Prius C $2,902 brake dealer job

My 2004 had brake honk (most of us called it a chirp) that my spouse complained about so I went to the dealer to get it fixed. The analysis said that I needed a full brake job and new rotors. I then asked to see the service manager since the noise occurred when the car was stopped so how could the brake pads/rotors be the issue. He agreed and apologized as the pads were barely worn and the rust was not on the braking surface (the brakes were still original at 288k miles and 12 years - 10 years later). A bleeding of the brakes to get air out of the system fixed the problem and I only had to pay for the $20 brake inspection (instead of the $50 brake bleed).

JeffD

 

The label orientation is the tip off, old vs revised. I believe both being transverse means both are newer version, per @ChapmanF pics on page one.

 

Do you plan to bleed the brake yourself? If so, could you please publish your procedure?

 

Here's the with/without Techstream instructions from 3rd gen Prius Repair Manual, fwiw:

 

I think that's a "fluid replacement" procedure. Assumption: the system is intact, contains old fluid and no air, you are going to replace the old fluid with new, very carefully without letting any air in.

I don't think that procedure applies to a car that has had the accumulator or actuator replaced and now containing air that needs to be bled out. That's a job for the "long form" bleeding procedure in Techstream, for which I am unaware of any non-Techstream substitute. It's simply not optional to work all those valves and get the air out of all of the passages, normal and fail-safe.

In fact, even using the non-Techstream procedure for the intended purpose of a simple fluid replacement might require giving some thought to what you would do if you inadvertently let some air in during the replacement, and didn't have Techstream handy for the long-form bleed procedure that would then be needed.

 

My guess is that if you grab a mechanic's stethoscope and put the end farthest from your ears in contact with the booster assembly, you will have no doubt where your hissing sound is coming from. (You could also touch it to the pump/accumulator for comparison, just in case you won the lottery and got a bad one of those. I'm pretty sure you would get a convincing result.)

 

Google mechanic stethoscope; see they’re pretty cheap.

 

A long screwdriver with the handle mashed against your ear doesn't make a bad mechanics' stethoscope in a pinch: bone conduction.

I once improvised a mechanics' stethoscope from a medical one by gluing a drinking straw to the plastic diaphragm on the bell end.

 

First off, hope things are going well with you and your car. Thanks for providing all those details. That would be helpful for some other members that will be encountering this journey.

 

Are the brakes fixed?