2007 Prius Hybrid Battery and Air Conditioner issue

Please provide me with opinion/help/advice. This will be a long thread so that I can provide all of the relevant information of which I am aware about this issue. Sorry if I give more than needed.

I am currently at home awaiting a ride from the dealership to pick up my car. Some dates/repaired part names are vague as a result. However, I've kept all of my receipts and can specifically provide names/dates.

Except for the interval before my last 5000 mile service, I have serviced my car between 2 local dealerships. Most service has been provided by 1 of the 2 dealerships. I tend to service it near (sometimes 100-200 miles over) the 5000 mile mark. I never stick to the 3 month mark. I have never had concerns about either dealership before now.

My car has between 117,000 - 117, 600 miles. I have never had major issues before. No repairs/ service bills have gone to $1000,00.

I had my car serviced in 7/2017 and noticed that the check tire pressure light (which had been on before the service) had not shut off. I asked the dealership about it and they said it might be some old sensor going bad. On or about 7/21/2017, a few days after my service, several lights appeared on my Prius which, per the manual, indicated that I needed to take it immediately to the dealership. I did so. Some part that governs all the other parts went bad. I elected to change it. I think it cost somewhere's under $1000.

Fast forward to last week, 7/19/2018. The same lights came on again. I drove directly to the dealer and told them that this same thing happened last year and that it was a part that governed all the other parts. They checked their records and said that the part was changed exactly 2 days later the year before.

Regardless, the dealership reported that the 7/2018 problem was a dead hybrid battery. I also had a bad water pump. I also had an appointment scheduled for 7/20/18 for the 5,000 service. I elected to change the hybrid battery, water pump and have the 5000 mile service. The hybrid battery was ordered. The part would come in and my car would be ready by Monday 7/23. Later that day (7/19), I returned to pick up some items from my car. I assume they were doing the other items requested in the service because my car was in the garage up in the air on an apparatus.

The part came in on Tuesday instead so I picked up my car on Tuesday, 7/24. They asked why I had not reported that it was blowing hot air. The service rep said that they added coolant. I was confused and said that I never noticed. I returned to work, got caught up with tasks and parked it until Wednesday evening, 7/25. I noticed, when driving it on 7/25, that the car was blowing hot air. I did not have this problem when I delivered my car to the dealership on 7/19. As far as I knew, it was working fine. Since it was after hours on 7/25 when I noted the problem,I arranged to have the air condition checked today (7/27). In the meantime I read and learned that the air condition compressor is controlled by the hybrid car battery. Also, I noticed that the steering wheel controls for defrost (front and rear) and the air circulating button on my steering wheel were not working. My trip information button on my steering wheel had not been working for several weeks before that 7/19/18 service. All other buttons were working.

I shared this information with the service rep and the technician who previously worked on my car. I hoped that my air conditioner/steering wheel problem had to do with the installation of the hybrid battery. The technician said that when he noticed the air condition not working it had no freon left. He added coolant and put a dye so the problem should now be easily indicated. I remarked that I also had it serviced and asked if they could have drained something and not replaced it. He said that this was not possible because the freon was in an enclosed sealed core. I shared again that my air condition was not a problem when I delivered it, and that I found it typically cool at 75-76 degrees in my car.

Their diagnosis:

For air condition, (and I may remember this part name incorrectly) bad evaporator coil in dash - $2,346.00
For steering wheel, air bag issue - $400.00

I think I need a 2nd opinion. Also, could this be related to my hybrid battery and not be the diagnosis provided. It is strange that all of these problems are occurring now.

Side information: It had been a year since my last service. Before the previous 5,000 mile service, I had noticed that my oil stick registered no oil (a first). So, I added oil then got Walmart to provide oil change, oil filter, etc. Thus, Walmart had provided all items needed in my service booklet except for those recommended in extreme conditions. Because it takes me a while to ride 5,000 miles, the two services provided by the dealership were 1 year apart.

Side information #2: I am aware of people changing the coils in the battery for much cheaper than the price of a new hybrid battery. I tried to find someone to do so but could not in the short time (I felt I had at the time) to do so.

 

Thank you for taking the time to comment on my post. I appreciate the information that you shared.