High Tech has repaired the unit, and sending it back my way. With any luck, I will receive it today or tomorrow and throw it back in. I spoke with the tech on the phone, and he said it was a circuit board that burnt up. $475 plus bux 20 for shipping.

 

As a final (hopefully) update:

Got the nav unit back, and reinstalled it. It worked fine.


To review, I am baffled why I would be able to find repair facilities that a Toyota dealership did not.

www.hitechserv.com is five stars for the repair, but I would rate their customer service as average, at best. I had to call to get a tracking number. Perhaps I am spoiled with online transactions, but it seems typical to get emailed a tracking number when an item is shipped.


To end, it cost me $500 to get the nav fixed, as opposed to spending $1200 + on an ebay unit, or $4300 for a Toyota dealer to do it.

 

No need to be baffled. The reason is obvious.
Of that $4300, how much would have been profit for the dealer?

 

Or, the dealer could have charged me $700 to do the repair (which I very well might have agreed to) and sent it off to the same facility. In fact, if the dealership REALLY wanted to make money, I would bet they could work some type of discount with the repair facility.

It does not make sense, especially in this economy, to say it is more worthwhile to make no money, as opposed to $200 for an hour's worth of actual work.

 

The dealer took the gamble that he could talk you into spending $4300 for the part, plus another several hundred for labor, of which he would have taken at least $1500 profit. He lost that gamble in your case. I'm sure he wins it, most of the time, when the customers are less well informed. Sure, he could have made $200 or so by helping you to get the unit repaired. But, most of the time, doing so would leave him $1300 less profit. If he wins that gamble more often than one in six, he comes out ahead.

 

Did you end up with a fix for this? I have had the same exact problem occur today. I was driving to work and suddenly the screen went black. Once I got to work I shut the car off and restarted. The "Check Hybrid System" and warning light went on. I am taking the vehicle in tomorrow to the dealership.

 

Uh...read the last 5 posts, that was the solution. Your problem may be different as I had no check hybrid system light