Ask the Car People.SM


Hybrid Vehicle Maintenance Repair and Concerns

186 messages,  Last post on Jan 09, 2013 at 7:39 PM

You are in the Hybrid Vehicles Forum.

What is this discussion about? Toyota Prius, Honda Fit Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid, Honda Hybrid, Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, Toyota Highlander Hybrid, Hybrid Cars, Coupe, Hatchback, Truck

Messages Page 18 of 20

#165 of 186 Re: Conclusion [annek1] by rjqman

Jun 15, 2011 (11:09 am)

Replying to: annek1 (Jan 26, 2011 2:27 pm)
It just depends on the dealer. I bought a Honda van a few years ago and the dealer put motor oil in the transmission. I took it to a different Honda dealer, not understanding what the problem was, and he hesitantly told me what had taken place. It just depends on the dealership.
 
I would look up the dealership on some websites and see what others are saying about it before you take your car there for service. Some are great, and some are simply awful. (But be careful of 'shills' - people from the dealership or service shop that give it a great rating when the shop is not really so great...).
 
I buy my Hondas from the dealership with lousy service, because they are convenient and competitive. But I would not take a car there for service if there was any other alternative I could use.
 
I am an old guy, and I have had a lot of cars over a lot of years. Problems with automotive dealership service are not in any way unique to Honda. I also have a Pontiac and the local dealership (who now had to switch to Buick) has always done an excellent job here in Fort Myers Florida. They may charge 30% more than the private shops, but they seem to always do the job right. It just varies with the way the shop is managed - not necessarily with the brand of car.

#166 of 186 Re: Honda Civic Hybrid Battery [nursetonya1877] by srs_49

Jun 16, 2011 (3:10 am)

Replying to: nursetonya1877 (Jun 14, 2011 6:59 pm)
You asked about replacing part of the battery pack?
 
I'm guessing that the answer is NO; that if a replacement is necessary, the entire pack has to be replaced, not one cell.
 
One reason is that the battery packs have a lot of inherent redundancy in them so that they can still function even with one or several cells dead. The battery electronics essentially takes a bad cell out of the circuit, which reduces the battery pack's capacity by a bit, but still allows it to function. This is to eliminate the need to replace a single cell.
 
Also, the voltage at places inside the battery pack is several hundred volts - deadly if you don't know what you're doing. So I suspect Honda and other hybrid makers do not want technicians used to dealing with 12V systems poking around inside a battery pack.

#167 of 186 Re: navigation system [palomar1] by dwakef

Jun 17, 2011 (1:58 pm)

Replying to: palomar1 (Aug 25, 2009 11:08 pm)
Yes, my 06 Civic nav sys stick (cursor controller) stopped working for every direction except one. A dealer said that was not repairable. To replace would cost about 2K! I decided to use my android phone when I need to browse around the map. Rip off.

#168 of 186 Re: hybridhell [rmgilden] by labrams2306

Jul 02, 2011 (2:51 pm)

Replying to: rmgilden (May 10, 2011 11:38 am)
I am having the exact same problem. Have they told you what the problem is yet?

#169 of 186 Re: hybridhell [rmgilden] by kmorrison1

Jul 23, 2011 (12:15 pm)

Replying to: rmgilden (May 10, 2011 11:38 am)
The same thing happened to my Escape Hybrid this morning. The dealership won't look at it until Monday. Sounds like they have a problem. Was it expensive?

#170 of 186 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Timing Belt Replacement by jchutch

Feb 25, 2012 (4:05 pm)

I recently took my '08 Highlander Hybrid in for oil change and routine service at my local dealership. After inspecting the car, they told me that it needed a timing belt and water pump replacement for a cost of $795. Although I'm no expert on auto repair, this replacement seemed early for my car which only has 56k miles on it. The technician assured me that 60k was the appropriate time for this repair. Taking his word for it, I agreed to it as well as a fuel injection/throttle body emission service for $179 that was also recommended.
 
After returning home and checking online while the repairs were being done, I saw that Toyota doesn't recommend the timing belt replacement until 90k miles. I talked to the dealership manager about the difference in recommendations and he said that because we live in NJ that they are following "extreme conditions" suggestions which call for the earlier replacements.
 
I didn't buy his story and declined the emission service as well, thinking that it was bunk as well.
 
Has anyone else heard of this "extreme conditions" clause in timing belt replacement???

#171 of 186 Re: Toyota Highlander Hybrid Timing Belt Replacement [jchutch] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Feb 25, 2012 (5:08 pm)

Replying to: jchutch (Feb 25, 2012 4:05 pm)
Manufacturers do often have an 'extreme conditions" rule for timing belts but my impression was that this was for extremes of heat and cold, such as 110F or minus 20F, so I would say New Jersey doesn't qualify.

#172 of 186 Re: Toyota Highlander Hybrid Timing Belt Replacement [jchutch] by srs_49

Feb 26, 2012 (9:30 am)

Replying to: jchutch (Feb 25, 2012 4:05 pm)
Dealers tend have a different definition of "extreme", or "severe duty" than does the manufacturer. Of course, it's the dealer that's making out if drivers are manipulated into thinking they need more maintenance than what the manufacturer thinks is warranted.
 
Always gotta ask - who's going to profit from this recommendation? In other words - just follow the money!

#173 of 186 Re: Toyota Highlander Hybrid Timing Belt Replacement [srs_49] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Feb 26, 2012 (9:56 am)

Replying to: srs_49 (Feb 26, 2012 9:30 am)
it makes no sense for NJ--this is simply not an extreme climate. I guess you could try to look this up in your owner's manual or call Toyota Customer Care.

#174 of 186 Re: Toyota Highlander Hybrid Timing Belt Replacement [Mr_Shiftright] by whitey9

Feb 26, 2012 (11:17 am)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Feb 26, 2012 9:56 am)
I just look at the edges of the belt, and if there are some OBVIOUS cracks, i replace it.

Messages Page 18 of 20

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement