Prius less economical as experience and miles pile on

cbs4, would you mind posting what was listed on your ro as parts replaced? seeing what was replaced would tell the real story.

 

I suggest that you make a complain to the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1800-331-4331 and find another dealer.

 

see... stupidity.

can you describe where the missing bolt was? i'll see what DH has to say after work tonight, provided he's feeling ok.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cbs4 @ Nov 8 2006, 02:30 PM) [snapback]345847[/snapback]</div>

I can only suggest that you run, don't walk, but run away from that dealer. I hope you have another who is reasonably close. It sounds to me like you would have been in and out with no cost if the service department was in any way competent.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Nov 8 2006, 11:18 AM) [snapback]345487[/snapback]</div>

HIDs have a much longer life than halogens- but he doesn't know offhand how long exactly they're supposed to last. part+ labor to replace one should be $300-$400 for the part, plus maybe .5 hours labor.

and, you're welcome. the chance is very small, but since the chance is there and dealers are out there screwing people left and right... here we are.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cbs4 @ Nov 8 2006, 01:15 PM) [snapback]345623[/snapback]</div>

well, on the invoice you'd likely not find something that was suggested by the writer but determined not to be needed by the tech. and the wrong bulb order wouldn't be on the invoice either. that was their responsibility to call and tell you, which they did not do.

however, it is strange that there are no op codes.

there's a whole separate form for that.

well, clearly he was full of it. there's no way that would come to $2000. that isn't what it would cost.

direct quote from DH: "a service writer's job is not to &^%#* diagnose cars." a final diagnosis, determined by the tech, will determine the cost. it really does not make sense for the writer to inflate the cost like that and scare off a customer.

that is an hid ballast. the computer contains the ballast.


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cbs4 @ Nov 8 2006, 05:30 PM) [snapback]345847[/snapback]</div>

ok, that sounds like the bolts that hold the engine undershield splash guards in place. if those are what you refer to, you have nothing to worry about. they just hold the splash guard to the bumper cover.

your problem lies 100% with the dealer.

1. they gave you a grossly overinflated cost to fix your headlight, which got you upset, and probably never checked to see if a simple replacement bulb would do the trick (by taking the working bulb and putting it into the malfunctioning side or vice versa)
2. they took way too long and rather than let you know it was taking so long because they effed up, they chose to leave you in the dark, making you more upset.
3. as for this bolt thing, we don't yet know what this is, but either they left out a bolt and clip they shouldn't have, or couldn't explain to you that it was just to hold on the splash shield and wasn't necessary rather than have you leave your car with them for even longer and deal with more trips back and forth to the dealership.

had you gone to a competent dealer you would have

1. gotten a diagnosis the first time you went in
2. had correct part(s) ordered and arrived before you came in
3. had part(s) installed the day you brought the car in and gotten it back
4. not gotten a $2000 quote for a not-$2000 job that you didn't have to pay for in the first place.

 

I was 2nd or 3rd person in this and previous job I was in. (I started in this new job 6 months ago). Each time people say something like "It must be wonderful to save $". I tell them "If you want to save money, get Corola. Because you will never recoup the cost compared to economical car like the Corola with manual transmission.". And the other part is "I never think 2x about gas anymore. When you get 400-500 to a tank and a full tank is <= $30, even if it goes up by $1, it's only $10".

There are 2 factors involved as to maintaining a car.
1. Repair Service/Engineering. Simpler designs, and more that mechanics deal with specific car makes it less likely that mechanic will have to fix it and when they do, a lot easier.
2. Volume. More cars are out on the street, more repairs are needed. More repairs are needed, more $ are available. Volume drives the $ down on parts.

What makes expensive cars expensive is combination of 2. Expertise (because of lack of experience, or limited training due to limited exposure), cost of parts which is influenced by volume plays a big picture. Even if Prius was made to be simple (which the headlight assembly really is simple), because of volume, mechanics will not be interested to take risk (or even us for that matter) and cost (part and speciality labor) is way too high. What I pray for is that there's another year of production of 2nd gen prius, and quantities increase and there will be more oem parts available, and more people will learn how to fix Prius. That said, I purchased 4 year maint. package, along with 7yr/100k $0 deductible warranty.

I learned this when I owned a A6 4.2 and dealer told me that I had to replace an axle when my cv boot was ripped. I was quoted almost $700 for a single axle (just the part). Where a 2.8, or 2.7t axle was pretty much 1/2 the price because "they only sell 2000 of these every year". Not to mention that I couldn't find a reman. axle either because they were rare.

This is a fan site and I have to agree with that some people do try to sell Prius hard. Prius is a green friendly car. Acceleration, and ride is tolerable. Suspension is wabbly. It does not compare to a luxury sedan or sports car. And the repair $ will never be comparable to a cars like Corola or Civic because there just isn't many other there.

Prius is unique and that's why everyone bought it. Prius was our way to say "NO" to the war and our oil depdency.

And for that uniqueness, we pay for it.

Oh, my headlights were stolen today so I need to see how much it will cost to fix it. (Covered by insurance, less deductible) but is it impossible to find Prius parts or what?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Nov 5 2006, 05:38 PM) [snapback]344222[/snapback]</div>

Don't loose a key it will cost you $1700 for a replacement!!!! I now work fora auto auction and if there is not a key we charge around $600 for a Toyota master key. The dealer will charge you $1700 . So don't loose your keys or it will be costly. FishHawk

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FishHawk @ Nov 9 2006, 06:40 AM) [snapback]346149[/snapback]</div>

the dealer will not charge you $1700 for a master key. in fact, the auction company is screwing people too. with no key, you need to buy two (if you want two, that's how many we get with a new prius anyway) new fobs at a couple hundred a piece, then have them do the ECU reset. even at the dealer, fobs plus labor should be in the $600 range for two new programmed keys, not just one master.

more info is listed here:
the end of the "don't lose your keys or else" myth

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Nov 8 2006, 12:18 PM) [snapback]345487[/snapback]</div>

Typical HID headlight bulbs are rated for around 3000 hours on-time. Note however that this figure is typically the time for 50% brightness, ie, by the time 3000 hours rolls around, your headlights are only half as bright as they were when new.. The brightness vs lifetime curve of HID bulbs is something like: new=nominal brightness + up to 20%, after 1% of rated lifespan=nominal brighness, and after that, a gradual decrease in brightness such that at rated lifespan, the output is about 50% of nominal.. In other words, the bulbs may actually operate much longer than 3000, but they may no longer produce a suitable level of light..

Compare this with typical halogen bulb lifetimes which range from 800-1500 hours for a standard OEM bulb, to as little as 30-40 hours for one of those high-brightness Silverstar or equivalent aftermarket bulbs.. Sylvania in a "cash grab" move recommends yearly changing of headlamp bulbs because they claim that even halogen bulbs decrease in brightness as they age (this can happen, but the effect is nowhere near as dramatically as HID, and in most cases, halogen bulbs still produce close to rated output up until the time they die)..

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Nov 5 2006, 04:38 PM) [snapback]344222[/snapback]</div>

I put a new 12V battery in my2002 prius a few months ago, it cost me $80. Seemed like a reasonable price for a low volume battery.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cbs4 @ Nov 5 2006, 01:23 PM) [snapback]344113[/snapback]</div>

Wow! your car's already out of warranty? So you really must have racked up the mileage. To bad you didn't get the extended warranty. I got one for our '04 and we got a lot of time/miles left on it. As for the HID light, I've seen them under a grand on ebay ... you mean you didn't check around?

As for the MFD? Under warranty, our south orange county CA Toyota dealer charged the factory around $1,500 (again under warranty). As for the battery, I don't have any experience. However, if your 1st 3 goodies went "overpaid" i'd guess the last one went by way of the prior 3. You know what W.C. Fields used to say ...

 

Being in the maintenance business, I can comment.....

I am not a car mechanic but an aircraft tech. I take care of two private business jets for a corporation in the Boston MA area.

I don't know where CBS hails from but anyone who would pay $2000 for a headlight replacement is a half a bubble off center. I'd be taking the dealer into court on that one. If the repair WAS actually that much, then I breathlessly await the Repair Order details. I'd be willing to bet that a lot more was replaced that just the headlight....for whatever reason, if that's all you went in for you got TAKEN. Find a new dealer and always ask for a esitmate or a do not execeed quote.

As for your other problems, I feel for you. When one buys a new auto, you expect to be able to drive it a LONG time before any MAJOR repairs are needed. It really wouldn't matter to me that most of the stuff he is talking having about having problems with would be covered under warranty....you just don't want a new car to be breaking down all the time. It's a pain, given that it interrupts your daily routine and just generally causes heartache.

I also have an 06 model that I bought just a few months ago. I already have almost 5,000 miles on it and so far I am VERY happy with it. Just luck of the draw I reckon.....

I'd say that after seeing THOUSANDS of post here from Prius owners who are VERY happy, your experience has been abnormal.

I know that doesn't help you out but if your really THAT sour on the car, sell it and buy something else.

Good luck.

 

It really sounds like the dealership tech was using the shotgun approach to repairs.

Guess this should serve as a forewarning to me to avoid Roseville Toyota for out-of-warranty repairs.