Hybrid Mechanics near Central Kentucky

I do most of the work on my Prius myself. I live in Central Kentucky. I have gone to Toyota Dealers for recall work. Most recently I went to Toyota of Frankfort in April of 2018 to have a problem with my brake actuator evaluated and see if they would do this on a recall even though it was 4 months past the time frame. They confirmed the brake actuator was failing but wouldn't do the recall as I was 4 months out from when it expired for my vehicle. The said they would replace it at their regular rate.The only reason I took it in was in hopes of them making an allowance for me and doing the recall.

However the Technician that worked on my car came out into the customer waiting area and sat down with me and talked about the brake actuator telling me it was currently safe to drive but was beginning to show all the signs of an upcoming failure. As we talked I told him I had always done the work on my vehicles but was a bit intimidated by changing out the brake actuator. I had looked at the manuals enough to understand what the job involved. He then proceeded to walk me through the job and tell me what to look for. He asked if I had Techstream and he took the time to confirm the procedure for the actuator calibration and brake bleed with me. He said if I got in over my head just have the car towed in and they would figure it out. I was very impressed with this young man and him taking the time to talk with me.

I have the Prius manual downloaded on my computer and printed out the section on replacing the brake actuator and checked off the steps as I did them as he had recommended. The job went okay and so did the brake bleeding. It was a successful repair and I was glad I tackled it. That young technician taking the time to talk to me probably gave me the confidence to tackle the job. I am an industrial technician by trade and am trained as an electrician but the Prius can be intimating to work on when you start fooling with the battery pack and inverter.

If I had to have work done and didn't have the time or tools I would head to Toyota of Frankfort based on how this Technician treated me and his excellent advice.

 

Did you put in a New part or did you find a used part? How long did the repair take?

 

I used a new part I ordered from Oalthe Toyota for $1,134.. I originally ordered a used actuator from ebay for $293. I knew this was a mistake as soon as I opened the box. I emailed them and got the okay to send it back and get a refund. I knew this was a big job and I was not willing to play around with a used part on our family's brake system. Initially I was okay with a used part then after actually seeing it there was no way I was going to use the salvaged part. If I used that part and there was a problem I would not know if it was the part or something I did on the install. Also the used part would not have been an upgraded new part but a part exactly like the failed one I was replacing. I realize there are different opinions and cost considerations for each individual. I am not judging just explaining my own thought process. After I was finished and everything went well I was very glad I had used a new part.

The actual mechanical part of the job took me 5 hours. I then decided to wait until the morning to hook up Techstream -calibrate the actuator assembly to the vehicle and do a complete brake bleed. This took another 2 hours with the wife helping me by pressing the brake peddle as needed.

I had not done this this job before and i purposefully worked slowly and deliberately

I hope this answers your questions okay..

 

I'm in this predicament on one of my cars, I'm also hesitant to order the used parts on eBay. Most sellers are selling the failed part number, not the upgraded part number. So the savings probably won't be worth it if the job needs to be done twice.

Thanks for the info, it answered what I needed to know.

 

I live in California and I mostly DIY repairs on my car (to kill my spare time) and there aren't too many times I've needed a mechanic on the prius. I went to the mechanic for a new transaxle, struts, and oil/fluid changes (hate being under the car). But any mechanic would have suffice for those times, no need to pay extra for hybrid mechanics ($130+ hr in California vs $70 hr for a regular mechanic)

So I think if you're comfortable with putting in a transaxle on your own, you probably can tackle anything on the prius. Techstream is not needed for most repairs, I use it mainly to retrieve codes.

 

Most jobs you have never done before and you do them anyway are a real confidence builder.
Front struts are about a 2 on how hard they are to do but Does take some time.
Struts are very similar on most cars, you do one and you can do just about any car.
Special tools are the deal breaker sometimes.

 

Steve Woodruff of autobeyours.com has about anything you would ever need for a gen 2 prius. He is just north of Louisville.

 

For anyone that might want another option for a rebuilt actuator, Dorman makes one for around $700 dorman 587-765. Might be a better bet than buying junk yard ones for $250-$300

 

You can buy complete OEM KYB strut assembly’s from rock auto for 120 each. New everything ready to bolt in.

 

This is the best route to go, I made the mistake of buying just the front struts from Toyota for $110.00. Big mistake, should buy complete

 

I did the same thing and it is a real timesaver. Spring compressors come in different designs, some are safer than others. Then there is what I will call the hybrid option, remove the old assemblies and take them to a shop and let them do the switch over then you can reinstall them.

The good thing about installing complete new assemblies is you get all new components including springs and all new rubber parts. Those old rubber parts on my old strut assemblies were shot.