Brake problems and Prius ownership anxiety...

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by BigBadZee, Apr 21, 2011.

  1. BigBadZee

    BigBadZee New Member

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    Greetings all!

    i have just recently bought a 2006 prius (T Spirit model in the UK) with 46k miles on the clock. having owned it for just over a week i have been extremely happy with the car averaging over 50mpg around town and almost 70mpg on highways!!! anyway i took it into a local garage today for its full service, as part of the process they dissembled the brakes to inspect them. unfortunately when they put it all back together, all the brake related lights have come on (VSC, ABS, anti skid, hand brake) and despite the mechanics efforts to reset them, could not turn them off. when the car is turned off the brake pedal now feels loose and makes a funny twang noise as if it has come off its spring. there are also dull noises coming form the brakes when i am driving the car and turn the steering wheel full lock to the right or left. what has really annoyed and scared me is that when i now drive the car and brake, on releasing the brake pedal i get the feeling the brakes do not disengage immediately, instead there is some lag with the brakes disengaging a second after i have removed my foot from the brake pedal and makes the car jerk a little before coming to a stop. the car also feels sluggish to drive and on the drive back home only managed to achieve 45mpg (heart breaking!). the mechanic has promised to take a look at the car next tuesday (we have a long public holiday this weekend so most stores will be closed) leaving me to suffer 4 days of anxiety and non use of my car.

    i have read various posts on this forum indicating the problems could be related to difference in pressure on brake sensors when they dissembled the brakes tripping all the lights or even actuator failure. frankly i have lost confidence in this mechanic and will probably have to take it to the main dealer to rectify his errors. this will be a cost i can ill afford and defeats the purpose of buying a prius to save on paying extortionate sums of money for gas (currently £1.33/litre in the UK), if i end up having to spend any savings from the cost of gas being spent on disproportionate costs on serviing the car.

    can the community suggest any way i can try and diagnose the problem (without the aid of scanning tools - i don't have any and all shops are shut this weekend anyway) so i can confront this mencahnic next tuesday and ask him to pay for the bill at the main dealer as i suspect he has screwed up my car. any suggestions you make would be very much appreciated else my prius ownership may be very short lived!

    thank you all in adbvance for any assistance you can give me.

    Zee.
     
    #1 BigBadZee, Apr 21, 2011
  2. Burma Sauce

    Burma Sauce Junior Member

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    Hi Zee

    I'm in the UK too, with a 2008 model purchased a couple of weeks ago. It does sound like your mechanic has buggered up the brakes. I would go straight to a Toyota dealer to get a quote, then go back to your mechanic to get him to pay. Unfortunately as you say this will have to be after the 4 day weekend.

    Good luck, keep us posted.
     
    #2 Burma Sauce, Apr 21, 2011
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I have previously posted on how to retrieve skid control ECU DTC via warning light flash codes (and clear the codes) by using a jumper wire on the OBD-II connector. You may find that your brake symptoms will go away after the DTC are cleared. If not then a visit to your local Toyota dealer is in order, to fix whatever problem your local garage caused. Good luck.
     
    #3 Patrick Wong, Apr 21, 2011
  4. BigBadZee

    BigBadZee New Member

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    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
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    N/A
    Hi Patrick,

    I tracked down your older posts and had a go at using a jumper wire on the OBD connector to figure out the error codes. Unfortunately things didnt go according to plan. When I turned it on, instead of the warning lights flashing in sequence they started doing a crazy dance by flashing in constantly changing combinations. Having watched them for a while I couldn't identify any discernible pattern for identifying DTC codes. Additionally the engine management light came on, and the triangle of death! now this really freaked me out. I also noticed drive would not engage on the gearshift selector. I subsequently unhooked the auxiliary battery to try and reset the system which seems to have gotten rid of these new problems so I am now back where I started with all the brake warning lights on again. :mad:

    Any ideas what I am doing wrong or don't these DIY hacks work on UK spec cars???
     
    #4 BigBadZee, Apr 22, 2011
  5. spwolf

    spwolf Senior Member

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    why dont you take can of gasoline and just burn the car? It is faster and less costly than what you are doing.

    Sorry but first taking it to "local garage" which proceeds to dissemble the braking system and messes it up for no apparent reason, then you try short circuit the obd connector...

    if you wanted to save the money by driving Prius, you should have just washed the car and enjoyed it.
     
    #5 spwolf, Apr 22, 2011
  6. tomlouie

    tomlouie Member

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    I would leave it alone for the dealer to look at. You do not want to clear any trouble codes, as that would erase any evidence of problems the car detected. Also, you don't want to mess the car further, or worse, be blamed for the problems!

    G luck.
     
    #6 tomlouie, Apr 22, 2011
  7. BlueSmoke

    BlueSmoke New Member

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    Don't burn your car with gasoline and don't get frustrated. That was a totally uncalled for and short tempered response.

    Don't use your car and stop trying to fix it on your own. Wait until the holiday is over and take it to Toyota. Get it fixed properly by a Toyota trained and competent mechanic that won't leave you in a lurch and then if you aren't willing to have future work done by the dealer, find a new local mechanic.

    But whatever you do, I'd stop messing with the car until Toyota reopens. Use public transit or rent a car for the weekend. I'm sorry your local mechanic was so unprofessional.
     
    #7 BlueSmoke, Apr 22, 2011
  8. andyprius

    andyprius Senior Member

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    I totally agree with all the threads, IF your local garage was not a Toyota dealer, they probably did not have the slightest idea of what they were doing! Just bleeding the brakes is a complicated procedure that requires special equipment that only Toyota has. 1. You should get a total refund from your local garage. 2. These same people are liable for any additional costs, on future repair by Toyota. 3. Echoing the other posts, do nothing more yourself on the car. 4. Never admit that you have done any kind of work on the car (yourself) 5. Remove any and all evidence that you may have worked on the car. Your local garage was/ is inept.:mad:
     
    #8 andyprius, Apr 30, 2011
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