Prius Solar Panel Failure

I got my new Prius with solar roof just 2 months ago. I just wanted the sunroof, didn't care about the solar part but these threads scare me. Obviously in all my research I didn't look for issues with this feature. From an OCD standpoint a discolored section would probably put me over the edge. If I couldn't get a Toyota fix I think I would just have to put a wrap on it so I didn't have the potential to see it.

 

Admittedly, I don't have the solar option and don't know exactly how it's installed on those that are equipped, but I would think corrosion would be a relatively simple thing to remedy. Even if it wasn't and the panel needed to be replaced, a similar PV panel shouldn't cost more than about $50.

It's been about 70 degrees in the past few days, and just 2 degrees off the record high. Daffodils have been in bloom for quite a while, and trees are starting their blooms early. This will be a bad mosquito season.

 

Funny. A custom fitted curved glass solar electric panel, intended ONLY for the 3rd gen Prius, as around $50? Please be sitting down when you are quoted the -actual- price!!! Last I heard, it was around $1700. Maybe it's less now. We can only hope.

 

As I said, I'm not familiar with how it's mounted. I do know that I would do anything else before spending $1700 on the OEM panel. Without knowing the specs of the OEM part, I'm fairly confident a flexible panel of sufficient capacity could be had for ~$50.

 

I was reading this thread with some interest as I too have the solar panel (2014). While I thought the whole solar panel thing was neat it really is more gimmicky than anything else, unless of course you live in a very warm climate. I live in the northeast so it occasionally turns on in the summer months, and it's nice, but I could have certainly lived without it. All I wanted was just the moonroof.

The way I look at it is if it craps out at some point I'll just leave it alone. Why spend close to 2 grand to fix something that is really not that useful to me. As long as the moonroof still works I could care less if the solar panels die out.