing this myself. If you are not so inclined, there are Prius specialty shops that could do it for you.