Prius Modifications

oh boy... the question that will not die...

what it comes down to is this. if you install it correctly and there are no issues resulting from it... you have nothing to worry about. the only time it'll be an issue is if a component that it's visibly attached to goes bad. if you're worried about taking the car in for routine maintenance and having the tech hunt around and look for mods... no. they 1) don't get paid to do that and 2) have much better things to do.

if you're really worried... go meet the prius techs at your local dealer. get buddy-buddy with one of them. if something happens to go wrong... that "buddy" just might overlook things or attribute it to something else.

what kind of parts are we talking about here? labor varies by dealer but seems to be in the $80/hr range around here. head unit: $1500 + labor, HV ECU: conservative estimate $600, probably more, + labor, MFD: by exchange around $400 + labor, battery: roughly $3k + labor

without knowing what mods you're specifically referring to we can't really answer specifically

if you're worried about the EV mod and having to replace your battery out of pocket, consider this. if there's a battery code, they're going to do their testing at the battery. they're not going to go running to the HV ECU to find out what happened there if there's no code for it. the coastal mod and the factory switch are both very subtle and nearly if not impossible to find. chances they'd find a link: very low unless you ran in there saying you think it was caused by the EV mod.

rest assured you're not going to go in for a 30k maintenance and get a letter from toyota usa saying "your warranty is officially void, thank you for buying a toyota." they can not, i repeat, can NOT void your entire warranty because you have a modification, except in the case of plug-in conversion where they void the hybrid vehicle warranty but are still required to cover other non-hybrid-system related things. just because you modified your stereo does not mean you do not have a warranty if your battery goes haywire on you.

they can refuse to cover things under warranty that are glaringly obvious modification gone wrong. but they can NOT void your entire warranty, that's illegal.

anyway... there's one tech's opinion...

 

You asked this before, back in February.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Apr 28 2006, 07:24 PM) [snapback]246980[/snapback]</div>

Not to mention that it is also the law!

You're right, Galaxee... the Q that will not die!

 

OK, but are you talking about just any mod or the EV alone?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Apr 29 2006, 01:19 AM) [snapback]247072[/snapback]</div>

OK, once and for all.


FEDERAL LAW PREVENTS ANY CAR MANUFACTURER FROM VOIDING A VEHICLES WARRANTY FOR USING AFTERMARKET PARTS UNLESS THAT MANUFACTURER PROVIDES THOSE PARTS FOR FREE. IN ADDITION, IN CASES WHERE AN AFTERMARKET PART IS SUSPECTED OF CAUSING A FAILURE, THE MANUACTURER HAS THE BURDEN OF PROOF TO SHOW THAT THE AFTERMARKET PART DID INDEED CAUSE THE FAILURE.

The Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act protects consumers. The only thing is that Toyota does not need to cover any aftermarket parts, and any repairs to those are up to you, even if the waranty is still there. However, even Toyota's statement that modification of the hybrid system will void the warranty is potentially subject to legal dispute. Unless an EV switch could be shown to actually have caused a problem with the hybrid system in some way, you could possibly argue it as a violation of Federal law. Just becuase a company puts that sort of disclaimer in writing does not mean it's necessarily legally binding. Toyota does not supersede Federal law.

Now please, no more warranty questions.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Apr 30 2006, 05:51 PM) [snapback]247702[/snapback]</div>

When did I ever ask about warranty questions?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mark Del Rosario @ May 1 2006, 05:55 PM) [snapback]248262[/snapback]</div>

Probably never; priusguy04 was playing with the [ you ] command.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Apr 28 2006, 08:54 PM) [snapback]246959[/snapback]</div>

The designated Prius mechanic at my dealership was clear that the EV switch COULD void the warranty, and went out of his way to say everything against installing it. But then again he was seriously against the 12 volt Power Outlet Modification too. Even with this I find the EV switch enticing, I don't know what that's about. It's like a $20,000 bet against a $45 pot. This same gentleman tells me it is natural for the ICE to start and stop rough (as if a plug wire was loose), sometimes even when the ICE isn't cold. He also tells me that it is natural for the brake pedal to be mushy. That last one makes me uneasy though. Any thoughts on this?