1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

New Prime Craziness

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by Soccermom1933, Oct 26, 2018.

Tags:
  1. Soccermom1933

    Soccermom1933 New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2018
    3
    4
    0
    Location:
    Maryland
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Okay, so, I will try and make a long story short. Needed a new car, oldest going to college soon with our 2013 Prius One (which we love). Super excited when we decided on and bought a 2018 Prius Prime Plus. Buying process was great. Left the dealership Mon evening and grabbed the kids to take them for a spin in the new car. Rear passenger tire went flat in the McD's drive-through, puncture? about 2 inches up backside of the sidewall. Didn't hit a curb, no potholes, no nails. Fix-a-flat was useless, called ToyotaCare and 3 hrs later got a tow to the dealer :(. Service dept called me the next morning, $179 for the new tire and would be ready on Thursday (had to order one). I had never had a flat and it genuinely worried me that I had one for no apparent reason on my brand new car that I had driven 12 very careful miles on. I called Toyo tires and they were great, instructed me to have the dealer call them and I would get a free tire from their one time goodwill program. Picked up the car Thursday, drove home and got to work on pairing my cell phone. The radio would continuously and constantly reboot when trying to upload my contacts. Scoured the internet, tried all the tips and tricks, even tried to update the stupid Entune all to no avail. Another late and very frustrating night. Went back to the dealer today and after 2.5 hours the service center informed me that they will need to replace the head unit. Of course, they have to order the part, should get a call in a week or two. Then another couple of hours waiting at the dealer.... Phew. Feels good to get that story out there. Our 2013 has been great, no problems! I really hope these new 2018 Primes aren't a dud. Will update once my new stereo is installed. I want to love this car, really I do....
     
    #1 Soccermom1933, Oct 26, 2018
    Burna J and bisco like this.
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,751
    48,964
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    welcome and congrats!

    i think you'll be fine, but the lack of a spare on plug ins is an issue. many of us purchase one and keep it in the back.
    the head units are having some issues, and entune is a mess as you probably know from your '13.
    basically, the car itself is solid, and i think you will enjoy many happy miles of motoring after a difficult start.
    all the best!(y)
     
    #2 bisco, Oct 26, 2018
    Soccermom1933 and jerrymildred like this.
  3. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2012
    10,911
    4,423
    0
    Location:
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    You'd think with only 12 miles on the car they'd be willing swap it out with a different one after the 3rd thing goes wrong, or if the head unit doesn't solve the problem. Not saying that will happen, but if it does, I'd demand it!

    As for them replacing the head unit, they literally have no idea what's wrong, nor how to fix it, they're simply replacing expensive parts to max out the warranty charges they can bill Toyota for. Usually these type of configuration issues have to do with your phone and some bad apps, or some security features that are getting in the way.
     
    #3 PriusCamper, Oct 27, 2018
  4. Elektroingenieur

    Elektroingenieur Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2017
    2,515
    3,253
    9
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three Touring
    It’s also possible that the head unit hardware—such as the internal Bluetooth antenna—really is defective.

    Either way, Toyota doesn’t give dealers much choice: there are no published procedures for internal repair of head units. If the external connections are OK, and the unit isn’t working, the dealer’s only option is to replace it with a refurbished one. At least during the warranty period, this is probably the best servicing strategy: diagnosing and repairing high-speed digital circuit boards with surface-mount components is something few, if any, dealers have the skills or equipment to do.

    This may not actually generate much warranty reimbursement for the dealer, by the way: according to the Flat Rate Manual, they get 0.4 labor hours for removal and replacement (and, perhaps, some diagnostic time), plus their parts markup on the price of the refurbished head unit less the core value of the defective one.
     
    #4 Elektroingenieur, Oct 29, 2018
    axle2152 likes this.
  5. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2012
    10,911
    4,423
    0
    Location:
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Yea... Bluetooth and cars... What a mess... I can't count on one hand the amount of people I know who have to buy multiple OBD2 Bluetooth readers to get one that actually works. After having bought and got a refund on 4 out of the 5 OBD2 devices, I'm starting to think that it's mostly bugs within people's phones exacerbated by other bugs in the OBD2 readers...

    And you're correct on replacing the head unit as the only solution if you're the dealer who sold the car... That's kinda sad though 'because this is 99% likely a software issue, not a hardware issue. Sure wish we could just shift to USB-C hardwired in a cradle with an adapter to fit the shape of your phone. Either that or do what Tesla does and make it near impossible to even get your car door open if your phone and your car don't have a viable connection with each other.
     
    #5 PriusCamper, Oct 29, 2018
  6. Soccermom1933

    Soccermom1933 New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2018
    3
    4
    0
    Location:
    Maryland
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Ok, they replaced the head unit and it didn't change a thing. We now have an open case with Toyota. Its such a weird problem. I simply cannot sync my contacts. My husband can but I cant. Everytime I try the head unit reboots constantly until I turn of the share contacts setting through the phones bluetooth. I have tried every trick, both the car and my Samsung Galaxy S8 are updated. I only have about 100 contacts, they are all in the correct format with no weird characters or emojis. My phone doesnt have any security options selected to trip up a head unit and cause it to continually reboot. Bummer but I'll keep everyone posted in case they run into a similar issue. Other than that I'm loving the Prime, have driven 300 miles so far and barely used a gallon of gas
     
    #6 Soccermom1933, Nov 3, 2018
    bisco likes this.
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,751
    48,964
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    There are already several threads here with many people commiserating with you
     
    #7 bisco, Nov 3, 2018
  8. Soccermom1933

    Soccermom1933 New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2018
    3
    4
    0
    Location:
    Maryland
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Figured out that if I disable sync with Google on my phone then the contacts load without a hitch (y) Phew
     
    #8 Soccermom1933, Nov 6, 2018
    bisco likes this.
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,751
    48,964
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Well done!(y)
     
    #9 bisco, Nov 6, 2018
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)