2009 Prius Brake Switch Replacement

So, I realized my brakes have an issue on 12 January. Assuming it is the brake actuator starting to fail (starting to run a lot, but not really having any warning lights), I was sad to see that the extended warranty had expired almost 2 weeks prior. I took my car in a couple weeks ago, prepared to do the repair. I dropped the car off, expecting to get a call confirming the issue and getting the repair done.

The call I ended up getting was that they couldn't confirm an issue with actuator, though they did hear it running. They said that before they could say it is the actuator, they had to correct 2 other issues they found.

1. Low battery error 12V ($300) - Not a surprise. I had gone to disconnect it in November to swap the blower motor, but when I went to loosen the terminal, I found a lot of oxidation and the post physically moved. I put it back, and made a note to plan on getting a new one next time they went on sale or when I started to have system issues from low power.
2. Brake switch failure ($350) - I was a little surprised at this one, but there have been times that I thought my brake lights weren't working correctly (though, they worked every time I checked them). Even if it had a problem, I don't really think it could have much to do with the actuator.
3. Non-Diagnostic: Water Pump Leaking ($500):They also noted, outside of the diagnostic, that a waterpump was "leaking pretty bad" and needed to be replaced.

Because the dealership found an issue, they would be charging $135 which could be applied to repairs for diagnostic issues (not the water pump) if I choose to get it done there. I wasn't exactly pleased that they would charge me $300 for a battery swap, especially considering that you can find decent batteries around $150, but since adding $135 to that for the diagnostic either way, I figured I would just apply it to the battery replacement and let them deal with the pain of a job that swapping the battery in the Prius is.

I had to bring my car back the following weekend for the water pump because they didn't have it in stock. They also swapped the belt out for free while they were in there and they let me bring in the one that I had on hand- so free work.

For the Brake Switch, I told them to just order me the part after making sure it wasn't too expensive compared to what I can get it for online (I think I paid about $35, which is a little high, but I got it quicker and didn't have to pay shipping). I figured it wouldn't be that hard to swap it.

I was wrong - it was a pain in the a$$. Whoever designed the under dash is a big A-hole with tiny hands (trump?). I though I wouldn't need to pull apart the dash - Wrong! I thought disconnecting the cable would be the easy part - Wrong! Why would you design a nut that needs to be loosened to be sitting behind a lip on a mount?! It took an hour longer than it should have trying to figure out how to get the part to play nice.

To get the cable off, if the prong is pointing away from you, try and pinch it from the wire end of the part rather than wrapping your finger around the connector and pushing down as best you can. When you get that off and realize that you have to move a nut that is physically blocked, I hope you have an offset wrench to get to the nut.

When I installed the new part, I made sure that the tab on the cable connector wasn't pointing away from someone trying to disconnect it.

The best part - as expected - I my brake actuator is still acting funny. I am planning on just buying the part and bringing it into my dealership (they have already confirmed that they will do the work, but don't guarantee it, even though the part came from a Toyota dealership). The price for it online is $600 less (quoted about $1800 at the dealer and can get them for $1145 online) than they charge anywhere around here, even with any discounts that they can give on it (and I even checked part numbers to make sure the parts were the same).

 

260K

 

Other than the brake actuator and having a bit of a habit of using oil (not uncommon for Prii of this age and it seems to be better with a high mileage blend), it is still a solid vehicle. It has survived being hit twice too! Hopefully, I can get another 250K miles out of it.