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Many issues simultaneously, common denominator?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by LnGwStX, Jul 29, 2016.

  1. LnGwStX

    LnGwStX Junior Member

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    Hello. I have a 2008 Prius. I bought it in 2009 at 24k miles. It now has 158k. I've taken it for all the routine maintenance, and aside from the combination meter failing, which was replaced under. recall, I haven had any major repairs until now.

    I know the car is aging and repairs are to be expected, but what is surprising is that so many things stopped working all at once. I thought perhaps there was a problem with the combination meter again since it started out just like the last time, but they said it's not. I'm wondering if there's some other common denominator I should look at, or if I really am having all of these problems at once in some cosmic coincidence. Or maybe Toyota's built-in obsolescence is scary accurate?

    So here are the issues:

    1. The airbag light is on and stays on. They said a $600 coil needs replaced.
    2. The doors don't register as closed and the light stays on/alarm won't arm. They didn't find a cause for that.
    3. The tire pressure light goes on and off even though the tire pressure is good. They said $800 worth of sensors need replaced.
    3. The sound system (aftermarket) no longer communicates with the car. It is also eight years old, but that's too much of a coincidence to be live it's not the car. They said since it's after market they.cant tell me why. Audio Express will install a new one, but I'm not doing that until I know why it stopped working.
    4. The horn doesn't work. I rarely use it so I just discovered that today.
    5. The AC blows weak/hot. They said it's the compressor which is $1300 to fix.

    All of these things happened within days of each other. Two is a coincidence, three is a pattern, but the dealer says they're separate issues and repairs. I feel like there is some electrical or computer failure somewhere that relates to all of these issues. All but the air are mere nuisances and I've been patient, but I live in AZ and can't go without air when it's 120 degrees out. I have an appointment for the $1300 repair to replace the compressor. But before I pay piecemeal for a bunch of different things, I'm wondering if it really is a coincidence? Does anyone know whether there is something I should be having them look at which could explain all of these failures?

    I'm planning to drive this car until it falls apart on the road. I have no payment and cheap insurance and I have no hankering to change that. It's been a great, reliable, money-saving car, and I want it to stay that way. But I get the feeling I'm getting the girl treatment.

    Amy ideas?
     
  2. LnGwStX

    LnGwStX Junior Member

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    I should add that they haven't confirmed that the compressor is the problem with the air, they just can't tell me until they get in. Also, it was making a horrible noise previously. It stopped when they replaced the refrigerant, but the cool air only lasted a couple of days. When I brought it back they said the refrigerant is still in there and the dye didn't show any leaks. They said the compressor is the only thing left to do.

     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    has anyone checked the 12 volt battery?
     
  4. LnGwStX

    LnGwStX Junior Member

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    Oh yeah, I forgot about that. It was replaced six months or so ago. It hasn't been checked, no, but it would be odd for it to be going out again so soon.
     
  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Sent you a PM
     
  6. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    The first thing is to confirm the 12v health as conceivably there was problem as the Gen2 charges the batt slowly, so if the batt was orig at a low charge when installed or ran down once, there might be an issue.

    Otherwise it's a really strange set of failures, you'll need to get the codes.
     
  7. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

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    This isn't a "normal" set of problems that points to the battery. They sure sound like separate issues, and never underestimate the power of coincidence.

    1) and 4) might be related. If the "coil" is the spiral cable or "clockspring," that could affect the horn too. Often the cruise control and A/C controls on the wheel go first, though. We'd need to see the airbag system trouble code to be sure about that. It might be a fuse, relay, or wiring problem for the horn, or just a bad horn.

    3) is common at this age. The batteries in the sensors last about ten years and can't be replaced. Some drivers put a piece of black tape over the light, and go back to the old way of checking tire pressure every few fill-ups. Some tire shops will give you a much better price.

    Except for the A/C, it sounds like a tinkerer's dream car. Someone with a wiring diagram, MiniVCI, voltmeter, and a few parts ordered of eBay can probably knock these problems off one by one for minimal cost. As these cars age, they start to need work.
     
