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Double Charge For Coolant

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by shulmda, Jan 10, 2011.

  1. shulmda

    shulmda New Member

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    I own a 2005 Prius with just shy of 100K miles. I brought the car in for the inverter pump recall last Friday and I fully expected that I would not have to pay anything. I got a call later in the day from the service rep who told me that my engine coolant pump (not the inverter pump which was free) had a crack and was leaking slightly. They found "crusting" on the housing. I was skeptical, but after reviewing the forums I learned that this pump does have a tendency to fail at about the 100K mile mark. I was surprised that this wasn't detected during the last major (and expensive) service that I had done about 1500 miles ago, but I guess that these things happen. In any case, it was VERY expensive and I felt the need to call around to get multiple quotes. I got another quote from another Toyota dealer for $50 less and so I used that to bargain down the price on the dealer doing the service. At first I congratulated myself on my bargaining skills, but then when I saw the bill when I picked up the car I saw that the Toyota Super Long Life Coolant was free for the recall, but I paid for it on the Engine coolant pump work. Here is my question: Isn't it the same coolant? Are there multiple [FONT=&quot]reservoirs[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT] of the coolant or did they just charge me for coolant that I should have gotten for free?

    I know that I may sound like I am being cheap but I am leaving a bit of conversation out. The way this happened seemed fishy to me in the first place.
     
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    1. I suggest that you look at the exterior of the old engine coolant pump to verify that the bearing was leaking (you would see a pinkish or whitish deposit coming from the pump shaft area, if the pump has a problem.)

    2. The engine coolant loop is totally separate from the inverter coolant, and it was appropriate for you to pay for two gallons of SLLC. There are two coolant reservoirs and it would be good for you to know their locations, so that you can periodically check fluid level when you are refueling, checking engine oil level, etc. The engine coolant reservoir is located immediately behind the radiator while the inverter coolant reservoir is mounted next to the inverter.
     
  3. shulmda

    shulmda New Member

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    Thank You! Unfortunately, it is now too late to confirm that there was a leak since I already had them do the work. I guess I could have asked for the old parts, but that would prove very little at this point.

    Thanks you also for the information about the two coolant reservoirs. It is good to know that I needed to purchase the 2nd gallon coolant and that the dealer was correct to charge for it.