Is my Prius 2 making my garage door remote malfunction?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by lotsacatsendogs, Jul 20, 2017.

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  1. lotsacatsendogs

    lotsacatsendogs Junior Member

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    I am at my wits' end. My garage door remote functions intermittently in my new 2017 Prius 2, and right now I have a rental car (Dodge Dart) while my Prius is in the shop and the remote functions perfectly. The Prius, which I've had for six weeks, had its bumper ripped almost completely off by a tire retread shed by a truck on the highway. I was able to bungee the bumper to the grille to get home, and oddly, the trouble started when we entered the garage then and I couldn't use the remote to close it--could it be the bungees, three of them, at almost floor level?? My 2007 and 2011 Priuses had no such issues.

    Of course I have replaced the batteries in each remote and the problem is the same with both. I have replaced all lightbulbs in the garage with incandescents instead of CFLs or LEDs. The wall controls work every time so it's not the door as such.

    Generally I can open the door from three houses away, but once in the garage have to use the wall switch. Conversely, can raise the door from inside the car to leave but then sometimes can't close it from outside--the worst, since I then have to get out, close the door from the inside, and exit through the house, a huge waste of time and annoying to dogs whether inside the house or in the car (it's really hot here too, so leaving them in the car even for a minute or two not pleasant for anyone). I've even driven halfway down the block to try, but no luck.

    Sometimes, though, as yesterday morning, it works fine. Then yesterday evening couldn't leave without going through the house, or close it from inside when we got home.

    Advice appreciated.
     
    #1 lotsacatsendogs, Jul 20, 2017
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    this is a standard remote clipped onto the sun visor or some such?
     
    #2 bisco, Jul 20, 2017
  3. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    Can you reprogram the garage door? It'll be by a series of button combinations, (or if an old one, by changing dipswitches).

    My father's neighbour installed a new garage remote controller and they found that his remote put my Dad's door up/down too - was a matter of reprogramming. From memory, they had to turn power off one of the mechanisms so it didn't program both doors at the same time - which was possibly what happened when the installer programmed the neighbour's door initially.

    You can Google/Ask/Yahoo/Bing how to do it for some door controllers if it's not in the instruction manual for the door.
     
    #3 alanclarkeau, Jul 20, 2017
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  4. Elektroingenieur

    Elektroingenieur Senior Member

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    Bungee cords, made of non-conductive materials like fabric and rubber, shouldn’t cause radio interference, but the damage to the bumper might be relevant. Remember that the antenna for the radar cruise control system is behind the Toyota emblem, and if the radar unit was damaged in the collision, I suppose it could be the culprit.

    There are many other possible causes: the car’s roof (or other parts of its structure) could be attenuating the signal from the remote control or reflecting an interfering signal from an outside source towards the receiver in the garage door opener, or one of the other radio transmitters in the car could be emitting an interfering signal, for example. It might also just be coincidence; I’ve seen a few reports of trouble with garage door openers when there are high-power military radars or electronic warfare systems operating nearby; a few days later, after the military exercise ends, everything goes back to normal.

    Finding a definitive cause for a radio frequency interference problem can be tricky and often requires access to specialized equipment, so I’ll limit my advice to a few practical hints (i.e., nothing that requires a spectrum analyzer or anechoic chamber):
    • See if the problem persists after the Prius returns from the shop. Maybe it will go away after the bumper and related electrical components have been fixed.
    • Make sure the remote control works properly, from both inside and outside the garage, without the Prius present, or with the car turned off. It sounds like you’ve already done this, but you might try it again the next time the problem occurs.
    • Try changing the relative positions of the transmitting and receiving antennas, so there is a better line of sight between them. For example, you could roll down the driver’s window, hold the remote outside the car, and then activate the remote. If this works reliably, and you don’t find it too inconvenient, it might be a long-term workaround.
    • If the garage door opener has an external wire antenna, try changing its orientation, if you can do this without damaging it: if it’s vertical, make it horizontal; if it’s horizontal, make it vertical.
    • If the garage door opener uses a remote control system that is separate from the main unit with the motor, try replacing it. Perhaps a different transmitter and receiver would have better performance.
    • To rule out the Prius as a source of interfering signals, you could temporarily disconnect the negative (–) terminal of its auxiliary (12-volt) battery, if you’re comfortable doing so. One of my previous postings has the essential information, though I also urge you to read the relevant general and battery warnings in section 7-3 of the Owner’s Manual (21 MB PDF).
     
