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Car died - question about fuel tank, etc.

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by jaegerd, Mar 30, 2016.

  1. jaegerd

    jaegerd Junior Member

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    Car dropped dead while trying to get my kid home from the hospital (2010 Prius). Had it towed to a dealership. They called this morning. Said they needed to replace the entire fuel tank because that's the only way to get the part they needed (fuel sending unit). Plus, I need spark plugs, drain and refill hybrid system, flush coolant. The price for the fuel tank was $1212.00 parts and labor. I called him back and left message that I wanted to pick up my car (put some gas in it), and research it. 10 minutes later he called me back up saying his tech "found a more recent parts list" and now they can actually replace just the fuel sending unit for $300+. So of course, this sounds a bit sketchy to me.
    I'm curious as to whether this is legit with the "fuel sending unit" and also, what kind of maintenance really should I be looking at for 130,000 miles.
    Thanks for the help. I am NOT a car person :(
     
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Very strange. Normally when you hear of the 3rd gen Prius drop dead....it's because of the Inverter. Which is covered by an extended warranty.

    since the car is already there and you're at the mercy of the dealer.....$300 sounds pretty good
     
  3. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

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    It looks like it's part number 83320-47080 and they go for about $80 or 90. Whether replacing this part would fix the problem is another issue.

    Did the check engine light come on? If so, ask the dealer what codes they read and post them here.

    Coolant replacement should have been done at around 100K miles. Plugs are due, as well. But I would make sure the fuel tank is OK before performing routine maintenance work.

    By the way, you might get more meaningful answers if you post in the Gen 3 forum.
     
  4. warriorhealer22

    warriorhealer22 Junior Member

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    In my opinion, Toyota dealerships are the last place you want to take your car for service if you can help it. They seem to way overcharge for everything! They wanted to charge me $275 to change the spark plugs. It is not difficult.
     
  5. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    Well, I can tell you that a fuel problem killed our Lexus temporarily as well. Our RX450h had zero problems. In the middle of a day of driving around town, a couple lights lit up on the dash one at a time. And within 10-15 seconds of the lights popping up the car dies. It drives across and intersection and is completely dead.

    Diagnosis was a piece of sediment of some kind got into the fuel pump. Warranty coverage for us, but sounds like a similar situation with a similar diagnostic.

    Usually dealerships are called stealerships for a reason. But if the part is $80, and they're charging you $300 for the repair, that sounds very fair if you are "NOT a car person" as you say.
     
  6. AzusaPrius

    AzusaPrius Senior Member

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    Just to add to this my 2010 had its fuel sending unit replaced right before I bought it and they charged the PO $150

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