My Prius MFD is dead – I am wondering whether to cough up the bucks to replace it with a warrentied for one year reconditioned one from the dealer ($1500) or buy a used one as advertised on the internet ($300 – no warrentie)? Any ideas out there???
What years and mileage are these two? And what is the year and mileage on the old one, and what would be the cost to repair?
edit, sorry, didn’t realize that MFD meant Multi-function Display, I thought it was a model.
I’d go for the used one… Electronics tend to be very reliable, so if it works at all, it should last the life of the car.
b
I’d go with a used one too.
The “reconditioned” one from the dealer probably hasn’t been “reconditioned” at all, except for someone wiping the dust off it. It’s probably just plain “used” and you’re paying extra for the one year warranty.
@jesmed1
Are you suggesting the dealer is fraudulent?
I’ve worked for dealers, and while I disagree with some of their practices, I don’t think the typical dealer would knowingly do blatantly fraudulent things
The dealer is usually a shrewd businessman, so to speak, but not crooked
I would think, at the very least, that the cluster has been verified to work correctly. It’s probably been updated with the latest software, if applicable, and it might have the latest updates, as far as stepper motors and such things go
There are exceptions, though
“Are you suggesting the dealer is fraudulent?”
I don’t read it that way at all. @jesmed1 has probably worked at dealers just as I have had in the past. When we checked motor home AC’s for trouble…we replaced a malfunctioning part with a new one, cleaned it thoroughly and put it in the reconditioned section with the rest of the AC’s. If it did not need any repairs after checking it out…it was cleaned thoroughly and placed in the reconditioned section. We called all of our reconditioned units “used” and our used units “reconditioned” after they went through the inspection and cleaning process. I used to do this for VCR’s and still do for computers, both laptop and desktop models.
The reconditioned MFD from Toyota will come directly from the manufacturer, like Denso or FujitsoTen. They are also upgraded to fix common issues. The quality of the used ones is hit and miss, the biggest thing you have to look at is if you get an aftermarket one is how the display screen looks some are not the exact size. Try calling Toyota customer sat and see if they will offer any help.
No, I haven’t worked at a dealership and I’m not suggesting fraud. I am suggesting that the main difference between a “reconditioned” unit at a “used” one is that the buyer is paying a premium for the one-year warranty, not for any inherent “betterness” in the product.
Like @missileman said above, once a “used” item has been inspected and found to work properly, it is can then be called “reconditioned,” without anything more done to it than wiping off the previous owner’s fingerprints.