All: The Navigation system on my 2002 Prius (bought used) has died. It appears to me that the receiiver and logic still work, but it can no longer read the DVD. (It reports "Unable to read DVD"). Dealer tried a 2005 DVD and it didn't work. Their next suggestion was to replace the entire nav box --- $6,000. I like the nav very much, but maybe not quite THAT much. As a computer guy, I think it may need a new DVD-ROM drive. This is an OEM unit, which looks like it should be replaceable without junking the whole nav box. It would be great if there were such a thing as depot repair for these boxes. The nav box (under the front passenger seat) is easy to remove. I could send it out for repair and still drive the car. Anyone out there with useful experience or advice? I'd be willing to spend, say, up to $1,500 to fix it, but I just can't stomach the $6,000. Many thanks for your advice! Andrew Ellis Lafayette, CA
have you tried the auto salvage route? up to 1500$ should get you two used units from a wrecking yard.
Have you tried to take it apart and see if the DVD drive is a standard IDE drive? If it has a standard IDE drive you may be able to find a old computer DVD drive and rig something up to work. I took an old dvd player apart and found it had a standard IDE drive but the housing would not fit in a standard computer bay so I just turned it into an external DVD drive. You never know what you'll find when you take something apart.
Did the dealer try a DVD from a 2005 model or the 2005 update disc for older nav systems? The former won't work in the Classic.
I had a similar problem with my '02 - I took the DVD out and blew out the unit with a shop vac and then put the DVD back in and it has been fine ever since.
