Hi everyone, first post here and I hope I am posting in the right place. I am in the market for a used Prius, and today I went to check out a 2007 trade-in at a dealership. The 2007 Prius has 150k miles and asking price is $5000 (overpriced I'm sure). I did a test drive and the car drives fine. Brakes are very sensitive, but I read that this is normal for Prii. Not sure about health of the battery (could not see a battery indicator anywhere either). Car has some minor cosmetic damage which I am not really worried about. However, during the test drive, the multifunction display would not turn on (black screen). Funny thing is the salesperson said that the MFD was working earlier (???). From what I have read, a malfunctioning MFD can have multiple causes. Could the problem be solved relatively easily, or should I stay away from this car? I would be buying on "as is" basis afaik because car is a trade-in and dealer does not understand hybrids. Thanks for any help!
Lots of people have reported their MFDs dying just within the past month or two, including me. It will require a used replacement, either from a junkyard or eBay, for about $100-300, depending on the model (4, 6, or 9-speaker versions). If you have the 4-speaker version (do not have grilles in the corner of your front door windows where the tweeters go and without backup camera) you need the 86110-47081 model. If you have the 6-speaker version, you need the 86110-47230. If you have the 9-speaker version with navigation, you need the 86110-47210 model.
However, if this is a Toyota dealership and they really want to sell it, try to get them to replace it before you buy it. It's an $8200 part for the two higher-spec MFDs, but they might have one in stock that's not selling (obviously, who would buy a new one at that price?) that they just want to throw in there to get rid of it.
Thanks for the detailed response. It is a Chevy dealership, but salesperson said that he knows the Toyota dealership people. Maybe they can get it fixed
That's assuming that it is broken and not just that someone turned the display off in the Display menu, and didn't know how to get it back on. Quite simple to switch on, press the 'Info' button on the edge of the MDF, then select the 'Trip Information' icon on the info screen. That's all there is to it. I gather the meaning is a random second-hand car dealer rather than a Toyota dealership.
Maybe just me, but I'd never buy a car with an unaddressed defect of that nature. Makes me wonder too: what other surprises might be in store.
