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2006 Prius with 179,000 and battery just died

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by PurcellvillePinball, May 7, 2015.

  1. PurcellvillePinball

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    I joined Prius Chat back in 2006 before I purchased my Car on May 1, 2006. This site was great to help me get the best price on the car, the warranty, and the service. I kept my history for a while and faded away.

    It is now 9 years later. My car just hit 179,000. I dropped my wife off at the airport and as I drove away alarms went off. The lights below came on. I stopped to ensure all doors closed and no flats. Drove it to the dealer. They said if the engine light is not flashing I can drive it. I took it to my local service station. They told me the hybrid battery is dead and needs to be replaced.

    I called several dealers. The replacement including the battery ($2588), labor and taxes ranged between $3,166 and $4,500. I called a different local repair shop I sometimes use and they have major experience replacing the hybrid battery. The price out the door is $2,150.

    So for people that like numbers, I thought this information would be interesting:

    Purchase price: $29,032 including package 7, 100,000 mile warranty and auto care for 55,000 miles.

    In 2007, a light bulb went out and was charged $500 to replace. It turns out there was some issue with these Xenon (sp?) lights. I called Toyota care and they reimbursed me. I asked if the other one was covered and they said they would. In 2008, the other light went out and they paid for this light direct to the dealer.

    I purchased new tires at 40,000 and 100,000. At 100,000 I bought 80,000 mile tires and store said there was still about 25,000 miles left. Nice.

    One of the wheel boots needed to be replaced since it tore last year.

    At 175,000 my rear brakes needed to be replaced. They said it was the first time I replaced them. The front brakes have not yet been replaced and are still good.

    The above repairs and regular maintenance since I passed the 55,000 included service cost me $4,500 (which also included another set of head lights but the price has dropped a bit more).

    I don't know what I spent on gas over the years but I have averaged 45.6 mpg.

    Up to now, my cost of ownership has been $33,532. With the $2,150 for the new battery, I am now up to $35,682. This is not bad for 9 years of ownership and I hope to get another 9 or more out of this great car.

    Michael
    Purcellville, VA
    IMG_1789.jpg

    IMG_1789.jpg
     
    bisco, mmmodem, Karoger87 and 2 others like this.
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    that's a great experience, thanks for relating it to us. i bet your car drives almost like new. all the best in the coming years!(y)
     
    #2 bisco, May 7, 2015
    Last edited: Jun 7, 2016
  3. PurcellvillePinball

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    Thanks. The car runs like new. It is funny that without the hybrid battery the car is listless. It has no acceleration and struggles to go up a hill on my usual route home. Can't wait to get it back.
     
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  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yup, it's a teeny tiny little engine.
     
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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    btw, a lot of peeps in your area would love to know where to get a great battery, at a great price, from a great company.:) there are a lot of scammers out there.
     
    Karoger87 likes this.
  6. PurcellvillePinball

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    Progressive Automotive in Hamilton, Virginia is the place that I went to get the battery replaced. It is a remanufactured battery. It will have a 3 year warranty. The dealers only had a 1 year warranty and I believe most if not all of them were also going to provide a remanufactured battery.
     
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  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    thank you, all the best.(y)
     
  8. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Where did you get that idea?
     
  9. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Hi Purcellville did you get the tax credit in 2006? (in your numbers) I know it was a lousy tax credit because many could not get it due to AMT rules (I think we got partial credit I try to convince myself that).
     
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  10. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Are you relying upon the opinion of your local service station mechanic who says the traction battery has failed? Do you know what diagnostic trouble codes were logged?

    If your answers to the above are yes and no, I recommend that you obtain the DTC and post them. I would not expect a service station mechanic to know much about troubleshooting Toyota hybrids.

    If you go to a Toyota dealer and just say, "...change the traction battery," then they are likely to do that since you are funding that replacement, regardless of whether the battery actually has failed or not. A better request would be, "...my dashboard looks like a Christmas tree. Please determine the cause and quote a repair price."

    Further, I would expect a Toyota dealer to install a new (not remanufactured) traction battery sourced directly from Toyota. If you are serious about getting another 9 years of service life from your car, you would do much better by having a new battery installed.

    Do not confuse the 3 year warranty term given on a remanufactured battery, with its expected life. The warranty is only as good as the company offering it.

    You did not include a photo of your MFD in your OP. Does a warning icon appear in the upper left corner? If so, please take a photo of that and post.
     
    #10 Patrick Wong, May 8, 2015
    Last edited: May 8, 2015
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  11. PurcellvillePinball

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    Sorry. I was incorrect. I was mising up information. I called back one dealer and they use new batteries, so I assume they all use new batteries.
     
  12. PurcellvillePinball

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    The repair company I use is certified by Toyota. They have the certificate that they went through the training and they have the equipment to work on Hybrids. I have been working with this repair company since 1998 and they have been honest with me, so I assume they are telling me the truth.

