I bought new tires for my Prius. Was out of town for 2 weeks and went back to the tire place to get the tires aligned, as the shop folks suggested. They were taking a real long timedoing the alignment. Finally, they said they aligned the tires but could not get the computer to the set point or something like that. When I got in the car to leave, the VCS light was on, the ABS light, the Brake light, and the tire pressure lights were on. They didn’t charge me for the alignment. Brought it to another mechanic in town and they briefly checked it out, and not wanting to get too involved, they said they had no idea what happened. So I brought it to the Toyota dealer in Green Bay (about an hour’s drive) and they did diagnostics for $200, and then said I needed a new brake actuator for another $2600, which I don’t have. Everything was fine before I got the alignment. Why and how did this happen? Did the tire place do something wrong, and if so, shouldn’t they pay for it? Of course they are admitting to nothing, but I’m really not sure what happened or why. Thanks for your input!
It sounds to me like the people that tried to do the alignment were having a problem with the alignment equipment. It also sounds like they knocked the wheel speed sensor connector loose.
The brake actuator very likely isn’t related to the problem, but if you needed one it’s good that they found it now before it began to cause problems.
I feel 100% confident in my speculations, but there are a few details that would have helped:
What year is the Prius?
How many miles are on it?
What exactly did the last shop write on the shop order?
This kind of information up front always helps.
I went through this same kind of deal with my wife’s Blazer last fall. What I learned was that not all alignment shops and alignment technicians are the same. Not by a long shot. We got the klutz first who wrecked the alignment then we had a genius get us back on the road. It’s a shame but it’s true.
Another possibility . . . the steering angle sensor is causing the problem
On many newer cars, you have to reset the steering angle sensor when doing an alignment
If these guys didn’t know the proper procedure for your car, you’ll get all sorts of warning lights
I may be wrong(won’t be the first) but a car Like A Prius probably doesn’t have the cleanses necessary to avoid messing things up at shops that don!'t have experience with them. Boy, I would really press the issue with the original shop and try to get something in writing, especially if it is what@samemountainbike allotted to about damaging delicate sensors. Especially if the car isn’t that old.
It’s 2008 Prius with 138,000 miles. The tire shop won’t own up to anything. I appreciate your input though. Hopefully will help me with the repair.
Also, they got a code that said C1345, and something about a right rear ABS issue. That’s what the tire alignment place wrote. Toyota diagnostics wrote: C/S: VSC.ABS. BRAKE. GENERAL BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING LIGHTS ARE ON. GUEST WAS TOLD DTC PRESENT IS C1345. TAS CASE #141320388. FOLLOWED DIAGNOSTIC AS PER TECH ASSIST COMPLETED ACTIVE TEST TWICE. RESET MEMORY. ZERO DOWN 5x PERFORMED LINEAR VALVE OFFSET. SAME RESULTS. – AS PER TECH. NEXT STEP WAS TO BLEED BRAKES W/SCANNER AS PER MARIO AT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. IF CANNOT RESET LINEAR VALVE BRAKE ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY NEEDED. – TECH ATTEMPTED TO RESET TWICE. DTC STILL PRESET. BRAKE ACTUATOR NEEDED FOR REPAIRR. TOTAL: $2,600.00.
I think I’m with Db. Gotta be something more related to the attempted alignment.
Now if someone calls me a “guest” instead of a customer, the hair on the back of my neck is standing up. I’m at guest at a friends house, but I’m a customer to a car dealer and Target. Guests usually don’t pay though so maybe tell them that before you try another dealer.
I would also address a forum specific to your car. Another agree with @db4690 too. I think there are enough possibilities not to just dive I to a $2600 repair.
WolfsoundzI think you should contact a lawyer to go after the alignment/tire shop! They should not be allowed to get away with leaving you with such a mess! A letter from a lawyer usually gets their attention. They may have created some sort of hazard that could show up down the road.
I think the hydraulic brake actuator would have eventually failed on its own while you were driving. During a wheel alignment the brake must be held to prevent any rotation of the wheels while the turn tables on the alignment rack are unlocked. Applying the brakes for 30 to 45 minutes may have led to the actuator failing sooner than if just driven normally.
I have replaced a couple of brake actuators on Lexus HS250h’s, these hybrids have since been recalled for brake actuator failures. I have replaced about two dozen brake actuators on other models, this is the modern high tech $2,000 master cylinder.
When a TAS case is opened Toyota corporate technicians review the fault data and advise the dealer tech on how to proceed with further testing or replacement. Failing the “Linear valve offset” calibration usually means that brake actuator replacement is necessary. They would have no reason to ignore wheel speed sensor or steering angle calibration faults. Toyota corporation would rather keep the failure rate statistics at a minimum to avoid a recall. If this becomes a recall in the near future your will be entitled to reimbursement.