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Every problem I’ve encountered with my Prius c so far has been my fault.

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Pri3C, Jul 20, 2022.

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  1. Pri3C

    Pri3C Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2020
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    Location:
    Midwest
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    Problem 1: Check hybrid battery message & ignition coil error codes after a fuse blew.

    Cause: I removed the coil fuse when trying to locate the blown 12v / cig fuse and put it back in a blank slot

    I think this happened spring of last year, and I spent nearly two weeks trying to figure out what was wrong with my car.. eventually giving up and towing it to the service center.

    Of course I felt like a total idiot when I found this out (this is the central theme here), but I’m actually thankful for those two weeks of troubleshooting, because I learned quite a bit about my car in the process and came away from the whole experience with some confidence in my ability to do more DIY repairs and maintenance going forward.

    I’m not sure my incompetence should instill confidence, but there you have it.

    I’m also thankful the service center was honest in resolving my issue. I was able to point them in the right direction, but they could have easily ripped me off and charged me a bunch of money if they were shady, but they just put the fuse back in the proper slot and I paid the diagnostic fee (towing was AAA).

    Problem 2: Engine Oil Pressure Low message after my last oil change.

    Cause: I changed the oil and then forgot to put the new filter on.

    Uhh yeah.. so considering this was at least the 4th DIY oil change with the Prius c you would think I’d know the drill, but I guess not. I started the car, got the message, immediately turned the car off, and got out to find oil running everywhere. Fun times! I beat myself up over this for the rest of the weekend, and saved no money doing it myself that time around. But I bet I never forget to put a new filter on again!

    Problem 3: My clock and trip meter reset a few times after installing a new 12v last year. I thought I fixed it after tightening the ground connection, until yesterday when I attempted to start the car and had zero power.

    Cause: Negative terminal connection was loose, which was, of course, my fault again, because I installed the new battery.

    So the moral of this story is that after 2+ years and over 40k miles, my car has been awesome, and every issue I’ve had with it was my fault. Yes, I’m the fool in all of these scenarios, but sometimes trial and error is how we learn (and hopefully those errors aren’t too expensive).
     
    #1 Pri3C, Jul 20, 2022
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2022
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  2. Kevin Boulange

    Kevin Boulange Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2022
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    Location:
    Ocean View Hi 96737
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    How old/young are you....I'm 69 and sounds alot like some of the dumb things I find myself doing/forgetting LOL
     
    #2 Kevin Boulange, Jul 20, 2022
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  3. rjdriver

    rjdriver Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2012
    407
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    Location:
    Rhode Island
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    At 155000 miles I had a my first repair that I would not consider normal maintenance - a wheel bearing. Unfortunately, like you, I messed up. I waited too long to address the low pitched (very subtle at first) howling noise I was hearing, thinking it was an exhaust leak; and that if I just waited a little longer till it got loud enough that I can tell where it was coming from, I could crawl under the car and maybe fix it myself with some muffler or pipe wrap, or by tightening a bolt between sections.

    That wait changed the cost from what could have been a simple bearing replacement for less than $100.00 to a full hub assembly job at $300.00 plus. Oh well.
     
    #3 rjdriver, Jul 21, 2022
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  4. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2018
    7,427
    6,913
    1
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    Any further details? I wasn't aware you could do any less than a hub swap, at least for the rear wheels. It's a packaged subassembly. Fronts are different, but I still thought they were always sold as kits. Either way that's a very average price for a hub bearing swap on an import, would expect the same from any Corolla/Yaris/Accent/Spark/Focus/Rio/Mirage etc...

    Also, the timing and failure mode you describe is spot-on for wheel bearings. They are ventriloquists. Very difficult to work out which one is howling and rumbling until you lift the car and roll the wheels by hand in a quiet garage bay.

    The easy diagnosis for exhaust leaks on a hybrid is to set the dashboard to show you when the gas engine is running. If you can hear the sound when the car is rolling but the engine is off, it's not exhaust.
     
    #4 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Jul 21, 2022
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    110,132
    50,049
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    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    i'm 67, and the senior moments are increasing in frequency. i would never work on my own car, i can barely remember where the dealer is.
     
    #5 bisco, Jul 21, 2022
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  6. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2014
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    Location:
    Top RH Corner of RH Coast on L side of The Pond
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    You're lucky! I was born in 1950 and can hardly remember where I left my car! :eek: …who are you, anyway? …where am I? …and what am I doing here? o_O
     
    #6 WilDavis, Jul 21, 2022
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  7. Pri3C

    Pri3C Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2020
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    Location:
    Midwest
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    I was born in 1981, so I’m getting a head start on you guys!

    5 years ago I was attempting what I thought was the beginning of a hike along the north rim of the Grand Canyon called The Trancept Trail.. 3 minutes later I’m in all this brush, it’s super rocky, and I’m thinking to myself, “Wow, this is getting really hard, really fast.. feels very primitive.. not sure if I can continue.” Then I look up and see two people, maybe 20-30 feet above me, heading back to the campground and realize why my hike got so hard so fast: They were at the trailhead I completely missed, and I was making my way down the side of the canyon (n):confused:
     
    #7 Pri3C, Jul 21, 2022
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