Need Help Identifying What Happened

OK, so here’s what happened…

I was on a tight budget and went with the cheapest shop that could give me two new tires and a four wheel alignment. Long story short, apparently you do get what you pay for...

Upon driving my car from the back to the front for me, the technician advised me that he was leaving my car running a bit before giving it to me. They had already been 15 minutes past closing and 30 past when it was to be ready for me, so I didn’t understand why until I turned the car off a couple minutes later at the gas station and it wouldn’t start… they were working on it apparently, left a power source on, and drained the battery, having to jumpstart it to return it to me...this accounts for his confusing statement (he didn’t know that the service desk didn’t tell me) and it accounts for why they were so late, and stayed past closing for it. But it gets worse from here...

I later found my fuse block and 12 V battery terminal cover removed inside the engine and the plastic latches that would normally hold it on to the box were broken… It’s obvious what happened there. They were running late, wanted to get home, and got sloppy in their haste to jumpstart it to return to me.



However, the next day (today) upon opening my trunk storage compartment, I discovered a new surprise… A piece I have never seen before… You can see it in the below picture and perhaps you can help me identify where it came from and how this might play into what else might have occurred at this shop… (Is there a positive terminal in my Prius battery compartments within the trunk they accessed not knowing how to jumpstart a Prius? (Looking into my Prius engine compartment, there is no discernible battery visible, which would confuse someone not accustomed to hybrids). This seems too large To have any place within my engine compartment and I’ve never seen it there before…



Furthermore, as you can also see in the below photo, the plastic liner that separates the storage compartment in the trunk from the battery compartment was not properly seated which also leads me to believe they accessed the rear battery area not knowing how to jumpstart a Prius…they obviously figured it out later as the car was jumpstarted and the fuse/terminal box cover damaged...



Any insight, suggestions, or thoughts regarding this would be appreciated… I’m putting together all of my findings and approaching the Mr. tire corporate office soon to discuss the matter as the local Mr. tire manager is reluctant and apprehensive to address with me.

I love my Prius and take great care of it; more than any other vehicle previously owned. So, it frustrates me that a job I can’t do myself, one I pay “experts” to complete, results in sloppy work and damages to my car. The worst is that they attempted to hide it all, and said nothing. Last night was a long night stranded at a gas station and I couldn’t reach their shop as they all left immediately after I did. ..



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Bisco, I did mention the below in my email to management for making this right (see images). However, that was before I discovered the other loose terminal cover and signs of the techs messing around in my rear hybrid battery’s...unsure where that cover should be and what happened with that...

The Manager responded to my initial complaint last night, sounding very short and requesting to examine my car for my claims, to include testing my battery...this was my response:








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Okay, so they went in there, tried to jump my car that way first, were unsuccessful, and then found the right terminal in my engine bay, damaging that cover, realizing they forgot to put the red cover on the hybrid terminal and just tossing it into my trunk...

Wow.

So, any concerns regarding this? With the terminal missing this red cover, and possible damages from them attempting I jump the hybrid battery’s in the trunk?


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Already responded. See below:



I haven’t responded yet. And now, with this new discovery, I’m trying to determine how to proceed as the situation is worsened and he is already skeptical in his message...


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Bisco, it was replaced when I bought the car, by the dealership, about 3-4 years ago. Looks like the stock pictures I see online for my year.


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Thank you Ed.

So take the parts and install myself?

What of the hybrid battery? Potentially damaged? Should I bring by dealer to check it out before seeing him?

I am not sure I can trust the Me Tire Manager to act in any interest other than his own when he “evaluates” my car. Would it be prudent to have dealer evaluate at their shop first for an accurate unbiased accounting? (Test battery, review hybrid battery tampering, etc?)


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Determined this by the fact that the Red terminal cover from the trunk accessed battery was found tossed in my trunk. I,e. It was removed. If it was removed, the they removed to access to jump, only locating the correct battery after finding that this one didn’t work.

Finding the Red terminal cover tossed in my trunk, and the signs of their having removed the storage liner to access it, are the evidence used to determine it was accessed.

We already see that they were incompetent, impatient, and reckless. We now see they first accessed the trunk battery to jumpstart, unsuccessfully.

Has they jumped the correct battery first, none of this would have been found as it would need to have occurred.


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No room for it up there. Looked around and it’s just the fuse box cover that tightly covers it.

Another forum member indicated it is from the HV battery accessed via the middle tray liner in trunk, on right side.


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