'05 Prius, 88,000 miles, Hybrid Battery died: Worth replacing?

If you're planning on keeping the car forever, then a new battery is a good way to go. As to racking up repairs, you have fairly low miles for the age but it is still an old car.

As for new battery $3300 is on the high side now. You should be able to get a new Toyota battery installed for $2.3k to $2.5k nowadays from a dealership.

If you just want a temporary fix, a reconditioned battery is an option. But don't expect it to last more than 6 months. It may very well last longer like a couple years, but don't count on it.

 

Call around and see if you can get a better price on the NEW battery.

The NEW battery will last much longer than a USED one.

The Prius will go many more miles. I work on hybrids for a living and regularly see customers with 200,000 miles or more on their vehicles.

The big problem is that in it's current condition, with a bad pack, the car isnt worth much more than scrap value. A few hundred bucks?

I'd be happy to discuss ideas with you over the phone if you want to call me during the day.

 

Welcome to PriusChat!!

Are you sure this battery is done for?

Do you have any DTC code(s) you can share?

Will leave the mechanic out of equation and just say, 'it is not possible', and do not waste $2600 on a *used hand me down* battery. It won't last nearly as long, and you would be pissing away $2600 that could've been spent on a *NEW* HV battery (or something else).

Let us work through some math with the numbers you've provided above, and an assumption or two.

This Prius is around 13 years old and most likely was still using an original HV battery (are you the first owner?).

A *NEW* Toyota HV battery (installed) could cost you around $3300, could also cost less (see below) or even more.

Many *NEW* Toyota HV batteries last 10 or more years, including the one in your current vehicle which may have finally failed.

$3300 / 10yrs = $330 a year. Now how much would a new or used vehicle set you back, most likely over $330 per year.

There are other costs and problems that could arise during the ownership of this or any vehicle, including tires, fluid changes, filters, pumps, belts, bulbs, etc., and other things that are unmentionable.

Have all of the recalls for this vehicle been taken care of? https://www.toyota.com/owners (enter your VIN, and post any results here)

You could still be on the line for a few major repairs down the road depending on this vehicles maintenance history.

You have options (some posted above by other PC members), and if all you need is another battery (*and your HV battery fan cleaned) then figure out how long you want to own this 13 yr old vehicle into the future and how much you would like to gamble/invest on getting/keeping it back on the road again. Be it a *NEW* Toyota HV battery or something else, you can spend from a hundred into the thousands.

You might consider spending less on either a *NEW* Toyota HV battery or a solid used/rebuilt/refurbished, either of which may come with free shipping both ways (you will have to return the old core). Then find / use your own affordable mechanic (or Hometown Hybrids can recommend one) to replace your failed battery and box it up for return shipping. Of course any future warranty for labor (R+R) and parts (shipping) would be out of pocket as you aren't in Texas ~ Hybrid Car Battery Repair & Replacement | Hometown Hybrids

Maybe another PC member that is more local to you will jump in and offer up another battery option.

 

Eric999, with only 88k miles, and assuming your car has spent it's entire life in the south, I would bet it has a LOT of life left in it. If you like the car and are happy with it, there are several options available for you. First, we need to be certain of the fault codes. Although, at 13 years old, the HV battery is most likely getting to it's last breath, you don't want to accidently invest a chunk of $$ where it isn't needed. There are many android phone apps available that can link to a Bluetooth OBD adapter to give accurate performance information for a Prius. I have a few on my "app-phone" and also have the Toyota Techstream software on a laptop for going on line with a car to check it's performance. They're convenient items to have.

 

My 06 only has around 54k miles (original owner was little ol' lady) and, yes, I put in a new Toyota battery last summer ($2500). I can always sell the battery if the car falls apart (odds are it won't for many more years). My only concern is an expensive A/C repair as here in the south that's a mandatory item.

 

The AC system is actually simpler than a regular car. No fear there! We had the AC compressor go out on my sisters Prius before it hit 300k miles and it was the easiest compressor replacement ever since there is no pullies or belts. We replaced it with a much newer lower mile unit for $65.

 

Eric, the question is can you replace it with an equal or better vehicle for the cost of the repair? Only you can answer that for yourself.