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Prius Battery Replacement Kit (GenII/GenIII) with NEW custom cells

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by 2k1Toaster, Oct 13, 2017.

  1. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    I have not found any dealer willing to ship a hybrid battery.
    $3,900 is the highest I have ever heard for a bare battery.

    Some dealer's don't even charge that much for getting a pack installed with them, part+labor.
     
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  2. kenoarto

    kenoarto Senior Member

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    NO. This is just a dishonest lie. Several people have reported paying $1650 (or less) and DIY. Some independent shops are now installing brand new, genuine Toyota batteries for $2000 with labor fully included. Let us not forget that 2k1 tends to overhype his new battery design (which, is out of stock).
     
  3. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    Not likely from a dealer in Ohio. I know they ship to Virginia though.
    It is almost like it is a different country up there where @Mendel Leisk is located. ;) :)
     
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  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    And other times, like we're just a few more States. :rolleyes:
     
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  5. kenoarto

    kenoarto Senior Member

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  6. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Just because it is printed may not mean anything.
    One would have to call them and confirm for sure.
    Too often the dealer refuses to sell a HV battery to a customer.
     
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  7. DMC-5180

    DMC-5180 Active Member

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    It also states part contains hazardous materials. Extra shipping costs apply.

    My guess is that the shipping cost for delivery and core return wipeout the discounted savings off list price.


    iPhone X ?
     
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  8. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    At least some of the online dealers refuse to ship the HV battery.
     
  9. kenoarto

    kenoarto Senior Member

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    It's always a good idea to get prices in writing for anything you buy. That is why I took a coupla minutes to write emails to several of the dealers with low prices and received confirmed answers, in writing. Oddly, a few of the overpriced places tended to not want to sell to DIYers, but most of the low priced discounters are gung ho..
     
  10. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Did you ask how many they had sold on-line and shipped? Shipping charges? Core charge? Cost to ship core back? Etc.
     
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  11. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    I suspect cost to ship core back would be borne by the buyer & dependent on the distance shipped.

    One question would be carrier type. Some freight shippers (Fed-Ex Freight, at least) do not want to deliver to my house at the end of a 0.4 mile dead end road. I know UPS has packaging restrictions on heavy items. I have has over 90 lb items delivered a couple of times though.
     
  12. Larryy

    Larryy Active Member

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    Why not give it a whirl on at least on cab? You should be able to write off at least some the expense and the daily torture of cab work could provide some valuable real word endurance data.
     
    #392 Larryy, Mar 18, 2018
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2018
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  13. DMC-5180

    DMC-5180 Active Member

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    I’m not sure how much the toyota pack weighs. I’m sure total weight varies by container, crate or pallet.

    I just had king size tuft & needle Mint mattress delivered on Friday. 100lbs via Fedex Ground. The box was 24 x 24 x 55” or so. I was home when it arrived and the delivery driver picked it up in Bear hug fashion carrying it from the truck to my front door. I offered assistance, but he no I got this. I’m thinking to myself holy crap.


    iPhone X ?
     
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  14. DMC-5180

    DMC-5180 Active Member

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    Core charge is $1350.00 which is shown just below the $1655.00 price. So it behooves you to send it back.

    With 2k1’s kit you only pay shipping one way. No core charge and you can sell off individual sells on Ebay too help offset the kit cost.

    The other thing is,realistically, the HV pack will only get replaced Once in the Average prius’ lifetime. Yes, there are the extremely rare cases where taxis might run 600k plus. But for the average car it would have been retired to the boneyard especially cars in the rust belt states.


    iPhone X ?
     
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  15. kenoarto

    kenoarto Senior Member

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    A taxi cab torture test seems ideal!
    If 2k1 would distribute a few for testing, some very good torture tests could be done.
     
  16. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    He already has at least 2 tested by experts here. He is running one and has sold quite a few in the US and elsewhere, I believe.
    It is difficult spinning up a business concern with limited capital resources.

    @ericbecky was so confident in the kit that he lent his pack to a customer.
     
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  17. Larryy

    Larryy Active Member

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    I'm sure he would "distribute" a few packs for testing. But I would not expect him do do it for free. I'm certain he has significant investment in these kits.
     
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  18. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    I'm sure, as he is so keen to get the data, kenoarto will happily bank roll that.
     
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  19. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    Who said they weren't being used in cabs? I know of at least one in the US (Arizona region) and a fleet repair shop has used a few in cabs in Quebec as a trial run. My warranty doesn't exclude fleet service like almost every other battery warranty.
     
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  20. Ev1lTw1n

    Ev1lTw1n Member

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    Just chiming in here. I received my new 2K1 Pack and installed it just over two weeks ago. Now, this isn't my first go-around with pack rebuilding. In my 2007 Prius, the pack went out and I spent 3 weeks doing the whole rebuild thing. The car had 123K miles on it. I ordered replacement cells from ebay. I pulled the pack and balanced the cells and did all the things needed. The rebuild lasted me 2 1/2 years. The nice thing about this go around with the 2K1 pack was I thought the price was fair given what I was being sold (full pack, 2 year warranty) and the car was only down for the time it took to get the kit and get it installed. So maybe a week. I did not go to the dealer for a price this time around. Since installing the pack two weeks ago, the car is running great (it's now my daughter's daily driver, but I ask periodically how it's running). Once I have some data from mileage, etc, I'll pass along some info. So far, I'm pleased with my purchase.

    Regarding installation of the pack, there are some parts of the process I wish were smoother. Certainly, some clearer instructions need to accompany the pack. Also, the old busbar wiring that is retained is a bit wonky in how it lines up with the new modules and took some "encouragement" to get things closed up. This is entirely due to the fact that the new modules have different attachment pin locations, relative to the originals, so things are a little off there. 2K1Toaster was quick to respond respond when I had questions/concerns. I was able to finish the whole thing in a weekend, even having my daughter do a good bit of the work since it was her car. Since I had pulled the pack once before, I knew what needed to be done and I had the experience to make things move a bit faster.

    As for those of you in this forum that seem to have this axe to grind with the OP, really? It's not like you bought his product and had a bad experience with it. The guy came up with a solution to an extremely common problem on our cars...failing batteries, and has produced what seems to be a competent replacement. He's probably done more to solve the problem than any of us have. Nobody is forcing you to buy his stuff. If you don't like what he's selling, don't buy it. Plain and simple. Me personally, I don't mind giving a small business/innovator my money for a product provided they can back up their claims. Will the battery hold up? Will he honor the warranty if it doesn't? Only time will tell. If I felt it was more important to have the theoretical reliability of the factory battery, I'd have paid more and got that. But I felt confident enough with what I read here and what I heard from him that I was willing to give it a try. Many others have, too. If I get a few more years out of this car because of it., it's money well spent. I applaud his efforts. Cut the guy some slack.
     
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