... panick attacks, hot flashes, temporary insanity

Dear Digest,

Recurring problem just recently, with my '04 Prius... driving by this not so top secret military base here in the Southern California high desert, our Mrs. Ruthie Mobile (e.g., our family hybrid Prius car) suddenly -- going berserk?

She's been under some stress, lately; she doesn't like those scary places.

Problem recurs, iff (iff and only if) I'm on this particular highway, driving by the good 'ol boy not so top secret military base at a certain time of day, having put between 60 and 130 miles on the car, suddenly the Mrs Ruthie Mobile has... a panic attack.

"BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEEEEEEEEEP," all the buzzers, and sensors and lights on the dash, going off like it's independence day! Mechanical significance: power brakes inexplicably shut down.

I thought to myself, for sure: ABS sensor(s)...

First time into the Toyota dealership, last week... service writer and the technician, surveying the problem... that look in their eyes I once saw in fellow students, like they've just shown up for the big test, third semester math analysis, still not understanding a single thing, despite having studied, all night long...

Gave the car back to me, new brake pads and resurfaced rotors, having done little more than turning the car off, then back on, off then back on, several times, they tossed the key (er... the fob) back with a reassuring, "pads and rotors ought to do it; just needed to reboot the computer; everything's going to be A-okay, now!"

Next day, driving home, same time of day, roughly the same place, right by the winkie, not so top secret, good 'ol boy military base and... sure enough, yet another panic attack. The Mrs. Ruthie Mobile going DEFCON I, in sheer, abject terror!

Buzzers, lights and sensors ablaze, shrieking at the top of her lungs (er, speakers), as though to say, "WARNING-WARNING! DANGER DANGER! AHHHHHHHHH, WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE! HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP! SAAAAAAVE OUR SOULS!"

"Easy-easy-easy, girl..." makes no sense whatsoever, talking to a dod-derned car, "..it's okay, Mrs. Ruthie! Just a few miles ahead to the Toyota dealership -- We'll go back, get you some klean-ex, dry up your sniffles; nice bowl of chicken soup, let the nice greedy people at the Toyota dealership give you whopping dose of TLC. Sound good?"

But for the sensory overload, warning lights, bells and whistles, everything worked fine, just no power brakes.

This time, the Toyota Service writer learned his lesson... "don't turn the vehicle off! Leave it running; leaving it running!" he drove it straight to the technician; hook it up to his diagnostics.. try to see what's wrong.

Service writer hopped in, wheeled it into the stall... same guy who worked on it, before.

Technician, that look of terror in his eyes, as though he was in, just a little over his head... Reached over, fumbling for what looked to be a very-very expensive laptop computer to plug, into the Mrs. Ruthie Mobile.

Just left the car there, walked back, sat down in the service writer's office. Called-up my name on the computer. Big sigh of relief, service writer looking down at his terminal...

"Ah! You have an Extended Care contract for this car!" Struck me as peculiar, that he seemed -- relieved? That somehow, my having that alleviated a burden; significant stress level for him seemed to -- vanish?

"Yes. I do. I always (ALWAYS) buy the extended manufacturer's warranty" (e.g., the "factory" one; not the cheapie one the finance guy tries to sell you, at point of purchase).

Well, the Mrs. Ruthie Mobile's prognosis was anything but -- specific? They called this afternoon, advised me (verbatim)... "it needs a new computer."

Otherwise several thousand dollars parts and labor, I'm told. But, that I have the good 'ol boy warranty, I get the good 'ol boy price (e.g., just pay the 50 dollar dedictable).

Then, my service guy asked of me a peculiar thing: "once we put in the new computer, the Technician would like your permission to drive it home, to see if that solves the problem."

I sense what's going on, here: They don't have to know what's wrong. Toyota extended care contract, in-hand, dealership is free to throw parts at the problem, save who may, no need to study, develop a rich understanding; cause and effect. I suspect, by the time they're through solving this problem, I am going to have a whole lot more new parts on Mrs. Ruthie Mobile than I would have, otherwise, had I not had presence of mind back in 2004, to back-up the original warranty.

70 thousand miles on this car... I have a sneaky suspicion: There is not a dod-derned-ding-dong thing wrong, with that computer.




Regards,
~ S a m u e l


| '88 MR2 Supercharged |
| '04 Prius | '07 Outback |


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I tell you: this could be contagious! Its nothing the trillion dollar multiplier affect of the congressional electro-vibro-stimulo couldn't otherwise solve! Bail-out assistance from embarrassment of a token 50 dollar deductible... we should otherwise be getting some people back to work, throw some real money at this problem, ensure the Mrs. Ruthie Mobile dilemma is fully stabilized before it spirals out of control, into a viral affect which subsequently envelops every other Toyota Prius, on planet Earth!"

Perish the thought, if only we'd just changed the battery!


Regards,
~ S a m u e l


| '88 MR2 Supercharged |
| '04 Prius | '07 Outback |


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It's United States Air Force Plant 42. It masquerades, as a regional airport (e.g., Palmdale). Commercial flights are few, and far between.

It's right here (e.g., once there you can zoom in/out):

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=34.612584,-118.095131&spn=0.099037,0.153122&z=13

Lockheed's skunk works, Northrop's Integrated Services, Boeing -- just about every swinging dick in the defense industry has a presence, there (e.g., it's believed unmanned Predator drones flown in Iraq and Afghanistan are remotely piloted, from there).


Regards,
~ Samuel


| '88 MR2 Supercharged |
| '04 Prius | '07 Outback |


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... well, Toyota dealership's finally done. Not as expensive as they thought it would be. Whole thing, summed, almost 1700 bux for the new computer.

Extended care warranty I bargained for, I only had to pay 50 bux. So, I'm grinning about that. But, I am somewhat worried. My better-half... She is no Mario Andretti. I don't know whether I yet feel comfortable, turning this car back over to her.

I don't know.

When I got the car back this morning, first thing: made a B-line... drove straight back to the same place where everything went haywire (e.g., Military base). I drove that patch of road. Several times.

Nothing... No seemingly adverse affect, whatsoever. Car seems to drive perfectly. Better than ever, like brand new -- so it seems...


Best,
~ S a m u e l


| '88 MR2 Supercharged |
| '04 Prius | '07 Outback |


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Hmmm... let's see. Invoice says part number 89540-47130. "Computer Assembly <dot> SK" (e.g., no idea what the initials mean).

I don't wrench this vehicle. I don't have the technical manual. But, I believe the replacement computer installed, somewhere in-dash. Toyota specified three hours labor. But, it took the poor guy two days.

Just got it back, this morning. General note from the technician on invoice (verbatim): "FOUND CODE C1300 SKID CONTROL ECU MALFUNCTION; REMOVED AND REPLACED ECU AND CLEARED THE CODE. ROAD TEST OVER 100 MILES."

No rhyme or reason, exactly 70 large on my odometer -- BANG! -- out went my ECU. I am someone who tends to incur these kinds of problems, first. I most certainly won't be the Lone Ranger. If my ECU goes out, at 70K, exactly -- so inevitably will yours.

I sincerely hope everyone out there's boned-up, with an extended care contract. Had I not, this would have dinged me -- a cool 17 hundred bux.


Regards,
~ S a m u e l


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