I am in a dispute with the local Toyota dealer concerning service to my 2007 Prius. I began getting codes indicating that the coolant flow control valve was malfunctioning . Since my car had 100k+ miles, I decided to have the control valve, the thermostat and the coolant changed. I believe I was charged twice for the coolant change. I believe that a coolant change was included as part of the control valve and thermostat change, for which I was charged $877. Then, as a second line item, I was charged $134 for a cooling system fluid exchange. The dealer insists that the second line item, is related to the invertor. He insists that the engine coolant and the invertor coolant systems share a bleed valve which requires the invertor system to be "topped off" or otherwise fiddled with as part of the engine coolant system service. Note that the dealer acknowledges that he performed invertor service on this vehicle at 90k miles. I believe that the engine and invertor cooling systems do not share any common plumbing, and that the invertor system does not need to be touched as a part of engine coolant exchange. Who is right? Note: A scan of my service bill is attached. It also includes a third service item, transmission fluid exchange, which is unrelated to this discussion.
Never heard of such a thing. Hopefully someone else can chime in on this. Assuming you have a 10/150k warranty, I wonder if this repair would've been covered under a CA emissions warranty? Does anyone know what "SYSTEM FORTIFIER" is? (Line C, near the bottom) On an unrelated note: They also charged you for 5 qts of ATF WS, pretty sure they meant 4 quarts -unless the tech was parched. Might want to consider using a new dealer or independent garage in the future.
2 totally different coolant loops. I have worked on both many times and there is no interaction whatsoever except they share the rad with 2 separate containers within the rad shell itself so the dealer like most is full of dookey. The G3 has separate containers for the Inverter and the Ice coolant. They do not share a shell. I know why to prevent heat soak. The cooler the Inverter fluid is the happier and more efficient the Inverter is=better mileage.
I learned long ago not to rely on the dealers in my area, but recently moved and thought I'd give my new local dealer a try. Oh well.
Line A was for the inverter coolant control valve, there is no thermostat in this cooling loop. - Parts pricing was at or near RETAIL, they did you no favors - Labor is GROSSLY EXCESSIVE to replace the valve and refill the system. I know, as did this exact repair in my garage in 2 hours, never having done it before. - They used only 1 gallon of coolant?????? Line B suggests they performed a coolant exchange on the engine loop (remove old, replace w/new) - The menu price of $149 is reasonable - You were DOUBLE CHARGED for coolant (1 gallon) Line C is to replace the transaxle fluid - As a menu price, $149 is high, but not outrageous - You were overcharged for fluid, as menu pricing is INCLUSIVE of parts and labor! - They used (installed) the INCORRECT FLUID "DEX III" in the tech notes, but BILLED you for WS (correct) - Only 4 qts are needed and the whole job takes 20 minutes, TOPS, you were charged for just over an hour!!!!! STEALership!
You need the dealer to PROVE & put in writing that they installed the correct fluid. Either that, or they need to do it again with the correct fluid for free and THEN certify. The incorrect fluid can damage your transaxle & motors.
1) Please list the thieving and incompetent dealership. This wil help others avoid them. 2) Correct ATF needs to be used. I would demand TWO drain /fills with correct fluid (ATF-WS). Why two? 1st drain/fill to fix their initial screw-up. 2nd drain/fill a few hundred miles later to get rid of additional residual DEX-III fluid. I would be a hard arse and demand 3 drain/fill, to further dilute the ever decreasing Dex-III remaining. Remember, you can not 100% of the fluid out when doing drain/fill. Most of the fluid comes out, but not 100%. Thus the more drain/fill, the more you dilute the residual DEX-III that will always remain. My money is on stealership will not want to do anything. I can forsee them saying, tech listed wrong fluid he used ATF-WS, but listed Dex-III. Their problem is the invoice is a legal document. If tech screwed this up, what else did he screw-up or NOT do, but dealership is covering up? 3) File a complaint with California BAR (Bureau of Automotive Repair) Resolving Disputes and Reporting Complaints 4) Notify Toyota of the incompetence and thievery of the dealership. 5) File a complaint w the BBB (Better Business Bureau).
Just an FYI folks, neither Toyota or any other OEM has any real authority over a dealership. You can thank the NADA lobbyists and robust franchise laws for this protectionism. Two, three or even 4 drain-refills will not even come close to removing the wrong fluid in an automatic transmission. A "flush" powered by the transmission where old fluid is continually pumped OUT while new (and correct) fluid is drawn in will only get you about a 90% fluid change. So even then, they would need to provide TWO of those services. If the flush machine is powered, I would not let it within 100 meters of any of our vehicles!
Ahh yes. NO Flush for Prius b/c it's a transaxle, and does not contain a torque converter like a traditional transmission that would benefit from a flush. Every drain & fill performed would continually diminish the remaining Dex-III the stealership put in there though. A complaint to the BAR should be done. The State would investigate. The complaint becomes a permanent part of that business' record, even if the outcome is positive for the service provider. The more people complain, rightly or wrongly, the better informed the consumer could be and avoid bad businesses.
Yea, I had ATs on the brain this morning, sorry folks A SINGLE drain and refill on these transaxles should be more than good enough.
