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I was robbed......

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by ameliapalooza, Feb 1, 2010.

  1. ameliapalooza

    ameliapalooza New Member

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    Hi all newbie here with major issues... I recently bought an 07 prius from a private party ran the car fax and such it passed but come to find out ( and i will explain later) it had been in a MAJOR front end collision.

    So I have had the car about a week now, and then THE RED TRIANGLE... I took it to the dealer which is when i found out about the accident. Dealer said it was major...

    person i bought the car from bought it in MO yet lives here in Co so i think he bought it as a salvage then fixed it up him self and had it titled in CO ( i have heard in some states the salvage titles do not cross state lines so you can purchase salvage in one state and get a straight title in another)

    So dealer showed me the ORANGE CABLE going into the inverter.. a portion of which was wrapped in electrical tape and another BARE ..and i cant just replace the harness and wires says i need a new inverter..OUCHHH

    It gets worse....So the dealer also says the temp sensor in the trans axle ( i am not remembering exact could be transmission) is broken says the same thing the sensor is built in so I need a new trans axle also.... DOUBLE OUCHHHH

    Due to the accident which the person i bought it from did not disclose, dealer says the 5 yr 60,000 power train does not apply
    so they want $7,621.22 for parts and $1300 for labor....

    I am racking my brain here I paid cash for the car...I dont have $9000 lying around. is this correct.. are there no other means to fix my little POS

    Obviously the party who sold me the car is an immoral jerk. I am single mother of 4 kids I needed good reliable transportation....

    i was thinking maybe i could purchase an inverter off of ebay..( I cant find any other suppliers on the web) but im leary about that also how I dont even know what to look for and dealer wont help me other than they did say if i found the parts they will install them no guarantee of course

    any suggestions????? I am desparate
     
  2. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    This is going to be a very expensive lesson. Any chance you can take legal action against the seller? What you have described is fraud.

    Tom
     
  3. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Agree w/Tom, first and best recourse is to go back to the person who sold it to you...

    Failing that, there are private parties that can help with the repair (see autobeyours), you can use salvaged parts and even DIY. It'll still be expensive, but not what the dealer is charging.
     
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  4. vegasjetskier

    vegasjetskier New Member

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    I'd take it back to the seller and try to get a refund. Barring that, there's always small claims court.
     
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  5. ramdulari

    ramdulari Member

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    You need a reliable car, you will find one for less than the amount the dealer is asking for the repairs. If you put a little more, you could even get a recent year, reliable used car like a Honda or a Toyota. Unless you are an auto mechanic type and have low cost access to a mechanic shop, I'd advise against getting the car repaired. You don't know what other repairs will keep coming up in the future. Plus, the person doing the repairs may not do the best job. You appear to have done your diligent research before buying the car, so my heart goes out to you. You should explore your options regarding suing the mf who sold that car to you. I think lawyers sometimes are willing to work for no cost up front, but a share of the winnings later. You may first confront the a-hole and give him/her a chance. Good luck.
     
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  6. Zythryn

    Zythryn Senior Member

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    I feel for you, and am very sorry what that SOB did to you.
    In the future, don't rely on ANY report, take any car to a mechanic you trust and have them give it a look.
    I would suggest that is too much to pay for repairs. Personally, I would rather find a less expensive car. Take any legal recourse possible against the seller and count this as a very expensive learning opportunity:(
     
  7. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I'm very sorry to hear about your problem. I'm going to assume that you are stuck with this purchase and have to make the best of it. (Of course, if you can successfully reverse the transaction that would be best.)

    Assuming you are committed to the car, please ask your dealer's service writer for the DTC (diagnostic trouble codes) logged by your car.

    Also, how many miles did you drive the car, before the red triangle master warning light came on? What other warning lights appeared?

    What driveability issues does the car demonstrate (i.e., unusual noise, lack of acceleration, etc.)
     
  8. Sandy

    Sandy Hippi Chick

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    I am sorry, cut your lose buy a cheap corrola and have him served with papers call the local DA and the newspaper you will be surprised what a newspaper can do
     
  9. cthindi

    cthindi Member

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    Doesn't carfax provide buyback guarantee?

    From Carfax site

    The CARFAX Buyback Guarantee protects you from unknowingly buying a used car with DMV-reported incidents (salvage, fire, flood damage, odometer problems or lemon history). This coverage lasts one year and is transferable.


    I hope you are covered under this guarantee.
     
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  10. Sandy

    Sandy Hippi Chick

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    yes but try :rolleyes::rolleyes:to make them pay
     
  11. Sandy

    Sandy Hippi Chick

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    Also google the vin number you might find some more info on the car that could help.
     
  12. NASCAR Mike

    NASCAR Mike Senior Member

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    Contact CarFax and tell them what happened. They will send you claim forms and will want to inspect the vehicle. Get documentation from the Toyota dealer about the past damage and what it will take to fix. Also have the bill of sale available so Car Fax can decide if it's cheaper to buy the car from you or have it fixed.

    It might be worth paying an attorney a few hours of time to write a letter on your behalf.
     
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  13. jelloslug

    jelloslug It buffed right out!

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    If you do decide to pursue repairs for the car used parts from some of the Prius dismantlers are readily available. When I repaired my salvage car I had to replace a connector that is not available from Toyota. To by the connector would have required me to buy an inverter and an A/C compressor. The used replacement parts were less than $75. If you do decide to repair it send me a PM and I'll see if I can help you find the correct parts. I already have a good idea of what you would need and they would be very cheap to fix.
     
