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WOW! Went to dealer just to get diagnostic code & they wanted $420! What a rip off!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by john1, Sep 24, 2011.

  1. john1

    john1 Junior Member

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    I went Thursday to my local toyota dealer in Avenel, NJ & I told them that I just want to get the diagnostic code only (no repair done) because my brake, abs, vsc, & ((!)) lights were on. They told me that each light that is on has to be diagnose so it will be 1hr for brake light, 1hr for abs light, 1hr for vsc, & 1hr for ((!)) at $105hr for a total of $420+ tax. They said the prius is different than other cars, its a hybrid with more electrical components & has to be put on different machines/computer for each diagnose so they have to charge that price. I told them that was bullsh** because a diagnosis should only take 10 min to get all the codes & you just need one machine/computer, hybrid or not to get the codes for the car. I told them you think im stupid that I'm going to believe this nonsense just because its a hybrid + 4hrs of labor! and then I told them that about 1.5 yr I brought my sisters prius to get a diagnosis which had multiple light on too & they had charge me $105. He went on to look that info up in his computer & said that must have been a mistake on the price & that I was under charge. He than said let me see what I can do for you and left to speak to the manager. When he came back he said the manager said he can give me a discount and charge 2hrs labor for the diagnostic codes & if I get the car repair there, they will waive the diagnostic fee. I told them that your not been honest to me, trying to charge me 4hrs labor fee for something that should take about 10 min. I told them I was going somewhere else to get it diagnose & he said other shops can't diagnose a hybrid only toyota dealers can. Can other shop diagnose a hybrid or just the dealer?
     
    #1 john1, Sep 24, 2011
  2. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    That's one of the worst practices I have ever heard of. It takes 5 minutes to run the complete health check with Techstream. Go to a different dealer, or look for an independent Toyota specialist in the phone book, or look here for "certified" hybrid shops:

    Preferred Independent Hybrid Car Repair and Service Shops | Hybrid Cars

    Techstream is the gold standard scan tool for the Prius, but some others will work, including some of the higher end SnapOn and, for 2004-2009, the lower end AutoEnginuity w/Toyota.

    Have you had your inverter cooling pump replaced under the recall? It might just be that... Put your car into Ig-On, which is two presses of the Power button and foot NOT on brake, open the hood, and check the inverter coolant reservoir for flow/turbulence. You should also hear the hum of the pump.
     
    #2 seilerts, Sep 24, 2011
    1 person likes this.
  3. ursle

    ursle Gas miser

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    That's a dealer that shouldn't be used, ever...
    Part's stores that are nation wide usually do a free diagnostic check, call ahead. If you haven't replaced your 12 volt battery yet it has a good chance of being the culprit, the optima yellow top now comes as a direct replacement, online parts stores usually ship for free (jegs), and seilerts is spot on about the inverter coolant pump.
     
    #3 ursle, Sep 24, 2011
    OnGrace and 99009903 like this.
  4. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    The name of that dealer, please.
     
    #4 richard schumacher, Sep 24, 2011
  5. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    Call Toyota and report that dealer as a thief.

    JeffD
     
    #5 jdenenberg, Sep 24, 2011
  6. djras

    djras New Member

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    Autozone, Kragen and Midas will all read codes for free.
    That dealer sucks! I would never go there again and I would report them to Toyota.
     
    #6 djras, Sep 24, 2011
  7. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    When my 07 was getting poor milege I took it in & they charged me $125 for a tech to ride around in it for a while with the Techstream software laptop plugged in to check mileage parameters. There minimum charge.

    A Toy Tech could have pulled those codes and printed them alot quicker than a ride around.

    And yes you really need Techstream software to diagnose most codes. An OBD scanner will pull genereric codes but mainframe Toyota codes need Techstream software for complete diagnosis.

    But your dealer is a thief. Which is good to know.
     
    #7 edthefox5, Sep 24, 2011
  8. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    So if the car has multiple lights out due to a single blown fuse, will they also charge an hour minimum for each light that is off?

    That is effectively what they are trying to sell you.
     
    #8 fuzzy1, Sep 24, 2011
  9. derkraut

    derkraut Member

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    WOW! Maybe Tony Soprono is a part-owner of that dealership? Worst ripoff I have ever hear of. Don't walk---RUN from this dealer. He's insulting your intelligence.
     
    #9 derkraut, Sep 25, 2011
  10. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    I agree with JeffD!

    Writing a letter a brief, objective letter to Toyota may carry a little more weight than calling the Customer Service line.

    You can up the ante by writing to the BAR (Bureau of Automotive Repair). This link goes to California, and it may be unique to California. However, the complaint section for the consumer and business, has NJ as an option in the State pull down menu.

    You may wan to check out NJ's Division of Consumer Affairs. The Office of Consumer Affairs link may be the most relevant. However, I get the sense that it is intended for people who have actually paid money for a product/service that was not satisfactory. Even though you didn't suffer a financial loss, this department may be able to direct you to the correct department or they may even take it up with this dealership.

    If you do make your grievances known, I hope Toyota or a governmental agency puts this stealership on notice.
     
    #10 exstudent, Sep 26, 2011
  11. john1

    john1 Junior Member

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    The dealer was Sansone Toyota in Avenel, NJ. Was able to figure out what was wrong & fixed it without getting a diagnose & after fixing it all warning lights went off.
     
    #11 john1, Oct 2, 2011
  12. raharr3

    raharr3 New Member

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    Please tell us what you found.
     
    #12 raharr3, Oct 5, 2011
  13. john1

    john1 Junior Member

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    The problem was the skid control ecu. After I replaced it all the warning lights went off & know the car works as it should, no more problems.
     
    #13 john1, Oct 5, 2011
  14. dhanson865

    dhanson865 Expert and Devil's advocate

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    wow, how much did it cost to replace the ECU? I'm assuming you didn't try to get Toyota Corporate to foot the bill because the car was out of warranty.
     
    #14 dhanson865, Oct 5, 2011
  15. john1

    john1 Junior Member

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    It didn't cost much, it was only $35 with shipping included. Got it off ebay & took about 45 min to replace. The hardest part was getting the top nut off since it was in a tight space.
     
    #15 john1, Oct 6, 2011
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