New (to us) Prius- Combo Meter issue!

welcome! sorry for your troubles. try having the 12 volt battery tested at an autocrats store for free, before proceeding with meter replacement.
i don't know of a cheap way to do it because it is almost all labor.

 

The combo meter is not terribly hard to replace, but it is a chore to totally disassemble the dash to get it out. There are some very helpful Youtube videos out there. If you need help, maybe there's someone in your area that would be available to help with it. You can buy a reconditioned combo meter at Texas Prius Battery Replacement. Matt is a member here and extremely well respected. I've had two CMs out and found it surprisingly fun. I also understand that repairing your own CM is a pretty simple replacement of a capacitor.

 

If the current car had a lot of maintenance done at a Toyota dealership, it behoves you to call Toyota Customer Service, 800-331-4331, and ask for Goodwill Assistance. Worse they can say is NO; your situation has not changed for the better or worse. Best they can say is Yes (100% covered), or maybe a percentage is covered (50%). If you get no assistance from Toyota or the Goodwill Assistance/Gesture is still "expensive," price shop the labor. The drawback with asking for Goodwill Assistance is, you have to pay for dealership diagnosis ($100+) before Toyota will even consider it.

1) Buy a repaired Combo Meter from Matt at Texas Hybrid Batteries.
$150 repaired combo meter + $75 core charge (refunded when you send your defective one back to Matt) = $225.
NET cost will be $150 after you send your core to Matt. LIFETIME Warranty too.
The ComboMeter is a well known issue, and it will be a ONE TIME repair.

I would avoid cragislist and eBay selllers for this item.

To turn the car OFF when the Combo Meter is not visible, but the car is READY, KEEP THE POWER BUTTON DEPRESSED FOR THREE+ SECONDS. The car will turn off (READY will turn off, along with any other dash lights, and the Power Button will go from amber to OFF).

2) You could watch YouTube videos to see if this is something you want to undertake.

3) Contact shops for labor charge to install a replacement Combo Meter.

Avi at Hybrid Fix (near USC), has a good reputation here and he occassionaly posts.
3790 S Western Ave, Unit B, LA, 90018; (310) 426-8432
Hybrid Fix - 49 Reviews - Auto Repair - 3790 S Western Ave, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, CA - Phone Number - Yelp

Hillside Auto Repair
24467 Hawthorne Blvd,Torrance, CA 90505; 310-504-1243
I can't comment on the quality of their work, as I DIY. I only know they advertise as Hybrid Specialists.
They are in a great location, b/c lots of Hybrids in Torrance and PV.
There is a $25 web coupon for new customers on their site.

There are many other independent shops who claim Hybrid expertise, so be careful.
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4) Assuming "clean title" means you got a CarFax report, you should be good. Smart move paying to have the car inspected! Many horror stories of people who thought they knew enough about cars in general, and thought they could uncover any hybrid prepurchase issues themselves.

Your fear is understandable since you don't DIY and are new to hybrids/Prius, and are fearing the worst about the Combo Meter. Remember, this is a well known problem, and a ONE TIME Repair. A Prius that is well maintained, NEVER run low on oil, will likely give you a low cost of ownership (not too much in repair bills).

5) Prius that are driven regularly, seem to do better, esp w/ regards to the HV (High Voltage)/Hybrid battery and 12V battery longevity.
How many miles did mom drive with her previous car per week/month/year?

If mom does not drive much, say 30miles per weekday, or an hour per weekday, invest in a 12V AGM battery charger. You will want to use this with some regularity for a Prius that is not driven much or enough. This will eliminate the headaches a low 12V battery will cause.

Noco Genius G3500, now $50 at Amazon (bummer, the $40 sale ended a few days ago).
CTek Mus 4.3 is $65 at Amazon​

6) Check the engine oil with some regularity: weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, every gas fill-up, etc. The more frequent the better, so any sudden changes will be apparent. There are many horror stories of people who never check, then come here wondering with all these lights mean and/or the car is making funny noises.

7) TIre Pressure.
The factory recommendation of 35PSI front and 33PSI rear is too low. 40/38 or 38/36 seem to be pretty popular with most people. If you don't have a good digital tire gauge, get one.

If you don't have an air compressor, consider getting one. I have this one from Sears; $17 is a great price. The built in gauge might be off 2lbs, or my separate stand alone gauge is off 2lbs.
Sears.com

8) READ the owners manual, the Maintenance handbook, and this What services you need and what you don't | PriusChat