  14. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    sorry to hear what happened. i have never used carfax (up until Prius, i have either bought brand new, or bought cars for less than $1000 so had either very high or no expectations at all) so dont know anything about them.

    now, if they provide a service, they must have some sort of garauntee on their word. now, it might only get your money back from carfax only, but feedback is the only way that any service gets better so i would start providing that to everyone.

    carfax, AG, seller, etc.
     
  15. tf4624

    tf4624 Active Member

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    Techy person here, But if the actual Inverter is working it self.. You can fix the wires.. But yes if you are not able to do such or don't feel confertable doing such then dont.. But you have to look at it this way.. YOU had it working for a week- Means it was working.. my mind would say "i should fix it".. The temp gauge in the tranny can be taken care of for 400 or so dollars by getting an electronic dip stick which can be read in the car to see the temp.. Cause your tranny works. or you can take tranny apart and "supposedly" fix it.. from i gather your shop is lieing to.. its = to the Greed Factor here.. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$4



     
  16. ameliapalooza

    ameliapalooza New Member

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    Vehicle has 38k miles. I have driven the car roughly 450 miles...i bought it in Denver, which is about 150 miles from my home in Pueblo County. I then had to drive it up to Co Springs to the Toyota Dealer and then back home... more miles..

    The car wasn't acting funny at all. We did have some snow on the ground, streets were covered and icy car actually amazed me at how well it handled ( I had read there might be issues with traction). Bare in mind this is the first Prius I have driven; I have no comparison. It started fine, seemed to drive fine motor engaged and disengaged with out a problem.

    I had probably driven about 20 miles that day when the lights came on the RED triangle with the exclamation point, a circle with an exclamation point (though it is not on now) and of course the orange car icon with a line down the middle. All the while the car still acted fine. No stalls no strange noises no troubles stopping and going no loss of power..

    Dx codes : POA2D
    C1310
    B1412 which they have marked embient temp sensor

    they note black wire st m10 conductor pulled out, conductor broken.
    sensor connector is broken, will not seal against moisture wire at pin one of connector is broken.
    The No 1 motor temp sensor is unavailable as a service part, the hybrid vehicle motor must be replaced( dealer now informs me this A.M. they can jerry rig to seal it..)

    Found transmission Temp sensor and connector broken from impact, found orange inverter wiring harness damage, recommend replace inverter harness (comes only with inverter) and transmission temp sensor (comes only with transmission) Advise customer this would be provided at 10% discount off parts and labor. Retail parts and tax pricing of $7631.22 retail labor is $1300. Also advise customer extremely unsafe condition due to the amount of voltage traveling through orange inverter harness.

    dealer states all other aspects of inspection are with out issues. That if i fix current problems, car will function safely and properly.


    I have found an inverter on ebay, $695. has 40 k miles on it.. maybe worth a try?? Then again buyer beware..learning that one the hard way.



     
  17. jelloslug

    jelloslug It buffed right out!

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    I just looked at my shop manual at the temperature sensor. Chances are that the connector on the side of the transaxle is what is damaged and not the sensor itself. The connector can be unbolted and is replaceable. It could even be a poor repair to the harness leading to the sensor.
     
  18. jelloslug

    jelloslug It buffed right out!

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    The part number for the connector housing for the M10 connector is 90980-11034 and is $5.51 from parts.com and the part number for the pin (with a wiring pigtail) is 82998-12440 and is $4.53 from parts.com. Don't buy and entire inverter, you only need the wire. Contact Steve Woodruff at autobeyours.com and he can get you just the harness you need.
     
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  19. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    First, congratulations to you for having all of the relevant data available for us to comment on.

    Second, I'd say you are very fortunate that jelloslug joined the discussion, as I know that he is an expert when it comes to Prius front-end accident damage and performing first-class repairs of said damage.

    Since your car does not demonstrate driveability problems, I would say the repairs that you need are not serious. You should not spend a tremendous amount of $$$ for repairs that are somewhat cosmetic in nature.

    DTC P0A2D Drive Motor "A" Temperature Sensor Circuit High. This is logged by the hybrid vehicle ECU. The problem here is an open or a short in motor temperature sensor #1 circuit. I suggest that you try jelloslug's suggestion about replacing the connector first.

    DTC C1310 Malfunction in HV System. This is logged by the skid control ECU, and the meaning is that ECU thinks there's something wrong with the hybrid vehicle ECU (which you already know, given DTC P0A2D). Hopefully this DTC will go away, once you've addressed the temperature sensor circuit above.

    DTC B1412 Ambient Temperature Sensor Circuit. This is logged by the air conditioning ECU. Since we know the car was in a front-end accident, the problem is likely the sensor mounted in front of the A/C condenser or the associated wiring harness.

    Regarding the damage to the high voltage inverter wiring harness, see if you can buy a used harness from jelloslug's sources. It is not necessary to buy the inverter itself, unless you see physical damage to that part.

    Good luck, let us know how this unfolds please.
     
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  20. jelloslug

    jelloslug It buffed right out!

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    Also, be aware that the connection for the transaxle temperature connector is a 3 piece setup. There is the connector from the wiring harness, a double sided plug that is bolted to the transaxle, and an internal connector that goes to the sensor itself. Without seeing the your car first hand I would say the broken part(s) are the connector that comes from the wiring harness and/or the double sided plug that is bolted to the transaxle. Both of those parts are cheap and easy to fix. I had a similar problem on my salvage car (it was one of the resolver connections) and I was able to fit it with no lasting problems.
     
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