HV battery died. 2006 Prius, under 70k miles. Any advice?

Try for the goodwill.

 

Try for a goodwill discount.
Else find a way to finance the amount. Some garages have short term financing options or check with your bank/credit union.
Given the low miles, putting in a new battery will last a long time.

Curious, though, about how you got to this point.
Was the 12v checked.?
Did the car sit a long time unused (a few weeks) before the light came on? Cuould just be out of balance, then and not need replacing.
If you clear the error does it immediately come back?
What Exactly are the existing error codes and subcodes?
Maybe it was a one-time error and not return.

I can discuss some other ideas with you on Tuesday if you give a call to my shop.

 

I am assuming you are at the same dealer which you bought the car from? If that's the case, speak with the sales manager there and tell them you bought the car there about a year ago and it only has 69k miles. You want to request a goodwill warranty from either Toyota or the dealership.

 

welcome! a agree that if you can't get warranty, you're in the perfect position to purchase a new battery for $2,100. plus install. all the best!

 

A lot cheaper to go with rebuilds if can't get goodwill. Usually just a couple of cells dead so very easy to recondition. Removal + install does take some time and dangerous if you don't know how to work around high direct current that can kill you. These guys will do everything for $1200. Not sure they are available in TN though. You might call them and see they know rebuilders around your location

Toyota Prius 2004-2009 | GoVoltage

Would be interesting to find out what caused failure at 70k miles though. I think heat kills these batteries so the fan need to be operative + cooling channels need to be clear.

 

the fact that they charge different prices for 1, 2 and 3 year warranty means... they replace quite a few during years 2 and 3?

 

Maybe just a way to make more money since people like a peace of mind. Just a guess.

 

If you go with a shipped replacement, make sure you understand what you're getting and how the warranty works. I ran into someone that ordered a battery from out of state that included free installation; however, when the battery failed... twice... within 2 years, they have had to pay for removal/installation/return shipping... about $250 per event, so another $500 out of pocket.

At the time we spoke, she was on her 3rd failure.

 

There is a reason that they are a lot cheaper, but, in my opinion, they are well over priced for what you get. Nobody should be paying more than $400-$600 for buying another person's failed and then recycled battery.

I would +1 the advice you have been given:

Try for the goodwill; but if that doesn't pan out, do whatever it take to finance the repair - $3308 is actually a good price for a repair that will last another 10 years.

Going the recycled battery route may get you going with a lower initial outlay, but it is the type of repair that just keeps on costing you in the long run and you will not have true peace of mind with it.

 

how about time? we are talking 10 years here.

 

Not everyone that rebuilds batteries does poor work or sells poor quality batteries. However, I pulled a battery out of an 05 yesterday that absolutely takes the cake! I have never seen such shoddy work in my life! There is no way that I would send out a battery that looked anything even close to this one! Someone deserves the Darwin award for this one!

That being said, I agree that a rebuilt one is not as good as brand new. However, if it's done properly there is no reason to not expect it to last a very long time. There is definitely a value gained by installing a reconditioned battery. You can install 3 or 4 for the price of a trip to the dealership. There is no reasonable expectation for a new battery to outlast 3 or 4 properly reconditioned ones. The value is even greater in an older car that has a lower book value. It just doesn't make sense to spend $4 - $5k on a battery for a car that's only worth that much or even less.

 

Whaaaaa!!!??!??!?!!!
That is one weird hack of a battery!

 

BTW, any correlation on shorter battery life in hotter climates?

I have a Tesla Model S 85kWHr and Gen2+Gen3 Prius and read up a bit on the Leaf. While all the pure EVs are Li Ion and not NiMH on these non plug-in Prius. 2 common wear factor on battery are

A. Heat
B. Number full charge/discharges

Tesla battery does really well because 1) coolant regulated temperature 2) huge capacity so mostly doing small charge/discharge ranges in typical operation.

Leaf has it hard because 1) air cooled so tough in hot climates 2) relatively small capacity so always doing large charge/discharges.

Prius is 1) air cooled from air inside the cabin 2) Toyota's software did a good job staying from the extreme charge/discharge.

So it would seem Prius in hotter climates might have greater battery wear. Any statistics or correlation?

 

greasemonkey007, while I agree entirely with what you have said, you have hit the nail on the head, and your photo shows graphically what first time owners are up against, being totally unaware of all the issues. It would be good if all the rebuilders/reconditioners were as diligent and knowledgeable as those that contribute here, such as yourself, but unfortunately those are outnumbered, by a significant margin, by the cowboys out there who, armed with a little knowledge and skill, produce shoddy work, such as the one you illustrated.

This is the crux of the matter, IMO. It would seem that not many are doing properly.

You don't have to spend that much, more like $2,500-$3,330, to get a new battery, but you are right, the cost needs to weighed up against all the factors as to whether it is worth spending the money to get the car going again.

 

$2,000 is a good deal.
While in there they should clean the hybrid battery fan.
Also have them check for water leaks in your spare tire well/12v battery well. Seal seams if necessary.

 

Definitely a ditto! These cars are prone to leak around the seams at the hatch and run into the car undetected, dripping behind the upholstery. Water will accumulate in the two wells on either side or the spare tire well. The fan shaft can also rust, causing it to lock up. If they will blow it out with an air blower, they'll know if it needs attention. I recently had to free one with wd-40 and some elbow grease.

 

Yep.
Just had a guy with about a gallon of water in the back of his Prius yesterday.