Prius died while it was being driven

No fair, I resemble that remark. :wacko:

 

Bummer. "Salvaged" never means "minor damage".

 

I have a bridge I can sell you...

Tom

 

jtl,

Be prepared for the following defense: the dealer might claim that the frame bending and repair was previous to the salvage/by some other party. Yes, this would seem improbable and ridiculous but liars always seem to come up with something new...

I would be very nervous about buying a salvage, but I've also been on the end trying to get a previous car of mine repaired to keep without salvage. Insurance companies can try to aggressively take your car when it gets old enough, even though the damage is still well less than the cost of a similar condition replacement. Fought for two months until the insurance company canned the claims agent I was dealing with. Car was repaired per the repair estimate, no salvage title.

 

There is already a glut of bridges on ebay.

I've always considered ebay a last resort, and never for anything of value.

 

I would collect all evidence of misleading ads and get help from

Consumer Alerts, Information & Complaints - California Dept. of Justice - Office of the Attorney General

Good luck!

 

Actually, on older cars the damage can be minor and the insurance company will try to salvage it. Front bumper, hood, grill, paint, radiator, and some straightening and your insurance company might very well attempt to total it (at well less than actual value of course.) Probably helps if you keep a low deductible once a vehicle reaches about 8 years as the economics are less favorable for the insurer to total it that way.

It's a sweet deal for the insurer to force you to total a car, pay you a lowball amount minus deductible (and not include new registration, taxes, etc. in the calc.) then sell a vehicle to salvage requiring a straightforward repair. That's enough to cut their loss to much less than it would be for the repair alone. But once you come back with comparable vehicle list prices that are more in line with the condition of your vehicle, and include other costs they leave out, they begin to change their tune. Plus I have calculated a depreciation loss from the date of accident while negotiating...especially when the calendar year rolled over.

 

I have no degree in electronics, I have found many electrical shorts. If I have a question as I go along, I ask for information. How else would I have learned all I know now.

Not sure if your joking or serious, so will leave my comments out.

 

Hi Jtl,

It should not cost $1300 to find and fix the CHS pump. This is a sign of poor dealer training. You should talk to Toyota about some kinda remuneration they did so poorly.

The car will run even if this pump is bad, but not shorted out. The CHS pump is on the left front of the car. So, that jives with what the LA people told you about the accident. Its a shame they did not replace the pump and heat storage tank. It would have probably then been an OK car for you then. Many people who run Prius in cold weather areas will need that pump replaced anyway, due to its poor durability. Its covered under waranty for 5 years, 60000 miles.

BTW, did this initial failure happen on the Elgin Ohare Expressway? People at work were commenting they saw a failed Prius there the other day.

 

A salvaged car is a car that the insurance co totaled out. Usually either a bad hit or a wet car. Never minor. Either way bad choice of salvaged cars to buy UNLESS you are a tool wrenching madman. And throw in excellent background in dc electronics.

When you bought the car you signed alot of papers. They gave you a copy of the page you signed informing you that the car you are buying has a SALVAGED TITLE and it has NO WARRANTY BY BY GO AWAY. I guarantee you have that paper because he can lose his license over it if not signed and provided. If you signed that page you have no legal recourse. And I know you did.

Remember a car dealer is one of the places you will get the rumping of your life financially so have your wits about you when you buy a car.....or a house.

Anyway the dealer is a douchebag if he's trying to drill you for a injector cleaning too. Thats a bottle of $8 cleaner. He's got you pegged as a chump.

Please buy the Scangauge. I have a new 07 and own one. Its excellent and works on other cars too. It would have shown the code for a failed bottle or a companion code and we would have been able to quickly figure it out for you. No matter what someone
on this forum comes on here and complains about we cannot begin to help them without knowing the codes the car has thrown.The prius is the one car on the planet you cannot drive around with a thrown code and not know what it is because some codes are financially fatal if not repaired quickly.
Good Luck.

 

The pump is in the fender on the drivers side. If that is where the car was hit, it was replaced. The pump being internally shorted could cause the problem. More likely, harness damage in that area caused a short, and the dealer moved the cable, and cleared the short.Confirm with the dealer what the resistance is of the motor winding, is low, and not that they just unplugged it and the short disappeared.

 

This Prius seems to have had major damage. I'm surprised that the frame was bent and the airbags did not go off. Mine had minor damage under the fender in front of the suspension. It was any easy fix. Sometimes you can get a good deal on a salvage car, and sometimes not. I would not buy one unless you can do your own repair work. Simple problems like this one will quickly make it uneconomical unless you can do it yourself. The Prius is a very sophistacted auto, and minor damage can end up costing a lot more then on other cars.

 

I should have written, "On a Prius, 'salvaged' never means 'minor damage'".

 

Yes, the dealer knows what the Prius' weaknesses are. This will be something like $800 labor and $200 parts.

 

FYI, the 150K mile traction battery warranty that you mentioned in your letter (post #34) is no longer in effect for two reasons: 1) the car now has a salvage title, and 2) the car no longer is being operated in CA.

I hope that the pump replacement is the end to the difficulties that you've experienced. Yes, the labor charge seems quite high.

 

This is a golden opportunity for you to invite Toyota to pay for some of the repair cost.

 

Not on a salvaged car!