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Need Help sourcing a unique A/C Evaporator Box Part - new uncommon A/C issue?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by dpom, Jul 29, 2011.

  1. dpom

    dpom 2005 Prius package 6

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    :mad:
    Bottom Line Up Front: This is a unique part search for my Prius.

    Ok, so my middle two A/C vents quit working. I took my Prius (2009) in to my local dealer, and it is a few thousand miles out of warranty, and I find out that I need a $3,769.30 part with $1,349.60 labor to install!
    The invoice from the service department says that they verified that the mode selection was seized, but the part only comes with a new evaporator box. I took my car to a second Toyota Dealer across town, and they said the same thing. They rigged it so that it would stay selected on the center vents (since it is summer and is over 100 here in Savannah every day), but now my defrost vents will never work until i get this part. They handed me the broken part so I could attempt to source it from a junk yard or online.

    I have attached the photo of the broken end part of the evaporator box; they mentioned the word "blender" but its the white plastic piece that modulates the different modes from defrost to full air, etc.
    It took them twenty five minutes at least to pull off that piece (without taking the whole dash apart) which is luckily at the end of the evap box.

    Does anyone know where I can buy this part affordably?
     

    Attached Files:

    #1 dpom, Jul 29, 2011
  2. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    Clearly, a salvage pull is in order. But that doesn't address the labor. If the evaporator has to be replaced, that still means taking apart every last bit of the dash. Even though it pays well for the tech it is still a miserable job :(
     
    #2 seilerts, Jul 29, 2011
  3. 2009Prius

    2009Prius A Wimpy DIYer

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    Local junk yard or autobeyours.com

    Good luck!
     
    #3 2009Prius, Jul 29, 2011
  4. jdtechtalk00

    jdtechtalk00 New Member

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    dpom,

    $3,769.30 for that little part? No me gusto!! :eek: It never fails to amaze me at how expensive seemingly chintzy parts are for the Prius, or all cars for that matter..

    While I'm rather unfamiliar with air conditioning components, I would think that you would be able to purchase that part for a more reasonable sum than nearly $4K. Have you checked out eBay yet? What about toyotapartseast.com?

    I'm going to look into the matter more extensively when I return home from work later this evening..
     
    #4 jdtechtalk00, Jul 29, 2011
  5. vertex

    vertex Active Member

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    The part is part of the assembly which contains several motors and position sensors. Only the whole assembly is sold. It is also not clear if just the plastic part is defective, or if something is wrong also with the motors/position sensors. Did the dealer really determine the part was broken, or did they remove it to force the ducts into the correct position? The best route is to replace the assembly with a recycled one.
     
    #5 vertex, Jul 29, 2011
  6. koolingit

    koolingit Member

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    #6 koolingit, Jul 30, 2011
  7. tf4624

    tf4624 Active Member

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    Need help ? I work on my own Prius issues I live near ATL
     
    #7 tf4624, Jul 30, 2011
  8. Julianneinmoab

    Julianneinmoab New Member

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    I have a 2005 Prius that the middle 2 vents stopped working on. It started months ago, when the vents blowing on the floor stopped working. I took it to my dealer and was told the exact same thing (around $4500. to fix). I've been fiddling around under the dash (which is remarkable, given the space and the fact that I'm a 56 year old woman.... :eek:) and saw the part that you have in your picture. It wasn't connected to anything, just sort of hanging there. I was able to somehow get more air to come out of the floor vents when I removed my glove box. Go Figure. Please let me know if you are successful in acquiring this part (and if that's all that is wrong with your vents). I am willing to pay $300 for this as I live in the desert, where it's over 100+ degrees daily. Thanks in advance for your reply.

    P.S. My prius has 198,800 miles on it. I had to replace my hybrid battery a year ago - I think because of the extreme heat where I live.

     
    #8 Julianneinmoab, Aug 4, 2011
  9. dpom

    dpom 2005 Prius package 6

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    Julianne,
    Yes, this was the part I needed. I found plenty of the whole assembly available on car-part.com and I emailed several for quotes. Cost is about $100, labor was $70.

    Note: They can arrange the vents so that the defrost doesn't work and the middle two vents will work, even without the part in place. They didn't charge me anything for that.

    Good Luck!

     
    #9 dpom, Aug 5, 2011
  10. tomiprius

    tomiprius New Member

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    Two
    If you decide you don't want to buy from the dealer. I have a new OEM HVAC Air box. It includes a new Heater core, Evaporator, Expansion Valve and all actuators. Send me a PM if you're interested! I figured I would try here before i post it on ebay.
     
    #10 tomiprius, Aug 11, 2011
  11. meganmole

    meganmole Junior Member

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    I feel your pain. I purchased a 2007 Prius with only 31000 miles from the Toyota dealer middle of June. I felt I got a fantastic deal. Last week my middle vents stopped working and like you the same place that sold me the car is charging $4200.00 to repair. Says it takes 8 hour labor. I think I bought a lemon. Wish I could sell it back. How could blowing vents cost so much?
     
    #11 meganmole, Aug 31, 2011
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