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new to a prius, a few questions

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by oldschoolhdmike, Aug 7, 2018.

  1. oldschoolhdmike

    oldschoolhdmike New Member

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    I just bought an 2008 prius. It is not a base but I do not know much more about it. it has back up camera, leather, etc etc....It had 130k miles on it and it seems to work and run great. My brother has one with 290k miles and it has been a great car. i only have a few small questions. My battery charging indicator is most the time in blue. but it goes down to one bar in purple pretty frequently. by the time i get back home it is usually up to green but and it stays in blue most of the drive but my brother said he has never seen his in purple. he did have a refurbished hybrid battery installed when he bought it. I have no lights on dash or no other indications that something may be wrong. Does this just show that the battery does not hold a charge long? do i need to plan to replace the battery soon. OR could it just be a bad cell in a few of them. Thanks
     
  2. srellim234

    srellim234 Senior Member

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    It sounds like it's a candidate for battery conditioning. Battery failure can be postponed by doing it. My own 2008 was exhibiting the symptoms you describe early in 2017. Reconditioning restored a lot of stability to the screen.

    You might want to look around for the various threads on the Prolong battery conditioning system. It works quite well. If you are a big DIY guy you can also balance the cells using hobby chargers.
     
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  3. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Owning my 07 for eleven years I noticed first signs of battery degradation is after sitting briefly like in a fast food lane the battery would tank to one purple quickly.
    If it’s just at that level it’s a prime candidate for a battery rejuvenation system. That’s first step of
    Battery decline. The other is mileage tanks.
    I like many other posters purchased the Prolong battery rejuvenator system from hybridautomotive.com

    That company is an advertiser on this site. There product works.

    Use search forums button up top and search

    Prolong

    And read many many posts on how to install and operate it.
     
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  4. oldschoolhdmike

    oldschoolhdmike New Member

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    well they hybrid automotive kit is almost $700. I can buy a refurb battery for almost that? at that price what is the advantage of installing their kit?
     
  5. srellim234

    srellim234 Senior Member

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    A little more research will show you that refurb batteries are not really the way to go. A refurb is still has older, used cells. Many fail within months of purchase and in a lot of cases the companies don't stand by their warranties. For those that do, you're still faced with the downtime of another (and possibly another) battery. Plus maybe shipping or installation expense depending on the company.

    A new battery will be more expensive initially but you are most likely going to get another 10+ years out of it, making it cheaper and less hassle if you plan to keep the car for any length of time.

    If using the Prolong system helps me prevent a battery replacement for 3-5 years it will have saved me more than the price of the refurb with the same or better durability out of my original battery than out of a battery I don't know. So far I haven't seen anyone replacing a battery that has been on the Prolong system faithfully other than one or two who damaged the battery because of an unrelated cause.

    EDIT: Not to mention, the Prolong system can be used on more than one Gen II so you can split the cost with someone in your area. You can also use it on another Gen II should you buy another or replace your current Prius with one. There's also the opportunity to recover most of the cost of it should you sell it as part of selling your car. You can't do that with a refurb.
     
    #5 srellim234, Aug 9, 2018
    Last edited: Aug 9, 2018
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  6. oldschoolhdmike

    oldschoolhdmike New Member

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    yeah but they would also have to the pigtail that is plugged into their battery....
     
  7. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    They also work with Gen3’s, so even more possibilities (y).
     
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  8. oldschoolhdmike

    oldschoolhdmike New Member

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    well i ordered a hybrid automotive kit. we will see how it goes. i will report back and let you know
     
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  9. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Just to reiterate the point, a “refurbished/rebuilt” battery isn’t worth Jack Squat.

    However, a valid point is that it is half (of 2k1Toaster’s (all new cells) solution) or a third (by the time you pay taxes) of an OEM (all new cells) solution. Is that worth it? Only you can decide.

    What you get, in my opinion, and as long your battery is just tired and not damaged, paying the $700 is a better bet to extend the battery by 3-5 years, as noted by srellim234 in his post above, rather than taking a crapshoot on some unknown quantity that is a “refurb/rebuilt”.

    Another key thing to bear in mind is that “refurb/rebuilds” are just not lasting these days. Often problems are occurring as soon as 6 months later. Is that ongoing aggravation worth it? Again only you can answer that.

    Just my $0.02 worth.
     
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  10. srellim234

    srellim234 Senior Member

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    Easy to buy just the harness from HA for additional cars and they're not that expensive.

    I see you're in Georgia. You will want to pay attention to the weather forecast when scheduling your conditioning. HA doesn't recommend using the system in 100* weather. I've had to really dance around the heat issue here this summer.
     
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  11. oldschoolhdmike

    oldschoolhdmike New Member

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    well i have an update, kinda. I ordered the hybrid automotive kit and literally the next day i was rear-ended. I sent them a message via their automated txt system to cancel it, or put it on hold. Not knowing what was going to happen with the car. Needless to say they shipped it a few days later. I still have not gotten it and i emailed them about returning it. It was my fault for assuming the txt message would go through...but they charge a 20% restocking fee. im sorry but i have been in the mail order/ wholesale and retail business for a long time. I have operated a substantial size ecommerce store and mfg automotive parts. I never charged a restock fee. Maybe in the hybrid industry people like to get taken advantage of, im just not use to it. ....a company that charges 20% of $700 to place something that they keep back on their shelf is ridiculous. just keep that in mind if you plan to deal with them in the future.. i guess when i get another one i can use it but i dont know if i will....
     
  12. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Refuse the delivery?
     
  13. oldschoolhdmike

    oldschoolhdmike New Member

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    thought about it, and then call my credit card company and deny the charges.....just trying not to be an total tool
     
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