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2nd Service at Dealer not Completely Smooth

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by cycledrum, Aug 31, 2009.

  1. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    So, I checked in for service at 10:30 am this morning, car at 7,040 miles, 1 year old, oil/filter change, tire rotation and checkup, no issues. I didn't get fully checked out until about 12:40pm.

    First time back from service, I check it out before signing the invoice ...

    the parking brake pedal is awfully stiff when letting it off and when putting in drive, car does not creep forward like before, feels 'draggy'.

    I stop, put on the parking brake, and it is much stiffer than before, I think no free play before first 'click' engages. Seems the parking brake is dragging even when disengaged.

    They take the car back in immediately, but keep it for about 1 more hour. I asked them to lower oil to only top dimple, no more (it was maybe 1/8" high, which service mgr. said is nothing to worry about).

    They readjusted the parking brake. The pedal goes about 3" down before the first click happens. That's how it's been since I bought it and no more dragging.

    The service advisor lady would only say 'that's how it should feel after adjusting the parking brake.' (speaking of initital work).

    I think the above is bogus, it sure seems the initial techinician overtightened the parking brake.

    Any feedback appreciated.

    Thanks.
     
    #1 cycledrum, Aug 31, 2009
  2. ceric

    ceric New Member

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    I wonder why they adjusted the parking brake for you. Did you pay for it?
    A proper parking is
    - allow creeping w/o friction
    - when engaged fully, it should not allow moving at idle in D (even with light gas pedal effort).
    As you described, the dealer adjusted it too tight. It is a good thing that you asked them to
    correct it. Otherwise, your MPG may suffer.
     
    #2 ceric, Aug 31, 2009
  3. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    I used a pre-paid maintenance coupon and did not ask for parking brake adjustment.

    I think the parking brake actually engages the shoes against the rear drums, but not sure. If so, and there was dragging brakes, gas mileage would suffer a lot, the shoes would wear out and cause a lot of heat in the brake drums.
     
    #3 cycledrum, Aug 31, 2009
  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Yes. I wonder why the tech bothered to adjust the parking brake given the low miles on the odometer, esp. since you did not ask for this to be done.

    Yes, you are correct. It's very good that you noticed this problem while you were picking up the car.
     
    #4 Patrick Wong, Sep 1, 2009
  5. Celtic Blue

    Celtic Blue New Member

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    Well of course they said that. That's the way they overfill all the Prius they work on. They don't care if your mileage suffers or if they waste an extra quart of oil every change. And as a bonus if you have to come back for throttle body cleaning it's just more money for them.

    [sarcasm mode on] I'm sure 1/8" below the bottom dimple is fine too..."nothing to worry about." [/sarcasm mode off]

    Toyota dealer service is awful, just awful.
     
    #5 Celtic Blue, Sep 1, 2009
  6. Mike Dimmick

    Mike Dimmick Active Member

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    Maybe the tech is a British immigrant. We always use our parking brakes - well, except in the dead flat region of the Fens - and over here, the brake should be adjusted so that the car cannot creep against it. That permits hill starts on a manual by holding the handbrake (on cars where the parking brake is hand operated) and bringing the clutch up to the bite point. When the car starts to just strain against the handbrake, release the handbrake and finish bringing up the clutch.

    Because the cable stretches in use, it generally does need adjusting at every service. Of course our services are less frequent at 12 months/10,000 miles.

    I've very occasionally been parked on a hill steep enough to need this in the Prius - it would roll back if just creeping, that is, if you released the parking brake before applying power in D. The two-pedal approach works much like for the clutch - push down the parking brake pedal to release the ratchet mechanism, keep it pressed, apply some power until you feel it pull against the brake, release the parking brake.

    Rolling back on a hill start is a serious black mark in the UK driving test. Hill starts are always tested, except in the Fens as mentioned above!
     
    #6 Mike Dimmick, Sep 1, 2009
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