Hi all, I am new. My husband recently died and I am now using his 2004 Prius. It recently developed a fault and I have now been told it needs a new 'inverter' - the cost is going to be $6500.00!!! I am in total shock - is this right?? Surely it would cost less to replace the entire battery or am I dreaming?? HELP!
Sorry for your loss. If you really want to keep that 2004 (which is 10 years old and probably has a lot of miles), then I would find an independent Prius repair shop that would install a used inverter (less than $300 from ebay) for a small fraction of the dealer's cost. Inverters are not batteries, they are fancy pieces of power electronics under the hood. Dealers charge more than your doctor gets per hour in some cases! I would not let just anyone change it however, they should have good Prius experience as this work is new to the average mechanic. Still I'd think $1000 total might be possible IF (and this is a big IF) if the inverter is really what's wrong. Again, a good Prius mechanic with a professional shop and plenty of business should offer a guarantee. With all that said, I'd suggest buying a new car if you can afford it. If you can get the 04 fixed for $1000, do it as it's probably worth $7-$8k as a trade in. Consider the Prius C. The Prius C is a reasonable cost vehicle and gets better mileage than your 2004. Then you have a good reliable car for the next 10 years. If you buy new, don't buy anything extra from the dealer, even the extended warranty! It's available for up to half price elsewhere and is the same Toyota warranty. Also, be sure to give your location so we can possibly recommend a shop. Plus give the miles and condition of the car. Good luck. Qualified Independent Prius Repair Shops | PriusChat General Recommended Mechanics (Not specifically Prius. Use ZIP code option and try different ZIP codes around your area)
Welcome to PC There are plenty of second hand inverters on the market as they are not prone to problems, so that is the best route to take. They are not difficult to fit although most normal workshops will not do the work because of the voltages involved. Can you give your area as it is not in your avatar, and this will help people to possibly guide you in the right direction. John (Britprius)
Also, it would be helpful to get the detailed diagnosis from the dealer and list it here. They have read the DTC's from the scanner port ("pulled the codes" in mechanic talk), and sometimes the dealers will come to premature conclusions. The Prius can be tricky to troubleshoot, although not always.
Thanks guys, I'm in Sydney Australia. Thus happened last Wednesday at 10pm on the freeway. I drove it to the dealerships service centre as the warning lights advised. It sat there until Friday because they were too busy to look at it (Thursday was public holiday) and they landed this on me then. I panicked and told them to go ahead and repair because its my work vehicle (I'm self employed) but investigated on Internet afterwards. I'll ring then Monday to see if they've ordered the part yet!!
Ok that explains the crazy high prices. So the car was still drivable. This may mean that the inverter electronics are actually ok, but just overheating due to a problem with the inverter coolant loop. It may in fact just need the coolant flushed and perhaps a new pump. Don't expect the dealer to necessarily tell you this though. The way they work is that if they can get your money then they will get your money.
Re: inverter pump, there was LSC A0N - HV (Inverter) Water Pump; Dealer Letter and Technical Instructions | PriusChat and later Information on Steering and Hybrid Coolant Pump Recalls C0T and C0U | PriusChat.
. I urge you to check out this recall, perhaps it was not done. Also, low inverter coolant levels are not uncommon.
Hi Bellesinga. Do you have any updates for us. I'm also in Australia and would really like to know how this turns out.
