A 2015 car with 17000 miles, it’s pretty much a certainty that rodents made a home somewhere in that vehicle.
Toyota Highlander expensive problem.
- Thread starter totegoat
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anybody with a roll of wire and some butt connectors can do it. or solder and heat shrink..
I would assume yes, pretty sure wiper arms and probably the cowl has to come off? I guess it depends on how much of it can be pried out of the way and not be in the way.
Oh the heck with it--lemme google it--looks so.
Very much looks like it all comes apart in that area?
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I sincerely hope this gets squared away with far less out of pocket. If me I’d likely pursue the insurance aspect due to animals.
I do believe that some jobs require that area to be worked in and around. My wife’s GM SUV for example when front struts are replaced…
Good luck
I do believe that some jobs require that area to be worked in and around. My wife’s GM SUV for example when front struts are replaced…
Good luck
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A good indy shop should be a given a chance. if the costs are similar then only would i explore insurance and repair at dealer.
Yep. Like supton said, the wiper arms and cowl have to be removed to replace the windshield. You can see in the bottom picture that the cowl is missing. They may have moved the wiring harness out of the way to do their work and didn't put it back where it belongs when they were through. This might be hard to prove, but now you have an additional possibility to pursue.
I would get a second opinion on the $8000 repair bill though.
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Would this issue show up during trade in evaluation? I would rid myself of it …. Good luck
They burn plenty of folks on trade in so would not feel bad.
They burn plenty of folks on trade in so would not feel bad.
I knew thatI had a mouse roaming underneath my hood because I could see the droppings. Then one day I turned on my fan/AC and I heard a loud grinding noise then all of a sudden it came to a halt. When I pulled the fan motor down, the mouse was in there still alive but unconscious and not bloodied. It didn’t hurt the motor but I had to replace both fuses for the fan motor. Yep it had two fuses and they were both blown. The mouse got a ride on the “Tilt-a-Whirl”.
I'm slow these days....what does this mean?
I had to re-read that a couple times myself.... I can only presume that part of the wiring harness was so loose that it worked it's way into the wiper arm assembly, got caught, and got pulled.
The windshield thing is exactly why I asked if anyone else had been under the cowl if the harness truly did try to dance with the wiper arms or linkage.
I think pics would indicate which as I suspect rodent damage and a tangled, mangled harness would appear quite different.
If the latter, it seems more likely that someone disturbed the harness and did not re-anchor it properly. Harnii are typically well anchored so I find it unlikely it spontaneously jumped into the wiper linkage without previous intervention?
I think pics would indicate which as I suspect rodent damage and a tangled, mangled harness would appear quite different.
If the latter, it seems more likely that someone disturbed the harness and did not re-anchor it properly. Harnii are typically well anchored so I find it unlikely it spontaneously jumped into the wiper linkage without previous intervention?
Is this a place or a person?
Eric O. is a YouTube mechanic personality with a shop called South Main Auto in Upstate New York.
South Main Auto, LLC
South Main Auto, LLC
I watched a video of a 2018 Toyota Highlander Windshield replacement a few moments ago. They removed the wiper arms and cowl, but the wiper motor assembly did not have to be moved. The only wiring being disturbed in this particular video was connected directly to the windshield itself.
I would want to see what they’re talking about with my own eyes, I wouldn’t just take their word for it. Also, if this is indeed the scenario, it’s too much of a coincidence that you just had the windshield replaced before it happened.
I sure hope that you can get this resolved.
I would want to see what they’re talking about with my own eyes, I wouldn’t just take their word for it. Also, if this is indeed the scenario, it’s too much of a coincidence that you just had the windshield replaced before it happened.
I sure hope that you can get this resolved.
To remove the cowl does the windshield have to removed? Check the affected stuff for blown fuses. I once put an 1/8 drill through a big harness in the driver's foot well. About a dozen wires were involved. I used butt splices and shrink tubes. Took an afternoon to fix. The hardest part of job was getting to the harness and then to get slack by unplugging connectors. No meter was required, damage was visible. YMMV. Please post a follow up.
No. The cowl overlaps the bottom of the windshield so the cowl does need to be removed to replace the windshield.
I feel like we're missing some details. What was the initial indication of a problem? Was it just the wipers not working or more?
How can they make this diagnosis if it is so hard to get access to, that they want several thousand dollars worth of labor to do it? Was the estimate itemized, the part #s, especially the "main harness"?
Why would the main harness be running within the wiper cowl box in the first place? I'm not yet stating it's fraud but something seems fishy. Definitely get a 2nd opinion, a non-Toyota shop is where I'd go next, or a mobile mechanic if this "main harness" damage makes it undriveable.
If it's just the wipers out, just grab a schematic and make a new run from the upstream connector. Cut the old wires off and pull them out or at least well out of the way of the wiper linkage.
Mice in cars, lets see how long have they been building cars? And with all the fancy computer design software they still can not design a car or truck that keeps mice out. Just shows who has more intellect, yes the stupid little mouse. I bet a mouse could design a mouse proof car. 
The 8K for replacing wire harness? It would be a huge nasty job, if you have to remove the whole interior and dash etc to do it.
Easy fix of the wires? Maybe depends on where the damage is, if its behind the dash not so easy.
Just too much weirdness with bio degradable wire insulation that rodents love to eat, any manufacture that uses that should have a life time warranty on it, either that or just don't use it. Oh off topic this is also why the paint won't stay on either, just junk paint, yes we all get to buy $100,000 bio degradable junk at dealer ships.
The 8K for replacing wire harness? It would be a huge nasty job, if you have to remove the whole interior and dash etc to do it.
Easy fix of the wires? Maybe depends on where the damage is, if its behind the dash not so easy.
Just too much weirdness with bio degradable wire insulation that rodents love to eat, any manufacture that uses that should have a life time warranty on it, either that or just don't use it. Oh off topic this is also why the paint won't stay on either, just junk paint, yes we all get to buy $100,000 bio degradable junk at dealer ships.
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After wondering about what this meant (Somehow wipers got ahold of the main wiring harness), these were my next questions. I figured I'd wait to see what shook out.
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