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Ordering @2K1toaster’s new HV replacement pack with cylinder modules.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Robc921, Aug 16, 2020.

  1. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yep, a lot of peeps are driving old prius without two nickles to rub together. some can't diy, so newpriusbatteries is out of the question, and some areas of the country get $3-4,000. at a dealer
     
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  2. Robc921

    Robc921 Member

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    Yea I get that. I’m wondering though is there something I’m not doing correctly when balancing? Does it even matter?
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you take a qualified company like texas hybrid batteries, they have very expensive equipment, they understand batteries to a level most do not, they use known good modules, and they are very conscientious. still, it is fairly expensive, and short warranty
     
  4. Robc921

    Robc921 Member

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    Yea that’s my point, I feel like once I’m committed to spend over a 1000 -1300 for those refurbished ones than why not spend 1600 on @2k1Toaster ’s set up.
     
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  5. VFerdman

    VFerdman Senior Member

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    In your case, you did what makes sense to you. But in most other cases there is no DIY option for whatever reason. Green Bean will come over to your house or place of business and have the refurbished battery installed in your car in under an hour, charge you $1,500 and give you a LIFETIME warranty on it. So far the warranty claims have been honored and the general experience with this outfit is very good for the public. I personally can not fathom how Green Bean does it or how they will continue to honor lifetime warranties on these things, but that's just me and my critical thinking. Most people do not employ critical thinking (and those are the ones that also can not DIY battery replacements) and think this is the best deal ever.

    I would do what you are doing, if course, but again, this is me. Other folks are not me or you and they choose based on their abilities and aptitudue. $1,500 for a refurbished battery with a LIFETIME warranty sure sounds great and includes the installation, which for most people is a HUGE deal as they could not change a light bulb in their house without help.
     
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  6. Robc921

    Robc921 Member

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    Yea you make good points here, but the reality is I attempted to recondition and balance my battery and failed on my first attempt. I ended getting ahold of a 2011 CT200h pack (w/ unknown mileage) for 150$ and it has 3 blocks that are bad and I’ve tried to replace them. But they seems to go out of balance after sometime. I’m sure part of this is a learning curve but for me I have hit the point where my experimenting and learning is getting expensive. I really appreciate that forum though, it’s been very helpful!
     
  7. Robc921

    Robc921 Member

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    By the by I noticed some threads about the fan in your feed, do you happen to know a way to test and see if your fans working once it’s removed from the vehicle? I’m talking hv Battery cooling fan here. Is there a way to connect it to a power source outside the vehicle to make sure it’s still working ??
     
  8. Robc921

    Robc921 Member

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    Yea that’s also a deal breaker for me personally, spending 3-4K on a used vehicle that at best is worth twice that,,, nah. Hey Bisco , do you know how to test the status of a removed hv battery cooling fan?
     
  9. VFerdman

    VFerdman Senior Member

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    If you hook the fan up to 12V it should spin, I believe. Not 100% sure about. Prolong harness controls the fan outside of Toyota system, so it is definitely possible. It's just a 12V part. Should be easy to test. Those things rarely go bad, just get very dirty.
     
  10. Robc921

    Robc921 Member

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    Yea I’m just a dummy sometimes and do things without enough research, I washed mine own with water and allowed it to spin, both I understand can burn out the motor.
     
  11. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    You can sell the old modules on eBay, even bad ones. Bad ones go for $5 or less. "Good" ones $20+. Balanced "good" ones for $30-$40.

    Welcome to whack-a-mole!

    Remember the internet never goes away. Reconditioning and refurbishing a pack in 2010 was an excellent idea and great value for money. Pull a junker battery for $200 to $300 from a low mileage wreck, swap over some modules on your pack, and get another few years out of it. Those days are long gone. Somewhere in the 2015-2016 time line, it just doesn't work anymore. In 2020, it's a fool's errand.
     
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  12. VFerdman

    VFerdman Senior Member

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    If you allowed it to dry before applying electricity to it, it should be fine. Even if a little wet, it may be okay. Just test it by applying 12V to terminals and see what it does.
     
  13. Robc921

    Robc921 Member

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    Definitely gonna try an sell what I can after I’m rolling with my newpriusbatteries pack!!! And fools errand is what I’ve been experiencing for sure. It will be interesting to see what I can recoup on those modules or the whole pack. Anything would be good to me and it seems like the pack is in decent working order but I’m thinking long term so hopefully someone else will see an opportunity there.
     
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  14. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Not knowing exactly what you ARE doing, it's impossible to say.
    Note: I personally think the whole thing is mostly a waste of time......and money.
     
  15. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Of course it does. UNTIL you realize what "refurbishment" means for them.
    It means that they ONLY replace the failed cells in the pack.
    That might mean one.....and the others are still OLD.
    It doesn't take much time or cost much money to replace only one cell.

    This is kind of like the "lifetime warranty" that Midas used to advertise for their mufflers.
    If their muffler rusted out, they would give you a replacement muffler FREE.
    Oh, you want it installed: not free.
    And you wanted it attached to PIPES that are not rusted out too: That's not free either.
     
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  16. VFerdman

    VFerdman Senior Member

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    First of all, I am not a proponent of Green Bean. I understand that they are promising the impossible (or at least unsustainable for their business). That being said, they do honor their warranty and there are no strings attached (like Midas). If your Green Bean battery fails, they require a battery failure code read with an OBD2 tool (they accept any scanner, not just the dealer) and then they come out and replace the failed battery with another one. This has been the experience of their customers in the wild. I am not making this up, nor is this conjecture.

    What I think about this? Well, I think that at some point Green Bean will flee the coop, so to speak and leave all those lifetime warranty holders holding the bag. They simply can not possibly be profitable replacing batteries for the next 10 years, which is what it will take to run these Prius cars into the ground without battery woes. That's my assessment and I would definitely go with new cells rather than Green Bean. But that's me. I can DIY many things in a car. And have sine the 80's. It's no big deal for me to install the Toaster set and that is probably the way I will go if and when I need to. But for someone who doesn't know which is the business end of a screw driver it is a completely different situation. That is all I was trying to say.
     
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  17. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    Also, they do not guarantee any sort of dependability. Expect the pack to fail at any time, requiring a replacement. Most people need a reliable vehicle. Green Bean does not deliver that.
     
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  18. VFerdman

    VFerdman Senior Member

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    That is another excellent point. They will replace your battery, sure, but will they give you back those three or more days of your life when you have to be without a car? Great point!
     
  19. Robc921

    Robc921 Member

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    It’s interesting to me how we all somehow forget to calculate what our time is worth as well. So not only are you out a vehicle, but the time to get the diagnostic done and show them, then coordinating when they can come and you have to carve out time to meet ,,,, eeesh the more I think about it man forget that. Lifetime warranty or guaranteed pain in the butt,, no thanks, at least not at that price.
     
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  20. Robc921

    Robc921 Member

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    Side note , do you get anything cool once you’ve accumulated lots of points on here? Is there like a secret club house where there’s an open bar or something lol?