I am so depressed

Well this is going to become worse and worse. The nightmare is actually just begining. You'll have 8 grand in repairs more than likely and then still not be driving like ya should be able to. Due diligence would have led you to this conclusions very quickly. But eyes must be wide open. Cute cars . But you must have deep pockets beyond 150K miles.this ain't Dad's Toyoda...

 

Yep.
Independent mechanic.

2014 was like....10 years ago.
$3K for a brake repair on a 10 year old car?????
Your call - but I'm thinking that there's a graduate from the University of Youtube than can do it for 1/3 of the price.

If you THINK you cannot afford a $1000 repair bill then consider how much new car payments will be for six months.....
(AND higher taxes and insurance - and you have to maintain THOSE cars too!)

 

Maybe. The two components are pricey though. This guys a breath of fresh air:

Considering the dealership: get a firm, out-the-door, all-in quote from dealership, sleep on it. If that’s not much over $3k, not bad.

how’s it for rust? Kansas is out of the road-salt-all-winter zone, or not?


What’s the miles? Any 3rd Gen over 150k miles with uncleaned EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system is nearing head gasket failure time.

hybrid battery behaving ok? Check with Dr Prius app (Bluetooth dongle for OBD port required; Carista is good).

 

call toyota and ask for goodwill warranty help. you never know

 

Yeah, 3rd gen has been a nightmare for many

 

agreed. unfortunately, they will not honor a warranty unless you get the specific trouble code for the issue.
so you can take it in the day before it expires and they won't do anything. then the lights come on the day after, and they won't do anything.
these cars are a fallacy for saving money, unless you get very lucky.

 

I wonder why a part like this is something that isn't remanufactured for a lower cost. I haven't heard of any source outside of buying new from a dealer, but a lower cost remanufactured unit would pair well with an aging Prius that might just need another 100K of useful life. I am headed down the road of facing this issue and I will replace the MC first. If that doesn't work I will bite the bullet and buy the pump unit, or find one of those second hand. DIY gives me flexibility here if I don't put much value on my own labor.

Typical with other parts, I also noticed crazy price differences on these between my local dealer, over $900 for the brake master cylinder to one I found online for $550.

I don't see why a local shop can't do this for considerably less. The issue would be finding a shop that works on Prius or has done this before.

 

Yes they can.

So, the dealer (besides scamming on the labor) just wants to replace the accumulator AND the pump. Those are the two parts of the system and both can fail and in theory if doing one then why not do the other? But, if you can prove that it's just the accumulator OR the pump then you can just replace that, which is an easier job (at least if it's the accumulator, which it more likely is) and also saves money ($600) on parts.

Even if you replace both, the parts are easily obtained at $1200 and the labor time is what... 6 hours (someone let me know if I'm wrong)? The best shop near me charges $90 an hour. I think you should shop around and try to get it done for $1800 or less. If you replace just the accumulator I think you should shop around for $1200 or less.

I would suggest checking to see if you have any hybrid specialty shops in your area as I can't imagine they wouldn't be more than happy to do this job for a fair price, but I could be wrong. Maybe a mechanically inclined friend?

It's true that after around 150k miles with these cars the gas mileage value can quickly diminish unless you can DIY. Any decisions you make should consider that you are more or less guaranteed to have a head gasket failure sometime in the next 70k miles (I suppose that could be a while though).

 

Hey ,

That really sucks! Missing the warranty by two weeks is such a bummer.

Have you tried talking to the dealer again? Sometimes a different rep might help. Asking for some goodwill assistance could work too.

Local mechanics might be a good option; they can often do repairs for less. You could also see if they offer payment plans to make it easier on your budget.

Don’t forget to look for used parts online; just make sure they're from a trusted source. And check if there are any local eyewear programs that could help with costs.

Hope something works out for you! Keep us in the loop!