Reconditioned Battery/5 year warranty/1500 dollars

I plan on offering a lifetime warranty on a hv battery for $3000. Non transferable to new owners though

 

The name of the operation is Electron Automotive. Another poster called him that earlier in the thread and thought it was funny so I kept it. The guy ma grow weed but if he does I doubt he advertises! This company is reputable and has been around for a while. The new batteries don't come up often and so they mostly work with refurb and used.

 

I haven't read the 3 pages of stuff here, but am I correct, someone from PA is buying from an unknown vendor in CA? With an unheard of brand new secret battery?

 

I am from PA and am buying from Electron Automotive in CA a new battery made by Panasonic I believe which is no secret, they are the largest producer of HV batteries at least for Prius.

 

My meaning of secret is we have many battery enthusiasts that have not heard of this Panasonic new battery. I don't know the distance between the 2 states but a warranty claim would really suck. The information that you've gotten from Electron seems to be internet based and we all know there's tons of fake news out there

 

Electron Automotive - Auto Repair in Orange, CA 92867

 

I've been following this thread and I've looked at Electron Automotives eBay listings.

After reading the details it looks to me like they are shipping the modules loose and including the wire harnesses and hardware, probably not another ECU. This means the buyer has to put it all together using their old case.

I might be wrong but this would explain how they can afford to offer free shipping on hybrid batteries. 28 modules in 3 flat rate boxes costs about $35 to ship. An assembled pack is probably closer to $150.

The pictures on their eBay listing are of a new prius battery in the crate that Toyota ships them in. Based on that I'm guessing that they are in fact new from Toyota (which are made by Panasonic/PrimeEarth). Hopefully the buyer is prepared for "some assembly".

After having been in this business for the last 3 years I can say that I wouldn't trust very many people to install their own hybrid battery much less assemble the entire thing. From a warranty standpoint it will give the seller every opportunity to deny coverage if there is an issue.

Matt

 

I have thought about shipping modules in flat rate boxes, but the modules can get damaged and the boxes don't hold up to the weight.

How much is the eBay listing?

 

$2299 was the price on the eBay listing. That's a couple hundred bucks over the wholesale price from Toyota. Even though I don't think it's a good idea I do understand how they are offering it at this price. It's the same business model that I use. For every 3-4 batteries that you rebuild you need to sell 1 new one. All the waste from the rebuilds goes back to Toyota in a core battery and you keep what comes out of the customers car's. I'm guessing that they only post the new batteries on eBay when they have a bunch of core modules that they need to turn in.

Modules can be shipped 9-10 per medium flat rate box but you have to be so careful about how you package them. I've done it just a few times and it normally takes me a couple of hours to get everything boxed up and padded so that the post office doesn't destroy them. You also have to reinforce the outside of the boxes so that they don't bust open and spill modules everywhere.

Matt

 

There's eBay fees, PayPal fees, and shipping fees. I don't see how this could be profitable at $2299.

And how do they get a core back? Shipping again?

I've had some modules sent to me in 2 flat rate boxes, everything was busted open when I got them

 

I agree there's not much to be made there. The dealers cost on new batteries last time I checked was right around $1800. I've seen some dealers sell for as low as 5-10% over cost which could potentially put them at $1900 before tax. This is all assuming that they are what they say they are. This company in Cali may be breaking even on the new battery so that they can get the core which I'm certain they wan't back. Of course then you have to hope your customer does a good job boxing everything up so that it doesn't get damaged coming back to you.

I've had trash modules shipped to my shop several times. Luckily they were cores that cost me only a few bucks each and they were never going back on the road so I didn't care how banged up they got. I would NEVER trust the post office to handle a set of new modules worth thousands.

 

They hopefully will insure the box, it's $1000 per box

 

Has anyone used the Green Bean service? The deal surely seems good - almost too good to be true as folks are alluding to on this thread. Our 06's hybrid batt is on the outs - trying to figure out if we should replace it or look for another car (standard 4k quote from the dealer). Thanks!

 

Hi everyone,

I always hesitate to post in forums but I figured I should introduce ourselves since this thread has been alive for a while.

So.... HI !

If you ever have any questions about our service then please give us a call as I don't frequent the forums often. If you are looking for our happy customers, or unhappy customers(let me know if you find any) then ask around on our Facebook page, check our reviews, etc. If you don't receive 5 star service from us then I want to hear about it, because we do everything we can to ensure all of our customers are completely satisfied.

Thanks, and have a great holiday season!

TIM

 

hey, welcome and thanks for joining! we get a lot of questions about rebuilt batteries, and it would be really helpful if you participated with expert advice.
all the best and merry Christmas!

 

since we have revived this thread, any news on your battery experience?

 

First, remember that a USED battery is not the same things as a NEW battery.

Apples to Oranges comparison.

There is no way for a USED battery to last as long as a NEW one.

Warranty.
A PRORATED warranty is much different than a FULL REPLACEMENT warranty.

If you get a USED battery from a reputable source, you will usually get a 3 year FULL REPLACEMENT warranty. Even better if it is transferable. (to a different owner or different car)

In the past Green Bean had a PRORATED warranty. But it looks like they made some modification to their warranty on a going forward basis as of November 12, 2017.

Here is a link to their old warranty terms.
Retail Customer Warranty | Green Bean Battery Company

Here is a link to their current warranty terms.
5 Year Full Warranty | Green Bean Battery Company

I think this means they now have FULL REPLACEMENT warranty.

I'll have to give them a call to make sure I understand this correctly.

 

you can now pm them.

 

I'd prefer a phone call. Much easier for me.