Heater core plug

Sounds like another dealer ripoff to me. Hang on while I do some research on this. I believe you can drive the car with no problems, since you aren't using the heater right now.

 

I do not know what a "heater core sencery plug" is. What DTC was logged by your car?

techinfo.toyota.com is a subscription website where you can download Toyota repair manual info.

 

This is a known weak point. DTC P1121 "Coolant Flow Control Valve Position Sensor Circuit Stuck". There is a coolant valve that routes engine coolant to the heater core and/or to the coolant heat recovery canister. Apparently this valve needs to be replaced. You could replace it yourself if you are comfortable working on the engine coolant system. I posted earlier about how to drain and replace the engine coolant (this is a bit tricky due to the presence of the coolant heat recovery canister.)

You don't need to rush to fix this problem. The impact of the problem is that the heater may not work very well in the winter, and the coolant heat recovery system will not be functioning which means the engine will take a bit longer to reach operating temperature.

 

Sheez, I hope they're not actually talking about the "heater core"
which is the thing that brings hot coolant into the climate system
to warm the cabin, and replacing that is a major b*tch in terms
of dash disassembly. But it sounds like a complete misdiagnosis,
and you've just got a dead switching valve underhood.
.
_H*

 

You don't say where in northern California you are, but if you mean the bay area, there are two independent shops that could surely beat the price you mentioned. Luscious Garage | Hybrid Specialists in SF is the place where the lady can change HID headlights in 3 minutes (instead of the several hours that dealers charge for). Over in Berkeley there is Art's Automotive . They can program used keyfobs (which everybody maintains is impossible). I'd use either one before going anywhere near a dealer and their "flat rate" charging games.

 

Yeah... I hear that if you go to the Prius factory and go to the very start of the assembly line, there's a guy standing there with a heating core, which they then build the car around...

OK, I was told that about another car, but it sounds true about lots of cars.

 

There is no friggin way I'd pay a stealership that

As others have mentioned, either Luscious or Art's would be my first stop. Even if you have to spend the night in a motel, still way cheaper