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Another brake booster post...

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by BrianG, Dec 28, 2023.

  1. BrianG

    BrianG Junior Member

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    The brake booster issue hit my wife's 2012 (96,000 mi) on the day before Christmas. All brake and traction related indicator lights came on and the brakes lost subtlety. Thankfully they didn't fail and she was only a mile from home when it happened. The car is now in a shop that advertises "hybrid" service. I have never used this place before. I chose it because it was the closest place to my house that I felt comfortable bringing a Prius to and because I have zero love for any of the Toyota dealers in the area. They were prompt in doing diagnostics and getting back to me with a quote of $1064.00 contingent on all codes being cleared once completed.
    So far so good. The work is supposed to be completed by the end of the day so I'm on pins and needles waiting to see how it turns out.
     
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  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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  3. BrianG

    BrianG Junior Member

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    I don't know the trouble codes. I think they rattled off a number of them when they called me with diagnosis and quote, saying that they thought all were associated with the same problem.
     
  4. bettergolf

    bettergolf Active Member

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    Brian, where are you in NC and what shop did you take it to?
     
  5. BrianG

    BrianG Junior Member

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    I'm going to withhold the shop name for now. If they have a bad reputation in the PriusChat community I don't what to know it and spend the day dreading the results. I probably should have asked about them first.
     
  6. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Wow! $1064.00 to replace two expensive parts, and labor?
    I really hope that they are a good place for you.
     
    #6 ASRDogman, Dec 28, 2023
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2023
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I had those symptoms, and it apparently was a “communication issue”, caused by a ScanGauge constantly connected to OBD. I disconnected it and had no further occurrences.

    Was “CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM” also displayed? In my case it was.
     
  8. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    The brakes on this car don't usually fail they just get real crappy I've driven around with the crappy brakes on a car like this Prius or my Prius for almost a year long as you know how they work no problem could a moron getting an accident absolutely I wouldn't let anybody but me drive the car in that condition not a chance. But it breaks just fine It floats a little and feels funny because the rears are doing most of the work so on and so forth That's a damn good price a $1,064 to replace the two parts labor bleeding and no codes now that's like 1400 for the parts alone so I guess they're using used ones or this is being done under some kind of warranty and the 1064 is just the labor brake fluid bleeding and the lights off? I have no idea But if that includes the parts that's pretty good especially if they're new It's even pretty decent if they're used.
     
  9. bettergolf

    bettergolf Active Member

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    I'm asking only to know a place to consder in case I need something done....to my knowledge there have been no shops in NC mentioned here....
     
  10. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Well I'm in Durham The Bull City just outside thereof in Orange county You know over in chapel Hill there's passport motors and a few other places chapel Hill tire does pretty good work most of these places stay pretty busy so getting anything done quickly maybe an issue A lot of people come to me because I can jump right on something as I want because I don't keep stuff backed up but I'm in the middle of the state I don't know where folks are and don't look for them.
     
  11. BrianG

    BrianG Junior Member

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    No.

    I have just returned home with the car. All seems normal. I was wrong about the price. It was $1640 not $1064. I'm sure that when they gave me the number I heard the "one thousand" and a "six" and a "four" but my brain had stopped at the "one thousand" grateful that it didn't start with a "three".

    Work was described as: ABS Control Unit, remove and replace, calibration, bleed brakes.
    Total labor including diagnostic fee: $512.00
    Parts: Toyota #4705047180 and brake fluid: $1008.00
    Balance was taxes and shop disposal fee.

    Below are the codes listed on the service ticket. I now understand why the price they quoted was contingent on them all being cleared.
    C1391
    C2122
    B278L
    UU293
    B2312
    U0101
    U0164
    U0293
    U1133
    P0517

    The shop name is the Auto Shop of the Carolinas located in Charlotte. They market themselves as "Auto Shop of the Carolinas" and "Hybrid Shop of the Carolinas". I will be using them again.
     
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  12. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Hybrid shop of the Carolinas Yes I know them they came and did a battery for me a long time ago now they're a little overpriced so they replaced one part of your brakes in the generation 3 cool
     
  13. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Each of those parts if you buy them online through Toyota or about $737 each so I guess you didn't do too bad
     
  14. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Some of those listed codes ain't even codes. The second position can only be 0, 1, 2, or 3, so UU293 isn't a thing (there is a U0293 though, maybe they meant that), and the last three can only be 0–9 or A–F, so B278L is anybody's guess. (There are B278{5,6,9,C} codes.)
     
  15. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Wonder how they got those codes That's pretty good or pretty weird.
     
  16. BrianG

    BrianG Junior Member

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    I don't care about the codes, just quality work at a fair price. I'm ok with the price. It's too soon to tell about the quality.

    Their 12 mo./12,000 mi. warranty is reassuring. One thing that was special was being thanked for the business. It felt genuine. Perhaps that individual was an owner or a manager. Only future visits will tell whether it was a one-time thing.
     
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