12v battery replacement, now combination meter out

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Razorhog, May 4, 2016.

  1. Razorhog

    Razorhog Junior Member

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    About two weeks ago, my wife's 2008 Prius wouldn't start. Luckily she was in town and I jumped it and drove straight to the dealership. Diagnosis was a bad 12v battery, and they wanted $430 to replace it. I had them jump the car again and I drove to O'Reilly and bought a battery for $175. Put it in myself in about 30 minutes (I had done it on our previous Prius). This is not an Optima Yellowtop, but we plan on upgrading to a Gen 3 Prius when the new ones come out in the fall.
    Fast forward to today - wife gets in the Prius and when she turns it on there is no speedometer, gas gauge, etc. I start Googling and find that Toyota extended the warranty on the combination meter to 9 years, yay! Oh wait, it's 9 years or until September of 2013. Boooo.
    Watched a video where a guy unplugged the white plug from the brake booster for a bit. I tried it and it did fix the problem. I've let the car sit for an hour and now I'm going to check the voltage.
     
    #1 Razorhog, May 4, 2016
  2. Razorhog

    Razorhog Junior Member

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    Voltage when on ACC - 12v
    Hit power button again and went to 11.9
    Turned lights on and it dropped to 10.9
    Turned on rear defrost - 10.7
    Turned car on and get 13.8

    From what I can tell, the battery is within limits and is probably good. I'm wondering though if it were bad, is the combination meter not lighting up really a symptom of a bad 12v battery?
     
    #2 Razorhog, May 4, 2016
  3. S Keith

    S Keith Senior Member

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    Battery sounds fine.

    You have misinterpreted the letter:

    "9 years with no mileage limitation from the date of first use or
    before September 30, 2013 (whichever is longer for the condition described
    above)."

    You are covered under "whichever is longer"

    Get thee to the dealership.
     
    #3 S Keith, May 4, 2016
  4. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Your car is still under warranty, and the dealer should take your word that it has failed. Just in case it turns back on while you're driving to the dealer!
     
    #4 JC91006, May 4, 2016
  5. Razorhog

    Razorhog Junior Member

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    Awesome I'm glad it is still covered! Thank you so much. I will give them a call.
     
    #5 Razorhog, May 4, 2016
  6. Razorhog

    Razorhog Junior Member

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    Well I called and their "toyota system" is offline until next week and they can't look up any warranty stuff until then. Wow.
     
    #6 Razorhog, May 4, 2016
  7. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

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    I had exactly that same problem on my 2009 Gen II early in April. The 12V battery had been replaced earlier in the spring, and I took the car into my local dealer, and to cut a long story (see threads passim) short, the dealer ordered the part, didn't charge me for the fix, and since it was a safety issue (no speedometer display), lent me a 2016 Camry (with 2k5 miles on odometer) at no charge! Thanks Toyota of Nashua (God, I've written that twice in as many weeks! :eek: (I must be getting old!)) :whistle: :)
    PS: The part took nearly 3 weeks to arrive (backordered, long wait! I wonder if we're seeing a trend?)
     
    #7 WilDavis, May 4, 2016
  8. Razorhog

    Razorhog Junior Member

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    Thanks for the encouraging story WillDavis. I hope it doesn't take 18 days to get the part!
    I'm astounded that the Toyota Tech system is down at my dealership. They said it has been down since April 28th and probably won't be back up until Monday, May 9th.
     
    #8 Razorhog, May 4, 2016
  9. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Maybe they haven't paid their membership fees to the Toyota club and have be cutoff. :p:D:rolleyes::LOL::ROFLMAO:
     
    #9 dolj, May 5, 2016
  10. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    Your gratitude is misdirected. Corporate Toyota extended the warranty, thereby allowing the dealership to perform the repair free of charge, to you. Also, the rental car is part of this warranty enhancement, by Corporate Toyota; see the second to last paragraph of "What should you do?" in the attached Warranty Enhancement Notice.
    "A rental vehicle will be provided while your vehicle is being repaired."​
     

    Attached Files:

    #10 exstudent, May 5, 2016
    Last edited: May 5, 2016
  11. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Just because they are doing as they should does not preclude a person from being grateful none the less.

    Gee, Ex, you're turning into a right grumpy old fart! :p:ROFLMAO::):D(y)
     
    #11 dolj, May 5, 2016
    WilDavis likes this.
  12. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

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    Uh, oh! …sounds like someone needs a hug! :eek: …c'mon exstudent, we all love you really, and would like to direct some gratitude in your direction, if only we could find a good reason! o_O …so, c'mon tell us what you've done recently to deserve such acolades, and we'll all get together for a group hug!!! OK? :rolleyes: ;) :)
     
    #12 WilDavis, May 5, 2016
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