Can I win this battle?

Jim.Biggs · 01-16-2008, 03:41 PM

Car: 2005 Prius with 121,000 miles.
About a year ago and during my Toyota extended warantee the heater/ac blower begain to act up. It would intermittently not start. But when it did, it would work great.
They replaced it.
During this time Toyota was the only people servicing my car. Now, the problem has come back again. I am servicing the car myself these days and I go to change out the a/c air filter.
I discover the following:
Per the pictures on John1701a.com not only should there be the HEPA filter but also some foam inside the case below the HEPA filter visable from behind the lower glove box when lowered. This is MISSING on my car.
Then when I pull out the HEPA filter I find insulation hanging down inside coming out between two sections in the back. There is so much there that when you install the HEPA filter some is BELOW the filter at the blower.
I suspect this is contaminating the blower and causing premature failure.
I removed as much as I could and collected it. Some still hangs simply because I could not get in there to pull it out.
What do you think? Can I get Toyota to fess up to this, remove the insulation or reinstall the insulation properly, add the foam filter and replace the blower?
Thanks,
Jim

cnschult · 01-17-2008, 11:28 AM

I find toyota dealerships are more likely to perform "out of warranty work" for free if you are the original owner of the vehicle and you bought it from that dealership. Of course only if your warranty expired less than 6 months or 5K miles ago, after that you're screwed.

On my sister's corolla we bought used it was out of warranty and they replaced a part for no charge, we just had to pay labor. This was only because we had bought 2 camry's, 1 avalon, 1 prius 1 RX300 and 1 RX400h from them.

apriusfan · 01-17-2008, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnschult

I find toyota dealerships are more likely to perform "out of warranty work" for free if you are the original owner of the vehicle and you bought it from that dealership. Of course only if your warranty expired less than 6 months or 5K miles ago, after that you're screwed.

On my sister's corolla we bought used it was out of warranty and they replaced a part for no charge, we just had to pay labor. This was only because we had bought 2 camry's, 1 avalon, 1 prius 1 RX300 and 1 RX400h from them.

The more business you have done with the dealership, the more likely you are to get 'concessions' from them.

Slartibartfast · 01-18-2008, 12:35 AM

I concur.

Since you presumably went to them consistently for 100k, and since its not an area where you could easily mess something up, and since it relates to a problem you had early on, it's at least worth a shot. But you are 20k out of an extended warranty so don't count on it.

Unlike some dealerships, TMS itself is good about working to keep the loyal customer happy. But if they catch a whiff of foul play, they'll go 12 rounds with you.

Our own experience has been good. We had a 2003 Camry with an engine light that kept coming on at about 38000 miles. They did a fix which kept the light off for about a week. We went back and they told us we needed a new charcoal canister which would run about $500 installed. Since we had taken the car into the dealer and that they were supposed to check those TSBs, that Toyota would do an out of warranty repair.

We traded in the Camry for a Prius in California. Since moving to Minnesota, we had the 12V battery die, which I posted about earlier. The car was still under the 3/36 warranty, but the dealer here said frozen batteries are not covered. After a runaround with the dealer, Toyota agreed to cover that also. Again, it goes back to maintaining the relationship. While a $250 repair bill would not completely sour me on Toyota, especially if they come out with a plug in hybrid, it may plant that seed of doubt about handing over another 25k or more a few years down the road.

01-16-2008, 03:41 PM	#1
Jim.Biggs Zardoz Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Scottsdale, AZ Posts: 22 My Car: 2005 Prius Model: Package: #7 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Can I win this battle? Car: 2005 Prius with 121,000 miles. About a year ago and during my Toyota extended warantee the heater/ac blower begain to act up. It would intermittently not start. But when it did, it would work great. They replaced it. During this time Toyota was the only people servicing my car. Now, the problem has come back again. I am servicing the car myself these days and I go to change out the a/c air filter. I discover the following: Per the pictures on John1701a.com not only should there be the HEPA filter but also some foam inside the case below the HEPA filter visable from behind the lower glove box when lowered. This is MISSING on my car. Then when I pull out the HEPA filter I find insulation hanging down inside coming out between two sections in the back. There is so much there that when you install the HEPA filter some is BELOW the filter at the blower. I suspect this is contaminating the blower and causing premature failure. I removed as much as I could and collected it. Some still hangs simply because I could not get in there to pull it out. What do you think? Can I get Toyota to fess up to this, remove the insulation or reinstall the insulation properly, add the foam filter and replace the blower? Thanks, Jim

01-17-2008, 11:28 AM	#2
cnschult Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Okemos, MI Posts: 147 My Car: 2005 Prius Model: Package: #5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Can I win this battle? I find toyota dealerships are more likely to perform "out of warranty work" for free if you are the original owner of the vehicle and you bought it from that dealership. Of course only if your warranty expired less than 6 months or 5K miles ago, after that you're screwed. On my sister's corolla we bought used it was out of warranty and they replaced a part for no charge, we just had to pay labor. This was only because we had bought 2 camry's, 1 avalon, 1 prius 1 RX300 and 1 RX400h from them.

01-18-2008, 12:35 AM	#4
Slartibartfast Senior Fjord Architect Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 61 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: #3 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Can I win this battle? I concur. Since you presumably went to them consistently for 100k, and since its not an area where you could easily mess something up, and since it relates to a problem you had early on, it's at least worth a shot. But you are 20k out of an extended warranty so don't count on it. Unlike some dealerships, TMS itself is good about working to keep the loyal customer happy. But if they catch a whiff of foul play, they'll go 12 rounds with you. Our own experience has been good. We had a 2003 Camry with an engine light that kept coming on at about 38000 miles. They did a fix which kept the light off for about a week. We went back and they told us we needed a new charcoal canister which would run about $500 installed. Since we had taken the car into the dealer and that they were supposed to check those TSBs, that Toyota would do an out of warranty repair. We traded in the Camry for a Prius in California. Since moving to Minnesota, we had the 12V battery die, which I posted about earlier. The car was still under the 3/36 warranty, but the dealer here said frozen batteries are not covered. After a runaround with the dealer, Toyota agreed to cover that also. Again, it goes back to maintaining the relationship. While a $250 repair bill would not completely sour me on Toyota, especially if they come out with a plug in hybrid, it may plant that seed of doubt about handing over another 25k or more a few years down the road.