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San Diego area, help for young Prius driver

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Chris HV, May 18, 2018.

  1. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Desirable, eh:whistle:?

    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder;).

    But there meet ups do have a bit of a different flavor to them(y).
     
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  2. Chris HV

    Chris HV Member

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    I did PM Sean back. His shop is pretty far away (near LA.)
     
  3. Chris HV

    Chris HV Member

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    Appreciate that Ray, I see now that you are WAY up north!

    Anybody you guys can think of in the San Diego area? Prius shop? Retired mechanic? Prius enthusiast?
     
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  4. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    I gave you 2 members earlier in this thread;).

    I would private message them and see what they know:).

    Good luck and hope you can get your daughter sorted(y).
     
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  5. Chris HV

    Chris HV Member

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    Musta missed that one Ray. Thanks again, going to bed now but will do.
     
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  6. Chris HV

    Chris HV Member

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    Can you tell me that shop's name?
    Have you used it?
    Thanks.
     
  7. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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    Have her pull up into any mechanic shop on the planet...Have her pass you the phone. You tell them it is located right on top and takes 20 minutes with a 5 minute break. That you'd do it yourself if you weren't on the other side of the country.

    Ask how much is their hourly labor rate and how much for the job (labor only) with you supplying the part. You are looking at $100 tops labor and $80 for the part. Should be done tomorrow it is that easy.
     
  8. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I don't think $100 Would cover it. Especially when you want the coolant changed too
     
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  9. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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    Chances are it was already flushed if he checks vin on toyota website. In my opinion it is pointless to do as every Prius I've ever had (which is at least 10) the fluid looks DELICIOUS :p:p:p :p:p:p.
     
  10. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    This repair is about $500 at the dealer, private mechanics will charge about $300 if they pinch the hoses. More if the coolant is drained
     
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  11. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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    30 minute job so need to shop around for a trustworthy shop that isnt going to RIP you off.

    The only way dealer would charge about $500 is if the book time calls for 4 hours. Well, part can be removed in 6 minutes if moving quickly and reinstalled in another 6 minutes. So on a 10-30 minute job why would book say it takes 4 hours?

    U dont lose any coolant so no need to even buy fluid if I remember correctly.

    I'd recommend the nearest non franchise shop for in person quote (not over phone) and if it is any more than 100 take to nearest non franchise oil change shop where they will be happy to do for $50.
     
  12. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I don't think you're remembering correctly on this repair. There's a bit of disassembly before you can get to the part. Then you have to pinch the hoses so you won't lose the coolant.

    I normally drain the coolant while I'm there, then you have to spend some time bleeding the air out afterwards
     
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  13. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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    Mechanic removed from top I even made a thread on it afterwards...He definitely did not bleed air out there was no air in :)

    Took him about 10-15 off and another 10-15 on and he just eyeballed it and started working never did the job before in his life. Did he do it by the book and everything professionally? No. He just took part off and reinstalled the new one.

    He did thermostat at the same time and that took at least 45 minutes and lots of knuckle scraping and the bolts were hard to reach and hard to loosen. (I assumed I had a bad thermostat because I had no heat going into winter...So he did that first...Of course after this he scans and even though I had no codes lit up on the dash his scanner showed bad coolant control valve.)

    The part where my memory is fuzzy is if any coolant was lost...I was thinking either none or just a tiny splash that is the part I cannot recall.
     
  14. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    There are 2 somewhat coolant related parts in that area, the inverter pump and the 3 way valve. I think the inverter pump is easier
     
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  15. Chris HV

    Chris HV Member

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    JC good point !
    Just to be on the safe side does anyone know what the error code is for a failing inverter pump?
     
  16. Chris HV

    Chris HV Member

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    I registered the car on the Toyota site and I discovered that in June 2014 and at 108K, a dealership did under warranty the steering recall (bolts) and the HV pump. But their records are rather poor in details and I can't tell if they would have put new coolant in.
    Does anyone who's had this recall done know?
     
  17. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    The recall does say to drain and fill new coolant, but 99.9% of the dealers will just pinch the hoses and change the pump.

    Even if your coolant was changed during the recall, that is not the same coolant as the 3 way valve. That's on a completely separate loop. One is the engine side, the other is on the electric side.

    Best to just change out the coolants while you're doing this repair.
     
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  18. Chris HV

    Chris HV Member

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    Thanks JC, I will suggest that she has both coolants done.
     
  19. Chris HV

    Chris HV Member

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    KEARNEY MESA TOYOTA... AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!
    Friends,
    I just found out that Kearney Mesa Toyota charged my daughter $133.49 just for inspecting her car...
    Total for the "issues" they found was nearly $2,300!
     
  20. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    This is actually normal for all Toyota dealers, known as the diagnostic fee. Your daughter had to sign for this upfront. Older hybrids are not recommended for the people that service their cars at the stealership. Any repair can cost as much or exceed the car's blue book value.
     
    #40 JC91006, May 22, 2018
    Last edited: May 22, 2018
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