HV Battery fail @ 126K miles

I hear ya!

 

Maybe that is why I am not sympathizing too much with the OP. I understand his grief, but I do agree that "Be Aware" is more the case than "Beware". I do hope the OP is happy and that new Rav 4 last's him at least 250K with no major problems!

Bottom line: All cars can be expensive to fix at times. It is generally cheaper to repair then it is to replace.

Ron

 

If you're doing 10k/yr, unless you're in peroetual slow traffic you steer clear of hybrids unles you're willing to spend extra. But personally, I know about the battery cost, I'm doing 16.5k/yr and I'd replace it if the time came. Of course by the time I've had it for 9 years it'll be time to get something better, like a Tesla Gen 3.

 

And new cars are an expensive insurance policy.

 

If it were me, and my Prius was still in decent shape, I would've sought out a low mileage used traction battery on car-part.com (salvage yards) or ebay or something and installed it myself.

Even if the used battery went bad in 1.5-2 years, I'd go out and buy another low mileage used one for $500 (or less?)...lol. Still cheaper than a new one if I did that 6 times over a period of 12 years.

 

There is much more to buying a new car than deferring repair costs on an older car. But you know that. The guy made decision to sell the old car with high mileage and a large repair cost he was facing for a new Rav4 and apply the trade in value toward the new purchase. He got a New car with low payments. At his junction he was facing a future of expensive repairs. Best to cut your losses and get the most you can from a older car.

He is not one to get emotionally attached to his cars or a mechanic.

Also the RAV 4 Genie was to hot to handle.

 

I don't recall anyone mentioning the sales tax paid on the new car. That's an easy $1500-$2000! To each their own, but I would have just replaced the battery and drove it as far as I could...


iPad ? HD

 

Best I can tell the OP felt that he was going to be pouring good money into bad. I do understand the mindset. However, I feel that the first couple of major repairs are acceptable in just about any vehicle. There comes a time in everyone's budget when they say enough is enough. Evidently, that was the case.

Like yourself, I too would have simply changed the battery and went on down the road. There are a lot of alternatives out there. I accept the fact that at some point the traction battery will fail. If it happens, it will be dealt with at that time. To me it is a lot cheaper to spend a minimum of $500 to a maximum of $3500 than trying to pay off another car. Heck, if I can't afford the $500 for a scrap yard unit, I will tear into it myself and find the bad cell or cell's with my volt meter. Other's here have done it, and got it going again. It may only last 6 months or a year, but that is still time to keep driving until one can afford to fix it properly. There are always alternatives, the main thing is not to get in a rush.

Ron

 

I would have bought that car off you. Wish you had listed it here....

 

I drove 2 Honda Civics 10 plus years and 250,000 miles. Purchased both new from the dealer. One I gave to my daughter when it was 5 years old in HS and she drove it through Hs and College graduation and her first job after graduation. Sure I had repair bills from time to time but never $3,500. If I got one that big I would have looked at alternatives and trading it in would be front and center for an old junker

 

OP made one mistake for sure, in not making sure that in fact the traction battery was failing. Collecting the codes and asking opinions here is free and really helpful.

As for whether to dump the car if it actually needs a new battery, I know I am going to keep the car and either put in a salvage battery or buy a new one unless the car is showing obvious signs of other problems. Even at $3500 and a very lowball estimate of 150k miles per battery, that works out to an extra 2.3 cents a mile. Easy choice as far as I am concerned.

People that cannot handle a $3500 repair, and instead walk into a $20 - $25k new car loan as a solution have to get their sh1t together and save $50 a month into a repair fund. The Prius is not the problem.

 

Everyone is different. I used to keep cars a decade. Now 7 years I'm thinking about a new car and worry free motoring. Who knows maybe this Prius may be different. I don't drive many miles

The salesman said a replacement battery is $1,000 an he had that stuck in his head. It must have been a surprise.

Funny how people emotionality attached to cars never selling them, passed on from generation to generation

 

^^ My version of worry free motoring is paying $3 a month for a cell phone so that I can call for assistance, and a ride home from my wife.

 

169,398 Miles on my 07' Hope it last much much longer.

 

One of the PC members posted a report on the lifespan of various Hybrid batteries. It seems that cooling and environment (Heat) is very important. Mileage did not seem to be a factor but Environment. The report talked about life span. It seemed from the report that the 10 year anniversary is the pinnacle. Anything after that the failure rate increase is significant. The report said if the car has a adequate cooling system the life span improves. Prius has a air cooled based system with fans. The software also monitors load on the battery.

 

Just saying mileage may not impact the battery, but other components may need to be replaced, springs, struts, ICE rebuild, etc. Toyota is a good solid car you may have faired better than other cars in that same driving distance. If you keep up to the Preventative maintenance you should be OK.

Interesting Thread.

Inverter failure | PriusChat

 

JMD -- I presume you watch "The Big Bang Theory" (TV show) ??

 

Occasionally , I know she us on that one.