Remember I own an IT services business. Spring and summer is BOOMING around here! I mean the lightning and then all the business it brings. Induced currents are common culprits for sure. I see this poster is also in Missouri which doesn’t surprise me one bit from what I see with the weather here.
Basically, you can have the best surge protection and still get hit. A near field strike induces current into the wiring connecting peripherals or in the circuitry itself. Anything with an antenna also brings the current in. Satellite dishes and the wiring bring in the currents where they fry satellite boxes, TVs, etc. The cables connecting your monitor to your computer, mouse/keyboard, power cables, etc. can bring this induced current in to PCs/laptops, even behind a good surge protector. I have users who are just sitting at their computer during a storm, then they hear a loud pop like a gunshot coming from the computer, then the smoke gets released!
I used to attempt to repair something like this, fixing the obvious things first. I quickly learned that replacing these damaged electronics was the best bet. Sometimes I will tinker when the owner dumps this stuff. I had a monitor I actually repaired. I hauled off a junker that had been hit by lightning. It turned on but wouldn’t do anything. The next day an IDENTICAL monitor was dumped with a busted screen. I opened both, extracted the main boards, and did a transplant. The monitor works but it was one that wasn’t meant to be taken apart so the appearance isn’t perfect. I also don’t use it often so don’t know if it will last under constant use but at least made a working unit from two bad ones. The problem with a customer is that they pay you to fix the device, then something else goes wrong and they are unhappy. Recent parts shortages have also made repairing something like this more impractical due to wait times and increased costs. There have been other units I am able to get going but it is quite obvious they are not functioning properly and couldn’t be returned to a customer as a repaired unit.
One thing I have noticed after a nasty storm is that a few people will call the day it happens, then far more trickle in during the days and weeks after the incident. Some make note that the equipment was quirky after the storm but continued to work until it didn’t. Other times it works fine and then just dies not long afterwards.
I know someone that used to be a Missouri State Trooper. They were almost struck while driving their patrol car and everything was immediately dead. The car was a total loss and not repaired which you can understand with the critical nature of this work. I believe the car was used in training where it was eventually destroyed during tactical exercises so at least got some use after this incident.
I remember hearing about someone having this happen with a Prius. This was at a social gathering and I didn’t know them well but the car was fried beyond repair. I am sure a Prius would be even more of a headache to deal with in a situation like this.
Yes, the car could probably be fixed but is it worth it? If you insist, find a wrecked version of the same year (at least generation if they use common parts for a several year period) using the same parts and options. If you have heated seats, get one with heated seats. If you have a moonroof, get one with a moonroof. You want all modules and switches to be the same. Change ALL the electronic modules/switches and hope for the best. Make sure the engine and transmission are all the same as well. Also remember that connections may be burned with the metal oxidized at the mating surfaces. Remove and clean EVERY ground point. Having an identical parts car makes something like this much more feasible. Color doesn’t matter unless you want matching body parts as spares.
Lightning is a strange animal. I have seen TVs with a hole blown through the panel and a “well done” smell connected to accessories such as DVD players that seem to come through unscathed and still work at the time I see them. I would have to guess the life has been shortened by the stress of this though.
If you have the time and can deal with the inconvenience of chasing down electrical gremlins until the end of time, fixing might be OK. If you want a relatively perfect car, probably not…