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Multi Function Display Replacement

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by rr79, Aug 27, 2008.

  1. rr79

    rr79 Junior Member

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    I am the original owner of a 2006 Prius (with nav/bluetooth/etc) which now has about 55,000 miles. The car has developed an annoying bluetooth problem which happens very intermittently about every month or so: Without warning the entire bluetooth memory gets reset: knowledge of all bluetooth phones that had been paired with the car are lost, all phone book entries are deleted, all speed dial numbers lost, etc. The bluetooth and phonebook settings appear as they did when the car was brand new. I can re-enter everything and it all works fine - - until the next time it fails and it is all lost again.

    Today I finally got around to bringing the car in to the local Toyota dealer to look at this problem. I was told that all the bluetooth functions take place in the MFD and the only thing to do is replace the MFD. The good news is that I have a platinum warranty extension (purchased here) so this isn't supposed to cost me anything - BUT I was told that (were it not for the warranty) the cost of a new MFD was something just over $6,300 - - plus installation costs! I couldn't believe that this could be correct but they assured me that was the correct replacement cost.

    I don't understand how a part like this can cost 1/4 the total cost of the car, more even (apparently) than the cost of replacing the engine and battery.

    So... Is this REALLY what it costs if you have to replace the MFD? What if the car was out of warranty and the entire display quit completely? The car wouldn't be useable in that condition. Does anyone have any experience with replacing the MFD? Does it really cost this much? Is there an aftermarket where you could get a refurbished unit if you had to? Are there "other" parts in the Prius that cost insane amounts to replace if/when they fail?

    I'm just in shock over what I was told today (but VERY thankful for the extended warranty)!

    Richard
     
    #1 rr79, Aug 27, 2008
  2. Abby

    Abby New Member

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    I just replaced the MFD in my 2008 Prius because of cracks in the display and they wouldn't cover it under the warranty. They quoted me around $6400 for a new unit installed. I found one on ebay for $500, also a good site for used Prius parts is AutoBeYours.com found this one today. They are pretty easy to swap out.
     
    #2 Abby, Aug 27, 2008
  3. rr79

    rr79 Junior Member

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    Why wouldn't they cover it under warranty? For a brand new car?
     
    #3 rr79, Aug 27, 2008
  4. rigormortis

    rigormortis Active Member

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    afaik the only way to have the bluetooth lose its phone book is to press the delete buttons on the mfd, or a bad bluetooth board,and looking at pictures it sure looks to me like the toshiba/denso bluetooth board is seperate from the mfd.

    also because the phone book is not lost when you disconnect the 12v battery, it is assumed that the phone book is stored on its 512k flash ram, and it would not simply be erased...

    i hope they fixed it
     

    Attached Files:

    #4 rigormortis, Aug 28, 2008
  5. rigormortis

    rigormortis Active Member

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    did you have to pay anything out of pocket for the work? or was everything covered?
    did you have to pay a diagnosis fee?
     
    #5 rigormortis, Aug 28, 2008
  6. rr79

    rr79 Junior Member

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    The impression I got (this was not explicitly stated but what I understood them to say) is that the bluetooth board is located inside the MFD and they don't troubleshoot at that level. ie: If anything contained in the MFD fails they simply replace the MFD and let the factory refurbish it. If that is the case, the factory will simply replace the bluetooth board and release the MFD as a refurbished unit.

    The dealer didn't charge me for anything. They told me I would have been charged a $50 diagnosis fee IF they had discovered something foreign to the car that had caused the problem. They told me that: The problem can only be corrected by replacing the MFD; This will be covered 100% by my platinum extended warranty; there will be no charge of any kind to me for doing this; they ordered the new MFD which they expect will be in next week.

    The amazing thing is that they only have my word (which is good, but they have no way of knowing that) about the failure. As they examine the car it is all working perfectly and there is no way I know of to recreate the problem at will.
     
    #6 rr79, Aug 28, 2008
  7. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Hi Richard,

    Its good that you have extended warranty coverage for this problem.

    2004/2005 MFDs have a known problem with a bad solder joint. It is possible to buy a reman unit from the Toyota dealer parts dept for several hundred $ instead of buying a new unit for several thousand $. I don't know whether this option is available for your MFD model.

    The "aftermarket" would consist of buying a salvage unit; it is not that hard to remove and install the MFD as a DIY project.


    Other parts that would be costly to replace include:
    • transaxle
    • inverter
    • traction battery
    • air conditioner compressor
    • brake system components upstream from the wheel cylinders
    • some of the ECUs incl. hybrid vehicle and engine
    My personal plan for post-warranty repairs is to obtain salvage units where feasible.
     
    #7 Patrick Wong, Aug 28, 2008
  8. Abby

    Abby New Member

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    It was my fault that I cracked the screen by putting a suction cup for my external GPS on it without knowing that the touch screen actually has 2 layers and I cracked the top layer. I didn't tell them this they just told me there were circular cracks like it had been hit and they wouldn't cover it, so I didn't argue since I did it just not like they said.
     
    #8 Abby, Aug 28, 2008
  9. jelloslug

    jelloslug It buffed right out!

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    List price on the Multi Function Display is $6,284.26 and parts.com sells it for $4,344.77. They go on ebay for $500-$700 all the time.
     
    #9 jelloslug, Aug 28, 2008
  10. edmcohen

    edmcohen Member

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    #10 edmcohen, Apr 26, 2009
  11. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Hi Ed,

    Thanks for providing that link. I'd seen another post several months ago where the OP had destroyed the MFD screen by attaching a suction cup mount to it. Hadn't heard about clay as a culprit before.

    The grandma in the article was mad because the owner's manual didn't warn her about placing clay objects on the MFD screen. What's next, will someone place a cup of hot coffee in the recess and then get angry when it spills and causes the MFD to fail?
     
    #11 Patrick Wong, Apr 26, 2009
  12. jll

    jll New Member

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    I just had my display go completely black for my 2006 Prius. I'm just over 100K miles. My local dealer quoted me over 6K for new replacement and 1300 for refurbished. I'm checking with another dealership for comparison, but wondering if I should call customer care too? Can they really do anything?
     
    #12 jll, Jul 29, 2009
  13. snowbird

    snowbird Junior Member

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    #13 snowbird, Jul 12, 2011
  14. vertex

    vertex Active Member

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    The article is gone, archived.
     
    #14 vertex, Jul 12, 2011
  15. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    Steve at Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicle PHEV (Southern Indiana) will offer a tested salvaged MFD to you at a low cost (probably less than $400, if you ship your old MFD back to him) and either you or any Auto Stereo shop can do the install using the instructions at his web site.

    pEEf (Northern CA see his other posts here) can also repair the MFDs.

    JeffD
     
    #15 jdenenberg, Jul 13, 2011
    1 person likes this.
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