    #4 Elektroingenieur, Jul 20, 2017
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  5. lotsacatsendogs

    lotsacatsendogs Junior Member

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    Yes, but I have tried it everywhere, in and out of the car.
     
    #5 lotsacatsendogs, Jul 21, 2017
  6. lotsacatsendogs

    lotsacatsendogs Junior Member

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    Thanks--will google, but the installed unit doesn't match the one in the manual (1999 Liftmaster). Because the remote works with the rental car, I'm still wondering about the Prius's bells and whistles, like radar and even that in conjunction with my tolltag receiver.
     
    #6 lotsacatsendogs, Jul 21, 2017
  7. lotsacatsendogs

    lotsacatsendogs Junior Member

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    Thanks--was thinking about the metal hooks on the bungees, six of them, attached to the grille, and the fact that the problem didn't start until we drove in from that trip. However, correlation is not causality yada yada, and I am clutching at straws. The Toyota emblem is on the plastic bumper, it's true, although all the damage is well below. I also had to cut some baffle off that was dragging on the right tire, perhaps it shielded something that now is bare.
    I have tried to operate the remote from everywhere I can when it isn't working, and have dusted off the wire dangling from the overhead unit--it seems pretty limp or I would bend it a different way. Nothing--only the wall unit works under those circumstances. But sometimes, the remote works perfectly--and that's what is most maddening.
    I really, really hope that when I get it back from the shop the problem goes away. Otherwise, I'm not sure whether even a new system would work.
     
    #7 lotsacatsendogs, Jul 21, 2017
  8. lotsacatsendogs

    lotsacatsendogs Junior Member

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    Yes, but I've operated it, or tried to, from everywhere, in and out of the car.
     
    #8 lotsacatsendogs, Jul 21, 2017
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    if it doesn't work consistently, out of the car, isn't it more likely the remote, or opener?
     
    #9 bisco, Jul 21, 2017
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  10. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    Sounds like something to do with the accident damage - I'd be waiting till you get it back and address it if it is still an issue.

    How long have they indicated the repairs will take?
     
    #10 alanclarkeau, Jul 21, 2017
  11. lotsacatsendogs

    lotsacatsendogs Junior Member

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    When I'm out of the car I'm still next to or around the Prius, I mean. When the Prius is GONE, as now, everything is fine.
     
    #11 lotsacatsendogs, Jul 22, 2017
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  12. lotsacatsendogs

    lotsacatsendogs Junior Member

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    They said 4-5 days, but I assume that doesn't include weekends.

    If it could be something they fixed, even accidentally, I'd be happy!!
     
    #12 lotsacatsendogs, Jul 22, 2017
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  13. lotsacatsendogs

    lotsacatsendogs Junior Member

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    Update:

    Although the remotes coincidentally started their erratic behavior with the arrival of the new Prius, it was indeed coincidence only (I hope). It was the opener's circuit board, which was slowly "dying," according to the repairman today. Although I still don't have my Prius back (sniff), the remotes started to fail with the rental car, too, and canceling and reloading codes didn't change the situation. Inside the garage, the remotes would only work if they were placed physically against the receiver wire, which is not, er, a convenient process day to day.
    So, I have a replacement receiver and new remotes. And hopefully that fixes things for years.
    I was of course actually overjoyed when things went bad with the rental car--the alternative was just too dismaying!
    Thanks to you all for your help.
    Repairman did confirm, BTW, that LEDs in the opener itself are a bad idea, although I had long since replaced them with incandescents...
     
    #13 lotsacatsendogs, Jul 25, 2017
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  14. lotsacatsendogs

    lotsacatsendogs Junior Member

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    Update:

    Although the remotes coincidentally started their erratic behavior with the arrival of the new Prius, it was indeed coincidence only (I hope). It was the opener's circuit board, which was slowly "dying," according to the repairman today. Although I still don't have my Prius back (sniff), the remotes started to fail with the rental car, too, and canceling and reloading codes didn't change the situation. Inside the garage, the remotes would only work if they were placed physically against the receiver wire, which is not, er, a convenient process day to day.
    So, I have a replacement receiver and new remotes. And hopefully that fixes things for years.
    I was of course actually overjoyed when things went bad with the rental car--the alternative was just too dismaying!
    Thanks to you all for your help.
    Repairman did confirm, BTW, that LEDs in the opener itself are a bad idea, although I had long since replaced them with incandescents...
     
    #14 lotsacatsendogs, Jul 25, 2017
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