    The other repair company (which is a little bit further away from me so the other is more convenient) is also certified to work on Toyota hybrids. The owner just called me a few minutes ago and told me that the car is providing 10 codes related to the battery. They checked the cooling fan to ensue it was working properly, which is is. They confirmed the diagnosis from the other company that the battery needs to be replaced.

    He uses remanufactured batteries. He has been using them for years with no issues. They have also been in business since we moved here in 1998 so I assume they will be around for another 3 years.

    Yes, I was incorrect. The dealers use new batteries. I mixed up my phone calls and apologize for that.

    I asked the place that will replace my battery about new vs remanufactured. As I wrote above, he has had no issues. If I can keep this car for a few more years I will be happy. If I can keep it for another 9 years that would be great.
     
  13. PurcellvillePinball

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    In 2006 I did get the tax credit. I believe it was about $3,000. Based on my income and/or other factors, I only was credited with about $2,700.

    I forgot about this, so it lowers the cost of ownership a bit :)
     
  14. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Excellent - $3150 was the max
     
  15. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Anything you can say about hybrid repair shops is appreciated as we often get questions from NoVA residents where they can go, and we have not heard previously about Progressive in Hamilton...what's the other one?
     
  16. PurcellvillePinball

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    The other reputable shop is Purcellville Tire. They have a Toyota certified technician who is also certified on Toyota Hybrids.

    They just do not replace the hybrid battery since they have not had enough experience. But they have been maintaining my car for much less than the dealership. In fact, they maintain my wife's Honda CRV and my Dodge Ram 1500 and have been very fair to me over the years. I highly recommend them. They are less than 1 mile from my house.

    The shop that did my batteries, as I stated, is Progressive Automotive, in Hamilton, VA. They are 2 miles from my house. I know. I just walked there to pick up my finished car. It is running smoothly again.
     
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  17. PurcellvillePinball

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    As I wrote above, the car had the issue Tuesday evening. I brought it to Purcellville Tire who diagnosed it with a dead hybrid battery. I took it to Progressive Automotive in Hamilton last night. They were even nice enough to drive me home. They told me they would have the battery by Monday. Their supplier happened to have a battery and they installed it today.

    For this interested in the costs:

    Diagnose Check Engine Light: on board computer analysis/fuel, vacuum and ignition systems check/retrieve code and diagnose running problem/relearn idle and drivability strategies/system has 2,500 different components that can trigger check engine light/codes: P3000, PO480, P3019, C1259, C1310
    charge: $98.45

    Complete Hybrid battery assembly/renew (3 year warranty)
    charge: $344.58

    Part #: 587001 Hybrid Battery $1,627.34

    Labor: $443.03
    Parts: $1,627.34
    Enviro/supplies: $19.21
    Subtotal: $2,089.58
    Tax: $98.60
    Total: $2,188.18

    Hope this info helps someone.

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    #17 PurcellvillePinball, May 8, 2015
    Last edited: May 8, 2015
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  18. PurcellvillePinball

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    Is this the picture you wanted to see?

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  19. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Thanks, glad to hear that the traction battery replacement was the appropriate response to your car's problems. Good luck with your continued ownership of the 2006 Prius.
     
  20. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    Its a shame you didn't go with a NEW HV Battery, esp since you want to keep the current Prius for as long as possible.

    Difference of a NEW vs Refurbished HV Battery is relatively small $3166-$2150 = $1016, considering 9years/179,000miles.

    If we assume the new HV Battery gives you another 9years/179,000miles, the amortized cost is reasonable.
    $3166/9years = $351.78/year; $3166/179,000miles = $.0177/mile

    Running the amortization for a rebuilt will be lower of course, but you are facing Powerball odds of getting 9years/1790,000miles. I'll be generous and say you get 5 years and 99,444miles [(179,000miles/9years)*5years].
    $2150/5years = $430/year; $2150/99,444miles = $.0216/mile

    If your rebuilt dies in under 5 years, the cost per year and mile will be a lot higher than the above projection. I am assuming the warranty is not pro-rated for the 3 years, and you will be responsible for labor charges for the warranty installation. I will also assume that the warranty replacement is not reset for another 3 years, but rather the remaining balance from the original rebuilt HV Battery.

    As JC91006 best stated this, "A common mistake people make when shopping is using the warranty as indicator of product quality."
    Yeah, the price difference is another factor too, but think of the HV Battery as a very expensive cell phone battery. If you are happy w/ your smart phone, and plan to keep it for awhile, would you honestly buy a used/rebuilt smart phone battery? Unfortunately the Prius HV Battery is not priced like smart phone batteries. Yeah, not the best analogy, but the only one I could think of involving a disposable wear item and technology.

    If you still have the Prius when the HV Battery fails, do report the years and mileage you got from the rebuilt HV Battery. It will be interesting to see the correct amortization cost.