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Reply to "Replica Recognition"

I'm with you, Stan. During my rewiring project my son's 2006 Prius threw an ABS failure code. Toyota doesn't make replacement components, you have to buy a whole brake actuator with 8-10 brake line fittings and a 40 pin computer connector for mucho dinero.

Since he paid less for the car than the cost of having the actuator replaced, he bought a used part and asked if I could help install it.

The brilliant T-engineers placed the brake actuator UNDER the high voltage control unit, so we learned much about the inverter cooling system and all of the safety disconnects. Just bleeding the brakes takes a special ODBII program and includes a dance between the vehicle high pressure brake pump, the guy with the bleeding bottle and wrench under the car and the guy watching the computer screen and pumping the brakes on command. Oh, and if you don't hustle between the gazillion steps the computer punishes you by timing out and making you start over. My kind of fun 🤬

A couple of days later, he takes a test drive and the car runs great until he turns it off. When restarted it decides that the pressure sensor deep inside the brake actuator is wonky and puts the car on regular braking (no power assist). That's just like our clown cars but Toyota engineers decided that in addition to the warning light, you need a continuous, piercing beep to let you know that you don't have power brakes.

I'm done. I'm not going back in and I suspect that my son is going to sell the car. The car's just not special enough to try to save.

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