Went to the dealership because my outside temp sensor was not working. They told me the cable going to the sensor and the sensor were bad. They told me it would be $415 for everything. I laughed and walked away. I did a little research of where the sensor was located. I found it and did a visual inspection. I removed the sensor and tested it with my multi-meter at different temps. It seem to be fine. I found the cable to be cut. I bought some wire at home depot and some crimps. $5 dollars total. 10 minutes later and my temp was working. $415...compared to $5 dollars and 10 minutes of my time. Anyone else have similar stories? If your in San francisco and have any problems. Send me a message. I might be able to save you some money.
Ovni (UFO for the rest of us, I'm guessing), I hope you put some silicone sealant into that connector. It lives a horrible (water salt grime) life and we don't want it messing with your mind later. Everybody else, *please* identify your best and worst Toyota shop experiences. Our cars deserve the best, and there is some reason to believe that those other shops will be 'urged towards greatness' after they are identified here.
OVNI, What year is your Prius? Is it out of warranty? Usually when I hear the words "are bad" I'm thinking complimentary replacement.
I'm still looking for a good dealer service department in Tulsa/Oklahoma/Gulf States. Anyone know of one? I'm pretty sure the two Tulsa dealers are owned and managed by the mafia, which has a direct affect on their service departments' culture.
The Toyota dealership in Jacksonville North Carolina is the best dealership I have ever been to, ever, ever. My sells man was honest as could be. I went in and said I was interested in the Prius he told me they don’t sell a lot of those and no one really knows much about them but he would help the best that he could. He went and got all the manuals and brochures they had. He then told me he was going to ask around to see if anyone actually knew about them. He came back and we looked over options and other such materials. He told me that he could have a fully loaded Prius at the dealership in two days but that is not what I wanted so we didn’t do that. He didn’t pressure me when I told him it was way out of my price range. He called around for about an hour to find anything in the area but was unable to find what I wanted so he ordered it from Toyota. It took two weeks and I had my car in the color and package I wanted. He then threw in floor mats and mud flaps for free because I had to wait. He told me that the policy at the dealership is if a customer has to wait more than 5 days for a car they get a gift and since I already told him I wanted mud flaps and floor mats he just gave them to me. Their service department is awesome. Very fast and courteous they get you in and out and the price is great. You can get the premium service for 50 bucks. They are not as high-tech as other dealerships but they make up for it in service in all departments.
Good Service Department in Dallas TX: Toyota of Richardson. Asst.Svc.Manager {Mickey Hagar) is expert in the Prius unique needs. They've never tried to sell me unnecessary services, will use my oil {3½ qts Mobil-1 5W30 to prevent overfill}, use my specified tire pressures, did all the SSCs and TSBs on my 2004 Prius and re-aligned my new 2007 Touring Edition providing printout of 'before & after' readings {I bought the '07 from another area Dealer - better deal}, and they deliver my Prius freshly washed.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Charles Suitt @ Mar 23 2007, 12:46 PM) [snapback]410975[/snapback]</div> First congrats on the new car Where did you buy it? I am in Dallas and still loving my 2005 BC but I bought it from out of state and really don't know where to suggest people look locally who want to buy a Prius. I was at Toyota of Richardson yesterday for routine service. They seem good, but they have overfilled my oil twice now :angry: Anyway, congrats again
I have a similar problem. The low-temperature warning light (the snowflake-on-the-road icon) has never worked on my wife's 2006 Prius. The temperature gauge works, so maybe it's just a dead bulb? All ideas/opinions welcome TIA.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(paulccullen @ Mar 23 2007, 02:51 PM) [snapback]411124[/snapback]</div> I could swear I've read somewhere that Toyota stopped doing the "snow light" for the '06 and '07 models. It shows up briefly as a snowflake icon on the MFD but that's it.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(paulccullen @ Mar 23 2007, 03:51 PM) [snapback]411124[/snapback]</div> Not sure about the '06, but my '07 owners manual makes no reference to the snowflake symbol. I remember some reference to it being dropped on the '06 and subsequent models.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Platypus @ Mar 23 2007, 01:58 PM) [snapback]411126[/snapback]</div> Thanks. I'll check in the '06 manual. If it isn't mentioned, I guess you're right, they musta dropped it.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(paulccullen @ Mar 23 2007, 05:13 PM) [snapback]411138[/snapback]</div> I believe the only indication is a momentary "drop-down" temperature window that appears when the temperature drops to 37 degrees.
I called Elk Grove Toyota today to see how much it would cost to reprogram a Smart Key, first time they said around $45, today they said $99. Now I know most dealerships charge extravagant prices for the smart key set up, but come on, does it really take that much time or effort to set it up!? How is that going to cost more than an oil change? Is there a way to successfully reprogram yourself? I'm going to buy a spare from ebay, but I'd really like to avoid going to Toyota to reprogram it.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mywhitenoise @ Mar 23 2007, 05:50 PM) [snapback]411166[/snapback]</div> From what I remember reading you may find that the second hand key can't be programmed for your car. I don't think you can reprogram it.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JimN @ Mar 23 2007, 09:10 PM) [snapback]411267[/snapback]</div> I worded it wrong, I was looking for a key that hasn't been programed at all. Would that make a difference?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mywhitenoise @ Mar 23 2007, 05:50 PM) [snapback]411166[/snapback]</div> My dealer charged $47 for programming. Didn't do it right the first time, so it took a second trip. Silly me for thinking they would have tested all of the functions when they finished. Shop around, plenty of dealers in Chicago. Got to be one out there that isn't out to rip you off.
