After getting as far as I could with the diagnostic aspect of my car troubles, I had to get my car into a dealer to see if I could get away with a cheap fix. I called Tony Graham Kanata Toyota, and they were not that nice about giving me information without having the Prius in their shop. Despite that, I called them back to take the car in because they were the most convenient location for me. After 3 calls to their service desk, I was still unable to actually talk to anyone. Thoroughly frustrated with the lack of communication, I called Tony Graham Nepean Toyota. A world of difference in terms of responsiveness. They also had their shop open from like 8am until 2am, which was a handy thing as well.

With an appointment booked, the Prius was at my house, and the dealer was a solid ~45km away. At this point, the car still drove, so I figured the cheapest option would be to just drive it. The internet and owners manual both strongly suggested that I not do that, but once again, I’m cheap and it seemed like nothing *too* bad could happen. The car certainly didn’t drive like regular, the cycles on battery power were extremely short, even sitting at a stop light. As I got into the city I ran into some traffic and started to think that maybe it wasn’t going to make it. The engine would cut out, then almost immediately come back on. The battery wasn’t draining or charging, and the glaring warning lights certainly didn’t go away. It only got to be particularly stressful when I hit stop and go traffic (when the car most heavily relies on the battery). I was only about 2km from the dealer, and I was starting to think maybe it’d be a bad idea. Even started to consider parking it and getting a tow for the last tiny bit. I didn’t, but I considered it. Made it to the dealer with nothing particularly exciting happening, dropped the car off, and caught a ride home with Cailyn.