2017 Prius Prime with $15,000 rodent damage!?!

No, that's a brand-new OEM battery shipped from Japan. However, Amayama may charge you a ton for shipping.

 

Yep, but my experience has been NONE of the repellant works to deter mice. Not sure if you checked the thread I linked in my previous comment. I did not use the brand you used but they are all similar. Tried several brands, but all of the sacs I placed got "nibbled" by them. Also tried the spray type, ultrasonic device, and bright LED light. They did not work. Mouse trap does work to reduce the number. But if you have a lot living nearby, they will come back... eventually.

 

just mesh it:

 

Get a cat for the garage

 

If the dealer tries to keep the old part on you, tell them the cost of keeping the part is your insurance deductible in a refund to you as they'll likely try to do the same thing as you will.

 

I ordered new Toyota OEM parts from Amayama in the past because they were unavailable in the US.

There was also one occasion when I ordered a simple bolt from Toyota directly, but it shipped all the way from Japan in about two weeks.

Shipping from Japan for something that heavy could be very expensive.

Amayama also has warehouses in the Middle East. This battery is in Japan though.

 

Yes, mice are attracted to organic materials in our vehicles, however, real food is a MUCH bigger draw. The link below will solve ALL your mice problems...

Keep mice out. Easy diy... (before they get in) | PriusChat

 

Dang, so we add "rodents" to the list of "How do you kill a Toyota!" (Rust/Accident/Rodents)...crying shame!

 

Also...if you are a hiker in mountain country, watch out for marmots...they can also be an issue!

https://www.backpacker.com/news-and-events/news/marmot-car-damage-riding-in-hikers-cars/

 

A core refund would only be due IF you paid a core charge. AFAIK a core charge is only applicable when an owner purchases a battery, takes it home and swaps the old for new. When he/she returns the old battery he/she’s refunded that charge.

 

That’s correct. The point of involving TAS is to confirm the technicians’ diagnosis and repair strategy, and to see if Toyota can suggest a repair that might cost less or for which parts might be more readily available.

It’s understandable that the dealer wouldn’t want you to touch or closely examine the car while it’s on their premises and disassembled. The Repair Manual (more info) mentions only insulated gloves, but in the U.S., Toyota dealers are provided with further personal protective equipment, such as an arc-flash helmet and insulated apron, as listed in the HEV Workstation Index (PDF). None of that is needed merely to approach the car, especially while no work is being done, but I can see how a dealer service department, without a real understanding of the hazards, might choose to err on the side of caution.

I think they should have allowed you to see your car from a reasonable distance, however, so you could assure yourself that they still have it and that it hasn’t been damaged in a collision or other mishap while in their care.

Keep in mind that Toyota dealers are independent businesses. At dealers, the service manager typically reports to the general manager, who in turn reports to the dealer principal, that is, the owner or owner’s representative. You might be able to reach the G.M., but he or she is likely to defer to the service manager.

Instead of complaining about the dealer, I’d suggest working with your insurance adjuster to find some other way to do the repairs, especially if the dealer can’t even say when they might be able to get a replacement HV battery assembly. You may also be able to press for a total loss settlement, if the repair simply can’t be done within a reasonable time at any price.

If a prompt repair by the dealer is out of the question, you or the insurance company may wish pay the dealer for their labor so far and have the car towed, in its present condition or with a minimum of reassembly, to a storage yard, or perhaps to your home, if keeping it there wouldn’t be an inconvenience or violate local regulations on storage of inoperative vehicles.

This is probably true. Until Toyota identifies a specific part number that the dealer can actually get, and what the dealer cost and core charge (if any) might be, the dealer simply won’t know.

Similarly, the fate of the old HV battery assembly may have to be agreed among the dealer, Toyota, and your insurer. If it’s valuable, the insurer may have the right to it, if they pay for the replacement. If it’s just an expensive and bulky item of hazardous waste, the question may instead be who pays for disposal. It’s not like the dealer could just put the old battery into a parts bag and leave it on the back seat for you.

 

They have a responsibility to fix your car for the price agreed. They're not responsible for taking you on a tour

 

Probably worth getting something in writing from the insurance company to say that they don't object to you keeping the old battery. Some repairers will tell you that any removed parts are the insurance company's property.

They obviously don't want people in their workshop for liability reasons.

Why would someone need to assure themselves that the repairer still has their car, or hasn't wrecked it? Trust issues or something? I don't understand.

 

I knew it, if the dealer is playing evasive on it, they are looking to cash in on the battery replacement themselves. Check your state rules as I know in california its a right to get the old part back.

 

There wouldn’t usually be any such need, of course—but if it were my car at a dealer for a while, and I’d made arrangements to visit on a specific day, and the dealer moved the car out of sight and wouldn’t let me even see it, I might begin to wonder.