I had my Prius 10 hours and it's already in the shop

Some cars are lemons and the Prius is no exception. It is subject to manufacturing defects just like every other car on the road. Keep documentation of the repair, because the Lemon Law may very well be your friend here.

 

Did you ask the dealer if they can simply give you a different car? Might be worth a try.

 

that's why you've got a basic warranty, my friend. manufacturing defects happen anywhere they make things. prius computers are no exception, as much as we'd all like to think otherwise. clearly this one wasn't done right and it appeared right away, as do the vast majority of manufacturing defects when they're driven off the lot.

sorry you got a bad computer, but know that it'll be fixed up on toyota's dime and you'll be happy driving your new car again soon!

 

Electronic devices have a higher failure rate during the first few hours of operation. In the electronics industry, we refer to this as "infant mortality", which is kind of a grim term, but it gets across the idea. Once an electronic device has worked for a few hours, it's likely it will keep working for a long time, unless it is somehow misused or mistreated. Your computer was one of those unfortunate ones that failed. Replacing it will do nothing to hurt your new Prius. It's not like bending the frame in an accident. Your new Prius will be fine.

Tom

 

It happens.
You have been unlucky but it isn't the end of the world or the love affair that will soon bloom between you and your car. It's an inconvenience and perhaps a little embarrassing but at the end of the day you will have a great car, which feels terrific to drive.
One fault no matter how bad doesn't make the car a lemon, keep all documents relating to the repair just in case but remember Toyota's legendary reputation for reliability didn't come out of a corn flakes pack, it was well earned.

Infant mortality, there you go, tell your friends you were a victim of infant mortality. Love it, some computer nerd must have come up with that term. :blink:

 

Our dealership has a 30-day warranty that says that if you don't like the car you bought, you can give it back and get a different car from them. You can't just get your money back, but you can "trade up" or get a different model/color... whatever.

 

Metalkitty, welcome to the site. Although this experience is upsetting give the dealer a chance to make things right. You should be driving a free loaner now. If you want to swap the car, ask the dealer. See if they will give you a few coupons for oil changes or a deep discount on the rear bumper applique. Once you have the car back and you have calmed down you will have the chance to express your opinion on the customer satisfaction survey. Everything will be fine, just relax.

If it were a GM car, Mr. Goodwrench would have told you the CEL is supposed to be on.

 

It's an imperfect device designed and built by imperfect beings.

As Swanny pointed out, if things keep cropping up you might have a lemon on your hands...otherwise, with any luck the dealer will make it right and you'll be on your way.

I'm still a bit scared of the rocket science going on when I push the power button, but I'm getting better every day...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Metalkitty @ Aug 20 2007, 06:16 PM) [snapback]499388[/snapback]</div>

1) Write down in your owners manual and/or maintenance manual what was replaced and the milage.
2) Enjoy the car.

I have a 2001 and have had over time more than a couple of parts replaced. This included tires that wore out very fast, a new gas tank, new main battery. However, Toyota does a really good job of getting parts replaced and fixed under warranty and has a pretty decent approach to minimizing the inconvience. Please plan on a thing or two happening over the years. (Even people get sick now and then.) Also plan on saving a whole bunch of gas over the years as well.

Now if you think that this is a big worry, please get a Chrysler and see how long you visit the dealer on average.

 

You can certainly feel annoyed. I'm expecting to get mine in about 2 weeks and I'd be furious but then you settle back down and realize that cars do typically need repairs and electronics tend to go bad very quickly or not for a long time. I wouldn't worry about a CarFax report though. That report, to the best of my knowledge, is not about repairs of this nature. It's comprehensive but I don't think THAT comprehensive. It will show for a cars' various owners, title info, odometer readings, likely warranty coverage, whether the vehicle has ever had an accident (like my recent accident that got me Prius shopping) that required it to be "totaled", major body damage repairs to the frame, whether the airbags were ever deployed (at least in an accident, not sure about if they simply malfunction), time in a body shop, fire damage, odometer tampering, and recall info. A straightforward replacement of a component that goes bad is, to the best of my knowledge, not part of the carfax report and therefore doesn't really factor in to depreciating your car beyond the overall general model year, condition, number of miles type stuff.

As to the lemon law, I know that varies by state but as a general rule it relates to a recurring problem that the dealership's service department is unable to resolve after multiple attempts (probably 4-6 sounds about right to me) or possibly, a rather large number of unrelated issues that keeps the vehicle out of your service for a substantial amount of time within a set timeframe. I'm sure there are others here with more experience than I have in this matter but I'm pretty sure I'm in the general ballpark.

You can certainly try to get a replacement Prius but my own experience tells me that you may have a problem getting precisely the same package in an acceptable color in a reasonable time frame. Electrical problems can sometimes get complicated but it's very important that you document everything, keep all receipts, make notes about phone contacts, etc. for all repairs and service. Most of the car manufacturers will be far more accommodating if they know you're on top of this stuff and can prove the vehicle's been taken care of properly and you are a nitpicker on the records. Only once in some 25 years of car ownership to date did it ever become a real issue for me but it happened to be on one of the few cars I was meticulous about recordkeeping and the result of dealer negligence and we were able to work out an acceptable deal in a car swap.

 

It's worth reemphisizing Paul R's advice. Keep your own records in detail and make sure you initial or sign your records. Makes them a legal record.

 

Does this "dealership" have a name?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Metalkitty @ Aug 21 2007, 03:42 PM) [snapback]499912[/snapback]</div>

Did they say "which" computer had problems?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Metalkitty @ Aug 21 2007, 04:42 PM) [snapback]499912[/snapback]</div>

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with your brand new Prius. Looking at the positive side at least you are still covered under warranty. Toyota dealerships, as far as my experiences with them, are very reliable.
I live here in Northern VA, DC area. (I am not working for Toyota I hope the dealership let you use a loaner, a Prius too. I hope that your dealership will fix your problem to your satisfaction. If not, report them to Toyota. Good luck.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(patsparks @ Aug 20 2007, 04:59 PM) [snapback]499403[/snapback]</div>

Actually, that term has been around long before computers became everyday objects. Way before the days of integrated circuits and transistors, the phenomenon existed for devices like vacuum tubes (anybody else remember those?).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RedRockPrius @ Aug 23 2007, 12:00 PM) [snapback]501015[/snapback]</div>

Yes, I remember them. We used them to keep radios warm. I still have my Picket Power Trig slide rule and leather case. I never use it, but I can't stand to toss it either.

Speaking of tubes, remember the tube testers at drug stores and places like that. You would bring in a suspect tube from your TV, plug it into the tester, and get back the "bad" reading. They always tested bad. The base of the tester contained replacement tubes. Long live the 12AU7!

Tom