Anyone else have bad luck with Dorman combination meters?

What I intend to do is go in around June to see if I can get it replaced, see what they tell me. At least it'll be on record that I made the request while the warranty was still active. If they don't replace it, I still should be able to do it later because I brought it in before the warranty expired and expressed my concerns. Since this is intermittent, they can say it didn't occur

 

As multiple people have mentioned in this thread:
Combination Meter Warranty Enhancement | Page 8 | PriusChat
Toyota does not require verification of this issue at the time of diagnosis. Toyota will replace the combination meter under the extended campaign at the customers request even if the problem is not currently happening.

 

The dealer is probably OK with that approach (right?) as I presume warranty work is Toyota-covered.

I wonder what Carolyn of Lucious garage would say about the prophylactic approach re: CM...in one blog she seems to infer all Prii will have this issue by 9-yr but perhaps she really did not mean 100%. She does say she has some probs with the new units.

Does it seem we all got the 9-yrs extension or are some Gen2 not affected?

 

Seems illogical to provoke Americans to replace now, in case it dies later.
Better to just offer a lifetime warranty.

 

For the ones that know, they can do it before 9 years, the ones that don't know, they can charge after 9 years

 

Not when you consider that pretty much 100% of the original meters will fail and the replacement is a completely redesigned part that doesn't have the same issue with the capacitors that the original had. The VFD die and design is totally different. You can tell instantly if you're looking at the new one or the old one as VFD cell pattern is totally different.

Get it done before your 9 years is up. If you don't, you'll do it when it fails because it guaranteed it will fail.

 

hard to believe they are all going to fail, my '04 is still going strong, and i'm sure many (most?) are. is the something proving that all will fail? could it be climate related?

 

Climate could have a partial role in it but I suspect it's more likely related to hours of use. My 2009 failed after only 5 years but it had 150K miles on it at the time.

 

interesting, my '04 only has 135k.

 

I have 188K miles on the 2004 and the combination meter is original.

 

Who is giving the guarantee ?

 

There is a doc online from Toyota explaining what to do. The doc says it is environment related and to verify with the customer that it happened. It took a quick call to Toyota to get the dealership to fix it. Google the doc.

 

The 9 year warranty is the extended warranty offered by Toyota on all gen II Prii.

 

Local Toyota dealer in Vancouver, WA initially *refused* to acknowledge that this extended warranty existed. I had to press H-A-R-D for them to look-up the extended warranty sheet. Then, they would only perform the replacement after wanting to initially charge me $110 for a 'diagnostic charge.' My display has failed twice. I told the dealer's service writer that the tech's won't be able to diagnose, as the failures happen randomly, and usually when it is cold outside. The guy scoffed at me, then I asked to speak to their lead technician. The lead technician arrived, and told the service writer that the displays do fail, and that he has replaced several Gen II combination displays for the same reason. Up to 3-day rental car provided by Toyota was out of the question! In the end, the service writer asked me if the car had ever been in an accident. I said yes - a minor bump to the vehicle's nose. Be warned, that this will nullify any claim that you may have for a new display! The Toyota document says that Toyota will not replace if the vehicle has "ever" been in accident! My vehicle has 193,000+ miles on it, and only recently has the display failed twice in the past three months.

 

I'm not surprised that Toyota is balking at warranting a car after an accident, but I feel your frustration.

Consider calling autobeyours at Tel 812-752-5050
They might fix your meter or have an inexpensive used one.

Or just buy a new one:

COMPUTER, COMBINATION METER. METER (PRIUS (NHW20); USA) made by Toyota. #8329147232


Not horribly expensive, and easy to install yourself. Just spend some of the time you would otherwise be fighting with Toyota/dealership to learn how to take the dash apart.

Do be aware though that a DIY replacement will have the incorrect mileage. You will probably have to update your MVD

By the way, what is the Dorman warranty ?

 

I have purchased 3 rebuilt combination meters from here:

2004 2005 Toyota Prius 04 05 Speedometer Instrument Cluster Display Exchange | eBay

All 3 worked perfectly and are still working. The longest one has only been in the car for 5 months however. I will update if I experience any failures. There is a lifetime warranty.

 

Do we know yet what is the sekrit speshul part that gets replaced on these boards? Or do they just reflow the solder? It can't be that big of a deal. For a while it was just one person doing the work, now others are. Why so covert?

 

Maybe not that easy, since the CMs that were sent to the amazing EE guy in Berkeley for repairs did not last.

 

Free market, baby. He's making money off it. If he divulges the secret, there goes his profit.

Can't say I blame him, but I'd like to know just as you would.