Hybrid battery died a hair over 2 years after replacement

I checked with my local Toyota dealership. They charge 4 hours labor. Here, a new OEM battery installed would cost $2,860 ($2,310 for the battery alone + the refundable core charge if installed elsewhere). That's $550 for labor. But the service manager said there was 5-10% wiggle room if there was another place with a cheaper rate.

 

As the new battery comes "some assembly required" how long does it take to remove the needed bits from the old pack and bolt on to the new pack? How long does it take to crate up the old battery for the return?

 

@ericbecky has done a few.

 

From what I understand, the HV modules are pre-assembled, so you have to remove the buss-bars and fasteners from the bottom of the modules, remove old and reassemble. Others indicate you only have to move the battery controller and isolation relays to the "new" HV battery housing. Neither would take longer than 30 minutes.

That's all part of it, you don't get to collect extra for housekeeping.

 

Lucifer is wrong.
No dealer has been shown to regularly sell packs for $1,500.

The OP paid $2,000 for a 2 year pack.

Paying an extra $860 for an OEM pack with all new cells seems like a pretty good deal. Ive been seeing dealer pricing over $3,000.

 

When you figure out that even a car that gets an average of 30 MPG (and that's great FE as an average folks) will cost you $1225/year in fuel, compared to a Prius averaging 45 MPG at $817/yr, you save $408/yr on fuel alone.

If you compare this to the "average" vehicle that gets and "average" of about 22 MPG, or $1670/yr in fuel, representing a premium over a Prius of $854/yr. Three years to a new pack!

 

So am i only one to think about this way,

Mrs X has failed traction battery, she calls to toyota dealer and lets say they offer $2000 complete new battery. She thinks about it and calls to company Y for rebuild battery and they offer $1500. She takes offer from company Y and pays $1500.
But doesnt she actually then pay $2850(1500+1350) for new battery? Since most probably her battery will fail sooner or later non warranty and she heads to Toyota dealer without OEM core and Toyota takes $1350 extra from her. She is left then to use these rebuild batteries if she cannot afford extra cost.

Non OEM batteries should actually compensate this core fee out from their price, since car owner cannot then ever return that battery to Toyota. Huge ammount money is lost when buying rebuild battery.

 

I have never seen any official communication from Toyota that would indicate they will not accept a "rebuilt" battery as a core. I have seen people post that Dealer "X" would not give full core value for one, but I have never actually seen that happen; it IS totally believable as there seem to be more STEALerships than Dealerships now-days.

 

You make some very good points. This is really something that someone should think about before buying a rebuilt, after market traction battery. And just as importantly, it's something that prospective buyers should be aware of. Plus, many sellers will price their Prii with rebuilt batteries higher.

I called the dealership in KC and two local dealerships in Las Vegas and they all had the same answer about core deposits and refunds- so I'm convinced unless people report different answers from their local dealerships.

It's gets tougher though. I was told that OEM batteries that are tampered with don't qualify for the core refund. That specifically refers to owners that replace a bad cell/module. For me, once you replace modules or put in a rebuilt battery, it's not a realistic option to look at an OEM battery as a plan B.

 

If they buy @2k1Toaster 's new cell kit, they keep their modules and could, theoretically reassemble the pack as OEM since I do not believe there are any factory seals preventing people from opening the pack.
That is "worst case" though since the new cells have a 2 year unlimited mile warranty and there have been no failures in thousands of miles driven.

 

Your equation is counting on Mrs X to run to the dealer when the $1500 battery dies. And even if she did the dealer would probably take that $1500 battery as core anyway.

 

Yeah, I hope this "debate' ends.
The problem is that often the OP of a given thread is really looking for some help about their situation and their Hybrid Battery, and then "someone" pops in and says, buy a NEW Toyota battery for $1600, and then the whole thread and discussion get's usurped and sidetracked with a debate about the possibility or validity of a new OEM toyota hybrid battery and cost.

I'd say this debate doesn't help the OP in most cases, it just makes a challenging and potentially confusing time, more confusing.

My personal opinion is unless TOYOTA USA...starts uniformly selling new battery packs, through the nationwide dealership network at $1600, then it doesn't really exist.

A link to 1 website, or 1 person or place reportedly doing so, is not a real solution.

 

I did learn one thing. It was determined that you cannot buy a new OEM battery for $1,600- anywhere. With this one particular link...you must allow the local dealership in KC to install the battery at 5 hours labor. That brings the minimum cost to $2,200 for that particular dealership.

$2,200 installed is the lowest that I have seen. And if one can drive to KC, then it's reasonable to mention. But not $1,600.

 

OMG inverter assembly is 3k!!!!

 

When I clink on this link that's being mentioned over and over, the page says the battery is no longer available for purchase.

 

Probably because so many people kept clicking the link!

The $1600 price from Toyota is still a thing. If you're an installer, you can usually get that price. If you're the dealership you can charge that price and do the work.

The situation right now is better than it was last year at this time. But still not ideal.