A Tiny Proud Moment, Courtesy of My Dad

I own a Toyota Prius. I think it is a 2008 and the only color I can put on it is "red". It is definitely red. Several evenings back I jumped in it to get some milk at the convenient store down the street. I pushed the start button and put it in reverse. I was about a half a block down the street when I noticed that the dashboard was dark. The car was running okay so I decided to continue with my errand and worry about the dashboard lights the next day. I figured I could have my dad look at it, or take it to a service garage. However, when I got to the store, the engine would not shut off. There is an off/on button on the dash and it would not shut off the engine. I went into a panic.

I drove straight to my parents' house and pulled into their driveway. When I came to a stop, I kind of automatically pushed the off/on button. This time it worked and the car shut off. I sat there for a few seconds and then pushed the button again. Just as it should, the engine came on, dash lights included. I pushed the button a third time, and as it is supposed to; the engine shut off. A fourth push of the button and everything came on again. Everything looked okay. I decided I'd go on home and not bother my dad with a problem, at least not right then.

Well, I knew there was a problem so the next day I called Dad and told him what was going on with my car. He suggested that I take it to the dealer and have them run a diagnostic on it. He warned me that since the problem was intermittent, they likely would not find anything.

Later on that day, an hour or so before my car's service appointment, my dad called me to tell me he thought I had a problem with something called the "cluster meter". He said that a failing cluster meter will make everything on the dashboard quit working, including the off/on button. Dad said that the problem is rare but that they do fail often enough that Toyota has offered a warranty on all bad Prius cluster meters. My father is always watching out for me, and he had done a little research into my situation. Good thing since I still do not know exactly what a cluster meter is.

So anyway, I took my Prius to the dealer's service department and described the problem. The guy behind the computer at the service desk told me they would run a diagnostic on it. I agreed that a diagnostic would be the logical step, but that they likely would not find the problem since it is only an occasional occurrence. The service guy looked at me as though I was from outer space, however he did kind of agree with me, saying that a diagnostic won't necessarily find every problem.

A few hours later, the diagnostic being completed, I was informed that everything looked fine and there seemed to be no problem. I then calmly said, "Well, I figured the diagnostic would not find the problem, but I know what the trouble is. The cluster meter is failing."

The guy sort of sarcastic chuckled and replied, "Well, I doubt that."

I let loose a sarcastic chuckle of my own and stated, "No, it's the cluster meter. It's an uncommon problem, but not so uncommon that Toyota does not have a warranty covering Prius cluster meters."

The guy quickly did a search on his computer and guess what; there is a warranty on the cluster meter. I think the discovery put the service guy in a mild state of shock. "Wow, you're right," he muttered.

"Yes, I know," I proudly responded.

They did not charge me for the $115 diagnostic. There is a cluster meter ordered and it will be installed at no charge due to the warranty. I'm telling you; there's no better dad than mine.