1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Battery Failure Advice?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Katie Conlan, Sep 8, 2014.

  1. Katie Conlan

    Katie Conlan New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2014
    3
    0
    0
    Location:
    Nashville, TN
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I have a 2007 Prius with about 150K miles. Took it in today and after the scan there were 15 different codes. One was HV battery failure (can't figure out the other codes' sources unless battery is replaced). They said it would be $5500 total to replace. My questions are as follows: is it worth it to replace the battery because afterwards I will still have a car with 150K miles? Will replacing the battery give the car longevity that will make the cost worth it or will I continue to have issues? Should I just buy a new car instead? Also keep in mind I paid 10,000 for the car to start with; this repair is over half that.
     
  2. stonerider

    stonerider Member

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2014
    107
    19
    0
    Location:
    Lompoc, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    HV Battery replacement by itself costs about $3000-4000 including parts and labor at a Toyota dealer; there are less expensive alternatives, such as re-balancing and/or replacing individual battery modules. It sounds like there are other repairs besides the HV battery in your Prius. A Prius can go more than 250K miles, easily with proper maintenance. It's up to you to decide whether you should just buy a new car. If you can drive it, make a trip the San Francisco or Indianapolis and pay a visit to the Luscious Garage (SF) or Autobeyours (Ind) for a second opinion and less expensive repairs with peace of mind thrown in.
     
  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,464
    8,377
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    What are the 15 codes? How long have you owned the car?

    You don't want to invest $5000 to fix 5 codes and leave 10 codes that can cost you $5000 more. You need the full picture of how much it would cost to fix all the issues.
     
  4. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2009
    12,470
    6,862
    2
    Location:
    Greenwood MS USA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    Firstly, test the 12 volt battery. When you get codes from all over the car, it. May be that the computers are not getting power, and all the codes are bogus.

    If your 12 volt battery is good, how mechanical are you? Will.replaceing the battery with a $900 battery off ebay be in your skillset?
     
    PriusGuy32 and dorunron like this.
  5. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2004
    4,365
    3,209
    1
    Location:
    Madison, Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Find out the codes and share them here.

    I sell and install hybrid batteries in high mileage Prius, so my bias is that, yes, it is worth it.

    Do you have an independent mechanic who you trust?

    I'd be happy to send a refurbished pack to you and have a local mechanic install it. Pack costs less than $1,900 and has a 3 year warranty.

    Call me and time and we can talk about your situation.
     
  6. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2014
    1,612
    1,144
    0
    Location:
    Franklin TN
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Katie, I see that you are from nashville, Me too! Anyway, I found a company out of Memphis that rebuild and restores hybrid batterys. They sale the battery for 800 bucks! And within a 3 hour radius of Memphis they will install it for free, in your case it might be a little over 3 hours. So you may have to pay a fee.
    They are called Hybrid Restoration. Please don't spend 5000$ on a battery.
    This battery isn't new, and won't be good as a new one but it will sure be very close. All their batterys under go lots of testing
     
  7. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2014
    1,612
    1,144
    0
    Location:
    Franklin TN
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
  8. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2014
    1,612
    1,144
    0
    Location:
    Franklin TN
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
  9. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2004
    4,365
    3,209
    1
    Location:
    Madison, Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Please note that they only warranty their work for 12 months.
     
  10. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2014
    1,612
    1,144
    0
    Location:
    Franklin TN
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Who gives a damn for 800 bucks! Lol
     
    drosales likes this.
  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    katie, did you get a new car yet?
     
  12. drosales

    drosales Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 13, 2013
    20
    3
    0
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
  13. Easy Rider 2

    Easy Rider 2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 5, 2014
    1,584
    257
    0
    Location:
    Ocala, FL
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    Also test the connections to the battery.
    And if it is over 3 years old or the age is unknown, replace it.
    It is a good $200 gamble......when measured against the $4000 alternative.
     
  14. blue 04

    blue 04 Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2014
    26
    2
    0
    Location:
    Huntsville Alabama
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I have a HVbattery repair and replacement shop in Huntsville Alabama huntsvillehybrid.com. I install remanufactured batteries from Dorman or replace a single cell in you're Prius battery. Installation of a Dorman or any replacement battery of your choice for $350.00 or I can replace a cell in your Prius battery for $650.00. I work on Gen l and Gen ll Prius or Camry.
     
  15. jeff652

    jeff652 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 6, 2014
    594
    621
    0
    Location:
    Idaho
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Try one of our grid chargers for under $400 to rebalance your existing pack and keep it running. Odds are that is all you need. With deep cycling, years can be added to the battery's life if the process is started early enough. If after cycling specific modules are found to be bad, replace the individual modules and rebalance.

    Or if you don't want to deal with the do-it-yourself process, just buy a replacement pack from ericbecky. He is a trusted vendor and will take good care of you.

    Here is a recent example of what our product did on a 2005 Prius:

    [​IMG]
     
    #15 jeff652, Jan 4, 2015
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2015
  16. Genghis John

    Genghis John Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2015
    7
    3
    0
    Location:
    Fayetteville, Georgia
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    II
    ^ These work. My 2005 Prius threw up the red triangle of death (along with every other light on the panel), and the dealer wanted $3,500 to replace the HV battery. The Hybrid Automotive grid charger cost less than $450 and, with around two hours of trouble-free installation, has fixed the battery and removed all the warning lights. I know it's not a permanent fix, but it gives me time to raise the $1,400 I'll need for a new battery to install.
     
    jeff652 likes this.
  17. Burger

    Burger New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2015
    10
    0
    0
    Location:
    Williamsburg VA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I have a question if you can help me with that would be great. Does toyota make the hybrid battery for 2007 anymore? I'm confused as some have told me they do (dealer of course) and others say no that they can recondition your own or put in a Re-manufactured one. Can you give me the real truth?
     
  18. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2009
    12,470
    6,862
    2
    Location:
    Greenwood MS USA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    The dealer has and or can get a battery for any Prius back to 2001, this will be the most expensive solution. There are also reconditioned batteries and used batteries, which will be cheaper. (and may last less long) If your 2007 car blew an engine, would you buy a new one, get a rebuilt one, or get one from a junkyard?
     
  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    if you decide not to buy a new one, be very careful, there are a lot of scammers out there.
     
  20. Burger

    Burger New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2015
    10
    0
    0
    Location:
    Williamsburg VA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    There is a guy in DC. Who will come to your house and for 1750 will replace hybrid battery (Priushybridrepair). Has whole family in Prius '. Veteran and has a shop. He says that Toyota doe not make new hybrid batteries anymore. They are all remanufactured. Seems to be very honest and open. Been doing this for a few years. Thoughts? His name is jack