ABS ECU Malfunction-Dealer wants 3300.00 to replace??

Thanks Patrick I will subscribe to it right away. I do need to understand more about the functions of the mini VCI. What about the calibration? I suppose the instructions are within that website?

Patrick, tell me which one I would need to subscribe to to be able to find out how to use the Mini VCI to evaluate the signals coming from the speed sensors? Hope I don't have to do the one thousand dollar yearly one!

erasing this one, as it's in the one above what I need to find out..

Okay surely someone in fam or friends would want it..

Well I'm still on this journey as the codes all came back this morning, so the troubleshooting continues and I'm now trying to figure out what subscription service to get on the toyota.techstream site..

 

Oh my god thank you!!!

 

oh my gosh I'm so sorry thank you for telling me this !

Okay I did the calibration tonight and if these codes are stilling still going to appear I'm going to assume there's something with theCommunication to the ECU like Patrick said

Okay using the mini VCI I believe I was able to do the ABS Utility calibration... then this morning all the codes came back on. I suppose you are right, if the skid control keeps giving me a LF wheel sensor code then it must be the ECU. I suppose I will need to go ahead and get the stealership to replace it for 3 grand. I know that shop caused this malfunction tinting my windows and draining the 12V battery and jump starting it.. because it was after that this all started.

Okay thanks Patrick, you are right about waste of time doing that calibration as the codes came back on same wheel sensor.. sooo shall do the 2 day subscription and see what some new codes say, and then take it back to the stealership, but at least this way I will have a better idea of what they will/should be looking for on the fix.. and not just say anything out of the blue is needed.

 

Oh yes I did accepts Jeff's link on the service manual and have downloaded it to my pc. I think you saw the codes on the other post so this message I missed last night. I am calling the dealer now and will ask them if they can at least troubleshoot the codes before I replace the ECU. I will find out if that is something they are willing to do. Thanks Patrick. One thing I hate is that I've only had this car for 6 months, and before all this happened I had family members and friends that wanted to get a Prius, and now they all say they wouldn't have one. That part makes me sad as I know this is highly unusual for Prius's, especially one that was taken such good care of and has such low miles.

 

You are right about that Mendel, it was a huge learning experience for me. I know have a fairly good understand of the mini VCI tool.. learned alot about codes, and how troubleshooting them takes place (mainly from the experience of others on this forum).

I know Mendel. Without a doubt, in my heart... that those installers did this to my car. It drove perfectly since I had it. My friend's old mother had it garage kept, and took it in to the Toyota dealer in Florida for all it's service needs, and it was shipped here to me. It drove beautifully perfect for the 6 mos I owned it. I then decided to get the windows tinted, and barely made it home and the Christmas Tree show began. I know without a DOUBT, that it was directly linked to them. I had not heard of the 12V battery precaution and turning off cabin lights etc until AFTER this happened. So that in itself was a very very expensive lesson, and an exhausting time consuming one to have learned.

I have even thought about taking them to small claims court, but then again a judge may look at me and say 'why didn't you know to tell the installers to turn off the cabin lights, or let them know of that precaution'? but yeah they did it, no freak'n doubt in my mind.

My friend whose mother owned this car (that I bought it from) is fuming mad and said I should take them to small claims court because they molested the car and created this mess, as he said the car never had a single issue in all the 10 years she had it, then one day I take it to a JoeShmoe installer shop and my car then is majorly broken.

HEY everybody I believe the Window Tinting JoeSchmoe just hung himself!! I sent a message to him to please ask his installer my 12V battery ran down and if my car was jump started and LOOK at what he said!!

***************************************************************************************
Good morning Pam. I spoke with my installer about your question and he said yes, he tints all cars with the doors open but no, he did not have to jump start it. We tint all vehicles with the doors open, but they keys are not in the ignition so the battery could not have been ran down. Hope this helps, have a great day.

Jeremiah Glenn, Operations Manager
Fat Lip Customs
Office: (817) 350-6222
Cell: (817) 888-7219
*****************************************************************************************

I'm cracking up~ 'keys not in the ignition' or 'battery could not have been ran down'

 

LOL yep definitely not up there swinging from the rafters!

Hey Mendel, even I could see right through that one and I've only had the Prius for 6 months, first one, and have only learned all of this about the 12V and battery in the last couple weeks with this happening, and isn't it strange for him and his place of business to have 'tinted so MANY Prius cars yadayada' yet couldn't even get the facts right!

He just made this statement too:
Also, the life of a 12V battery is usually 3-6 years and the warranty on the battery is 9 years. Your vehicle is 11 years old, so it is way past time to replace those batteries. If the 12V battery is drained, your vehicle will not start. The 12V battery controls all electronics in the vehicle, including the ignition start button.

and this one: (I was insulted that he ASSumed the 12V battery hadn't been changed in 11 years, it had been changed just 6 mos ago when I bought it)

To be clear, you’re suggesting to me that it’s a new 12V battery and it drained all the way down from the doors being left open for less than an hour? I know first hand of 12V batteries where a door was left open all night long, overnight, and the battery was nearly at full capacity of the 12 volts the next morning. I’m not sure what else you want from us but there’s nothing further that I can say to or do for you. Have a good day.

Sorry JC I just missed your post. I don't think I'm really going to try to prove this in court, I just if anything wanted him to feel some responsibility or at least NOT do it to the next hybrid person who brings in their car for tinted windows.

Also, regarding that ABS ECU, it didn't appear on this code right away, but from other codes in the beginning, so these are some news one from the last week. But I know when it's time to throw the towel in..

One thing I would like to write to Toyota and ask them when the ABS power brakes are disengaged when the ECU senses a wheel sensor is bad, why do they only allow 1 back brake to stop the car, as that seems so dangerous to me.

 

I'm all about being fair JC before blaming him, it was just so hard believing they didn't do something to my car, because isn't the timing uncanny to have JUST picked your car up from being at a shop ALL DAY and then all of the sudden you're pulling in your driveway after the 12 min drive home and KABOOM! I have really really struggled with that as I do consider myself a very fair person.. and I realize I've allowed my anger/frustration/emotions to get in the way, partly because I can't seem to move past it. But yes I do agree it isn't impossible that it could have been a total freak incident especially in the timing.

(I am cracking up about him sounding like a priuschat member lol, I fall in that category haha) yeah Mendel I threw out a bit of rope in case he needed some help, but could see he was doing jesss fine

 

That is so fantastic I love that! In fact, I think I'll print it up and make a bumper sticker out of it! Or at the very least, have some flyers in the glove box, and the next time I have to have anything done (will be a LONG time before that happens too) I shall pass it out to them! LOL EXCELLENT point on the blanket to watch for the grease stains vs putting simple clamps on the doors.. JC is right someone would complain on a scratch - LOL, but hey I would take a scratch ANY DAY over two weeks of Twilight Zone Codes and constant troubleshooting and clearing DTCs and then losing automatic braking on a road and almost hitting people like you're on a raceway!