  8. LnGwStX

    LnGwStX Junior Member

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    I have no complaint against necessary maintenance given the age of the car. I've spent less than $700 in repairs beyond the routine stuff since I got it; by this age all my previous cars have cost easily triple that in repairs, and not the kind you can make do without fixing - engine and transmission stuff. I'm quite happy with how it has been thus far. Really the main issue is the timing of things. That's a humdinger of a coincidence, especially when you consider my after-market stereo system going out at the same time. I can maybe wrap my head around the timing of separate manufacturer installed parts reaching end of life at basically the same time, but my stereo too? It wasn't made by the same people nor at the same time and I'm pretty sure its lifespan is supposed to be longer. It's not that I don't want to make the repairs, it's that I feel like something is being missed that could be causing these things to happen and if I don't find it then it will keep causing problems,

     
  9. LnGwStX

    LnGwStX Junior Member

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    Oh. I was rear-ended in 2014 and they almost totaled the car. Repairs were almost $9,000. The battery wasn't damaged, and there was no known damage to the internals, just body damage. That could also be a factor, though I was assured that they had inspected everything thoroughly.

    Mostly I just want to know if there's some system or connected systems that have to do with all of those items that I should be having them look at. It just seems too improbable that all of those things went out at once. Literally within days of each other.

    If the answer is no then it's no and I'll fix each thing individually. But I just really feel like something is being missed.
     
  10. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Oh the accident! You had air bag deployment right? So whoever did the repair probably bought an aftermarket clock spring and not an expensive oem Toyota one. They are known to fail. Should explain many of the failures as it's connected to the airbag, horn, and various other controls in the steering wheel.

    I would try and claim this through insurance and not pay out of pocket.

    There are 4 tire pressure sensors, probably one has failed, you can replace that one or disable that one, either method will get rid of the annoying light. It's not a $800 repair....also could be related to non oem part replacement from accident. These would be sensors on the rear wheel or the sensor that reads the rear wheel

    Hate to imagine the ac system is impaired by this clock spring...which has ac controls too. I recommend replacing the clock spring before you do anything else
     
    #10 JC91006, Jul 30, 2016
    Last edited: Jul 30, 2016
  11. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    The TPMS (tire pressure light) can be expensive to put out if you go to Toyota or auto service shop and get 4 new sensors. You can live with the TPMS warning light (I am ) or find a tire shop to fix it cheaper. Best idea when car gets to be 8 yr or so if you are changing tires, get all new sensors. They (OEM denso) can be bought on Amazon for under $40 per tire. You can get a MiniVCI OBD2 cable with Toyota Techstream software for about $25 bucks on Amazon and read your error codes and also DIY the fix to the TPMS (figure out which tire is giving bad reading).

    Seems funny for the intermittent TPMS light...the other to be aware of is the extended warranty on the brake actuator (see Posts) which lights up a lot of warning lights, though not the ones we are talking here.
     
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  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Oy vey!

    Just breaking out one of the components, of your symphony of problems: You can just ignore the TPMS warning, the valves will still work, just get old-school, check pressures periodically. Free's you up a bit, to deal with the other problems.
     
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  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    put a piece of tape over the light.
     
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  14. DonDNH

    DonDNH Senior Member

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    Did Toyota service the AC? If not, it could be that the shop used the wrong refrigerant/oil which damaged the electronics in the AC Compressor.
     
  15. LnGwStX

    LnGwStX Junior Member

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    Yes Toyota did the AC previously. My regular mechanic won't do the AC. I'm not sure why.
     
  16. LnGwStX

    LnGwStX Junior Member

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    image.jpeg image.jpeg Actually the airbags did not deploy. I was hit from behind while nearly stopped. The impact was absorbed by the hatchback and I was pushed into the car in front of me, but not hard enough to deploy the airbags. There was a small bit of damage to the front but most of the damage was the back end. If I had been too close to the car ahead I would probably have been injured and the airbags would have deployed; the car behind me was texting and driving and never even slowed down. Yay for safe following distances. :) I wondered at the time why the airbags didn't go off, but the repair shop said there's a certain force threshold my accident didn't cross. It actually wasn't as dramatic as the repair hill made it seem. I was shocked at the cost. The pictures show the damage.

     
  17. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

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    I think you're right and I doubt that accident two years ago had anything to do with these problems. One possible common denominator so far is the clockspring cable, and knowing the SRS DTCs would help a bit with that. As would doing a little troubleshooting on the horn circuit--check the fuse, relay, switch, wire harness, and horn itself.

    If your tinkering gets you into the steering column, be aware of the hazards of working around the air bag.

    Your mechanic won't work on the Prius A/C compressor because it's electrically driven and needs a special oil.
     
  18. LnGwStX

    LnGwStX Junior Member

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    Thank you everyone for your help. I appreciate all of the suggestions. I'm going to share this conversation with a friend who has worked on cars and is more comfortable tinkering than I am. Hopefully these insights will save me money and future grief. I wish I had something to contribute to the forum in return. I can draw you all a nice comic or something. :)
     
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