Brake repair: Where to go?

I've had major brake issues with my '01 Prius. I've had the front and rear disks, pads, etc. replaced but the brakes still aren't right. When I step on the pedal it often though not always (so far) sinks to the floor without "grabbing" but will catch if I pump the brake. I'm guessing based on what I've Googled this weekend that it's the master brake cylinder, but the place I took it says they're really not sure and is leaning toward saying I should take it to the dealer. I do NOT want to take it to the dealer if I can help it. I took it to them when I first had brake issues and they said the problem (other than needing new front and rear brakes) was the brake booster pump and they told me that it would cost $1800 to replace, so that's when I decided to take the car elsewhere. I'm in Bloomington, Indiana and the place where it's currently sitting is Micro Motors, who told me they work on Priuses but seem about to tell me that they can't work on this particular issue. Should I just take the car to a place that specializes in brakes, or is there a good way for me to find other independent general repair places that work on Prii?

 

Not sure I want to risk driving 2 hours on gimpy brakes. But thanks for the tip, I will at least call them and see if there's anyone close by they would recommend.

 

The "brake" and "ABS" lights came on once, but not otherwise.

My impression from Googling was that if the actuator assembly/booster pump was bad that it would be difficult to press down on the brakes, which is not the case. If on the other hand the symptom is that it's commonly too easy to press the pedal down and it doesn't do anything until it's pressed down pretty far (or unless it's pumped), that's more likely the master cylinder. Is this correct?

 

Thanks for the info.! I finally found a shop here in town (Bloomington, IN) that is trained and experienced at working on Priuses (Prii?), Worldwide Automotive. They are indeed flushing the brake fluid to start with to see if the problem persists.

The warning lights did come on and stay on for a little while yesterday when I just pressed the pedal almost all the way down rather than pumping it once to make the brakes engage, but then they went off and have not come back on.

A major concern: If it isn't just a problem in the brake lines but indeed is the actuator, the guy told me the repair would be about $3000. That was more than the Toyota dealership quoted me to replace the "brake booster pump" which I gather is the same thing. Of course the reason why his estimate was so high was he was quoting me what it would cost with a new part; not sure why he would expect someone who only spent $4000 for a car to pay over $2000 for one part, but I insisted that if that repair was needed, we were going to go with a used part. Whoever can help me with a source for a quality used part, assuming this is needed, I'd appreciate the advice.

 

Well, back to square 1 as far as finding a place that will repair my car. The place I took it, Worldwide Automotive, says (consistent with what the local Toyota dealer told me) that the brake booster pump needs to be replaced, and told me that the repair would be $2200, with about $1400 being for the part. They REFUSE to install a used part. There's no way I can afford this repair bill, so back to the drawing board finding a place that will service my car competently for a reasonable cost.