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New HV Batt. required (Gen II), options?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Wonky, Mar 15, 2015.

  1. Wonky

    Wonky Junior Member

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    Greetings,
    I'm in So. Cal. (Oceanside) driving an '07 with 200K+ miles. It was recently diagnosed as needing traction batt. I'm assuming the 200k miles puts me out of warranty. I'll probably shop dealer prices for OEM batt. (~$2500) but am tempted to look for a wrecked 09 with 50k - thinking a $500 replacement might be possible.

    If someone here can relate a good experience purchasing used batt from local wrecking yard, great.
    Otherwise I'm looking for where (in So. Cal.) to get best price on new OEM batt.

    Thanks/Cheers!
     
    #1 Wonky, Mar 15, 2015
  2. Cory151

    Cory151 Member

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    Windows up, direct sunlight on these 90 (inside the car will be more like 140) degree heat waves always seem to expose marginal batteries in SoCal. At least it has for me in the past, I got a rebuilt thats still going after 2 years but Ive conditioned that pack once as well.
     
    #2 Cory151, Mar 15, 2015
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  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    there's a thread here by 'sagebrush' on the best new battery prices.
     
    #3 bisco, Mar 15, 2015
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  4. strawbrad

    strawbrad http://minnesotahybridbatteries.com

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    First thing to get is a Mini VCI Cable and Toyota Techstream Software. The cables can be bought on Ebay or Amazon for less than $25. This will give you the same level of diagnostics as a Toyota dealer. Without this tool you are trying to fix your car in the dark with your eyes closed.

    Use Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market to look for junk yard batteries. Te best deal I saw near Oceanside is $700 for an 2005 with unknown miles in Fontana. 50K and $500 is just not going to happen. If they do not have a core charge then $700 is not too bad a deal. Between a junk yard pack and your original pack you could keep a 200K car running for the rest of its life. You would have to get good at swapping and matching battery modules.

    List on a OEM battery is $2588.67. I do not have any info on discount dealers in California.
     
    #4 strawbrad, Mar 15, 2015
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  5. littlehandegan

    littlehandegan Junior Member

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    Also consider a Dorman battery. About $1,100 + core charge with warranty. Fairly easy to DIY
     
    #5 littlehandegan, Mar 15, 2015
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  6. Wonky

    Wonky Junior Member

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    Thanks everybody:
    Cory: Good point/observation about the heat-wave being a critical factor. Re: Rebuilts: I'm wary of purchasing a rebuilt; just don't want to be facing same issue in a couple of years. It may seem a contradiction that I'd consider using batt. from wrecked car; my thought was I could go another 150k (~6years) on OEM batt. even with 50k miles already (based on my 200k experience).

    bisco: Sagebrush has many interesting posts where the word "battery" appears! I didn't find a thread that identified a specific low-priced battery source. On the other hand, I did kill an hour reading many other interesting posts...;)

    strawbrad: Thanks for the suggestion! It would suck to spend this kind of money only to find out the problem wasn't the HV battery!
    When I brought vehicle to dealer it displayed "Big Red Triangle", amber "(!)", amber "VSC", "Check Engine". Dealer called an hour later and said I need new HV Batt. $25 sounds like cheap insurance (assuming software is free).
    Re:"You would have to get good at swapping...". Maybe if I was 20 years younger "load-balancing" and fear of being shocked wouldn't be a deterrent.
    Is Dealer list price available (from Toyota) online?

    littlehandegan: Thanks for the link. I'm OK with a DIY battery swap and looked hard at the Dorman option. At 42% the cost of OEM, it would have to last 85kmiles to match the value of EOM (in my experience). Will this car run another 200k? Maybe not. Will I need to exercise the warranty (failure in less than 36mo)? Probably so - driving far and hard. Do I want to exercise warranty(?) no. If I was confident a rebuilt would last as long as OEM, it would make the price-comparison much easier...

    To all, Thanks/Cheers
     
    #6 Wonky, Mar 15, 2015
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    try 'new traction battery cost: start shopping here'
     
    #7 bisco, Mar 15, 2015
  8. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    #8 SageBrush, Mar 15, 2015
    kettledrum and Wonky like this.
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    thanks!:)
     
    #9 bisco, Mar 15, 2015
  10. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    No problem.

    Search has improved in PriusChat but it is still not great. I use google instead.
    E.g., 'prius battery shopping' site:friuschat.com

    Change the 'f' to a 'p' for priuschat. The automatic smileys prevent me from typing correctly.
     
    #10 SageBrush, Mar 16, 2015
  11. Wonky

    Wonky Junior Member

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    Excellent.
    I need to call ToyPartsCheap back with VIN (closed now). If the price is still as shown, then you/priuschat have saved me ~$500.
    Is SHOPing the most direct way to support priuschat? Heck, I'd gladly donate a couple cases of beer (in Bass/Newcastle price-range).

    ONE MORE QUESTION...
    Today when my wife went to "Toyota Carlsbad" to price battery, their quote included a $117 "misc" charge (after tax), which the parts-guy justified as a "battery installation certification" or words to that effect. The inspection/certification was supposedly required because of DIY installation. At this point I doubt very much I'll purchase battery from them, but I'm wondering if the "inspection/certification" is real.

    Has anyone heard of this?. (I'd be happy to scan/post the quote, if there's an interest.)

    Many thanks.

    P.S. Just noticed a comment on quote beside "Ship To":
    "1 HOUR LABOR FOR RE-PACKING HV BATTERY"
    ?
     
    #11 Wonky, Mar 21, 2015
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2015
  12. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    ^^ Garbage fee. No requirement by Toyota
     
    #12 SageBrush, Mar 21, 2015
  13. Wonky

    Wonky Junior Member

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    Relieved to hear there's no penalty for my doing battery replacement.
    Sincere thanks for the link & advice.
     
    #13 Wonky, Mar 21, 2015
  14. gatorglenn

    gatorglenn Member

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    Where can I find the Dorman battery for around $1100? $1300 plus are the prices that I am finding.

    Thanks,
    Glenn
     
    #14 gatorglenn, Mar 30, 2015
  15. tinfolder

    tinfolder New Member

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    have u check junk yard near your place? I've seen some people parting out accident cars, and selling the battery for $650.
    check craigslist
    personally i would just get a battery from junk yard, that seems to be the cheapest route, and you should look for later model car cause they say the battery life is more about age vs mileage.
     
    #15 tinfolder, Apr 1, 2015
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