Dealer vs. PriusChat member

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jamarimutt @ Feb 10 2007, 09:36 PM) [snapback]388147[/snapback]</div>

Hmmm.

More likely the MFD is broken, causing a problem with the computer...It sounds like a classic case of the dealer not knowing much about computing. They're sales people not engineers.

Get a second opinion (do you have another dealer nearby?)

 

Everything seems to be a computer these days, your cell phone, your watch, your iPod, etc. So, technically, I'd say the MFD is a computer. It has the ability to control the AC, for example, by sending signals to the AC computer based on a screen touch. But can it cause the problems you describe? Not directly, but perhaps indirectly if it is putting out signals on the car's AV bus that have some effect on the car's CAN bus. Suppose it sent a signal to turn the AC off, without you touching the screen, to continue that example.

Like aminorjourney says, get a second opinion, preferrably from a Toyota dealer that sells and services a lot of Prius. If the MFD is failing (do a search and you'll see it isn't unheard of) you'll need it replaced since it controls the car's comfort features. Good luck!

 

you can unplug the screen and drive around without it and it doesn't care. you can drive it around without an interior and it won't care.

you're right. find another dealer. and if you do end up with a faulty refurb, guess who's replacing it for free? not you. you just paid for one.

idiots. the MFD is unequivocally not a computer. it is an interface device. there is nothing in the MFD that could set a warning light. period.

post script... DH says it is almost one of the dumbest things he'd ever heard from a dealer. alongside the refusing to acknowledge that there is a refurb program for the MFD.

did they even try to pull codes? he wants to know codes. there are codes in there. do they know you can pull codes with the scantool?

ok, he's getting more and more PO'd here.

HEY TMS USA.... use your connections to hire this man to go around the country smacking some sense into techs like this!

 

So, I guess from what you say that your car, and MFD, are out of warranty... <_< Certainly the dealer can tell you the codes being thrown, so you'll know the source of the problem.

Maybe try a different dealer or even Toyota Corporate. They know there was a problem, and certainly you did nothing to make the MFD die. If the car in undrivable because of a faulty part that can't wear out, the manufacturer should be held responsible. Tell them you're thinking of contacting the National Transportation Safety Board, and do it if you can't get satisfaction.

Do a search here. I know there was a thread about a source of refurbished MFDs. It's not that hard to pull the dash apart and replace the MFD if a refurb is your only option.

One more option: trade your car in on a new one. Prices are below MSRP and there are financing incentives in some areas.

 

Yes and no.

Unless he's the type who thinks his monitor IS the computer, while the MFD is an interface, what's it an interface to? A computer, of course!

So if he was JUST talking about the interface, he's wrong. But if he's talking about the whole system, how you can control the temperature, the GPS, various parts of the stereo, etc., holistically speaking it is a computer.

For those arguing it isn't: obviously your monitor isn't a computer, but I'd like to see you try and post on this board with your monitor unplugged.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jamarimutt @ Feb 10 2007, 05:55 PM) [snapback]388238[/snapback]</div>

She said DH said NO. There are codes set when trouble like that happens, codes that tell a good tech the real source of the problem. She also recommended finding a different dealer.

I can conceive of a screwed up MFD changing the radio/audio system and messing with the climate control. I agree with Galaxee/DH and can't see any way it could cause a hybrid system failure.

Go find a dealer who can tell you what the codes are and why your car shut down. That's serious!

And if the MFD works perfectly when it works, I'm inclined to think there is a loose connection somewhere that could be the root of all these problems.

 

Year and mileage?

If it is throwing codes, your emissions warrantee (at least 50K miles, longer in some states) might still cover the code problem, though not the MFD problem (which is almost certainly unrelated).

On the other hand, if this dealer is insisting this MFD "computer" controls the engine, then he'll have to replace it for free as part of the "emission system," right? Bet he changes his tune when you point THAT out...

 

can't answer to this guy's claims about unreliable information on the web... but considering that this tech over here has diagnosed problems from thousands of miles away that local guys could not figure out after multiple visits over the past couple years... [cough] he just might know a thing or two. nevermind that any idiot in a shop knows that check engine lights mean there are codes, and codes are pulled with the scantool...

coincidentally... what's on our kitchen table? maybe they should consider revisiting these. it even says right in there how to connect this mystical tool. gasp!
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besides, there's this handy little repair manual deal in tis they could use to double check...

are there ANY other dealers in your area, j? these guys are plain stupid.

and we can get you a new screen for far less than that $4k quoted by your dealer. why don't you send a PM with detailed info on the problem and we'll see if if fits some of the conditions that DH has seen.