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Red Triangle and grinding noise

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by ph47mf, Oct 29, 2012.

  1. ph47mf

    ph47mf Junior Member

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    Hi

    Since I can't get a response from the UK forum, you guys over the pond are my only hope.

    Basically I have two problems which will be looked at by Toyota on Friday. But I need to arm myself with ammunition in case I have a debate with the service/repair guy.

    Firstly my gen 2 decided not to start for about 10 minutes and gave me the red triangle with an exclamation mark before everything went back to normal again. The car starts every time now but the triangle appears briefly at the start which I don't think was there before. Could this be the 12V battery?

    Another thing is grinding noise on full lock to both left and right. Toyota knew about this and didn't tell me how to fix it or advised whether it can be fixed under warranty. Just what could this be?

    Thank you
     
    #1 ph47mf, Oct 29, 2012
  2. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    The none start issue is almost always the 12v battery. This also causes many other strange messages to appear. Check the voltage via the MFD in ignition on, "not ready" or with a volt meter. If below about 11.5 volts that is not good.

    Check the battery connections are tight also the negative battery lead where it is joined to the body.

    The grinding noise is likely to be wheel bearings or constant velocity joints on the end of the drive shafts "just one is likely to be at fault" There are other possible causes but those are the most common.

    Hope this helps.
    John (Britprius)
     
    #2 Britprius, Oct 29, 2012
    schlem likes this.
  3. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Forgetting my manners, welcome to PC.

    There are also plenty of batteries available in the UK at much better prices than the dealer unless they replace it under guarantee. If yours is the original it is ready for replacement.

    If you need to buy one yourself let me know and I will post a list of batteries that fit.
     
    #3 Britprius, Oct 29, 2012
  4. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    By the way what area are you in and how many miles on the car.
     
    #4 Britprius, Oct 29, 2012
  5. ph47mf

    ph47mf Junior Member

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    Thank you, how bizarre, seems like all the Prius forum users in the UK are in here instead, no wonder it's been so quiet! I am located in the West Midlands and my car has about 64K on the clock. I bought it when it had about 50k, as far as I can see from the receipts etc I don't think the 12v had been replaced. Who in the UK I can trust, apart from the dealers, to change my battery? Certainly not the 16 year olds from Halfords.

    Furthermore if it was wheel bearings or the velocity joints, would this be classed as a wear and tear item and not covered by warranty?
     
    #5 ph47mf, Oct 29, 2012
  6. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    The 12v battery on the Prius is no more difficult to change than any other car, but steer clear of Halfords they do list a battery to fit the Prius but it has the wrong terminal layout so will not fit along with many other items listed incorrectly. They are also expensive.

    Any small garage can fit a battery for you. Varta, Exide, Lucas, and Bosch to name but a few make batteries for the Prius from about £40 to £60 dependent on guarantee length "up to 5 years" check one of the motorist shops around the midlands. I started life in Sutton Coldfield but lived in Stourbridge for many years to where I still return weekly to visit family.

    Normally the Wheel bearings and velocity joints would be covered up to 60,000 miles but it depends on the guarantee you were given when you bought the car.

    The reason most UK posters are on hear is because of the attitude of a number of the people on the Brit site, so far up there own ar%#+es.
     
    #6 Britprius, Oct 29, 2012
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