Scam?

In our last snowstorm we had, we did roughly $3,000 worth of damage to the front suspension of our 2005 Prius. Knowing how hard it is to come by new or used cars right now and that the prices MAY come down in 6 months or a year, I was really thinking I would repair the car and keep driving it. But then, the mechanic pointed out that the hybrid batteries are probably about shot and also there is a check engine light which indicates the catalytic converter is probably bad. He quoted me a price of $1800 for non-Toyota battery and I can't remember how much for the catalytic converter. I think I blacked out.

So with this new information, it seems like I should not repair it but instead look for another car.

So, then I went to Craigslist to see if I could find a used Prius in my area. In the process, I saw a guy on Craigslist who says he can replace the hybrid battery for $625. This deal seems too good to be true. But ever hopeful, I thought I would ask the smarter brains here on Priuschat if there is any way this is legit.

Here is what the battery posting says, word for word:

"2 years warranty
We own a Prius Fleet and now we offering Hybrid battery service.
We make it easy for you.
In one hour we swap hybrid batteries on your location with 2 years warranty !
We take the core."

I notice he never says the batteries are new. Should I run away? It feels like I should, but am hoping for good news.

 

Thanks for your input, everyone!

Rogerthat, I'm ashamed to say that I have known for quite a while that the catalytic converter is bad. So, as cautious as I am with mechanics, I wasn't surprised at all that he would bring this up. This problem suddenly is urgent, though, because the car now resides in a county that requires that it pass an emission inspection (which isn't due until August).

I guess I was assuming that even just buying the part would be hideously expensive. I will look into the cost of the part. Is any welding involved in changing a catalytic converter? I know very little about cars (can't diagnosis much of anything myself), but I am fairly handy and can do many repairs on my own once someone else diagnosis and I find a good Youtube video.

 

Thanks for your thoughts, alftoy. The car is actually located in northern Virginia now, so Bowie, MD isn't all that far away. However, the car isn't drivable, so would need to be towed. I will go to the Greentec link that you provided (thanks!) and see if they do any mobile work.

The $3000 damage is to the right front suspension. The car slid in the snow and hit a curb. The mechanic suggested that if we use new parts (hub and bearing assembly, lower control arm, ball joints, strut assembly, swaybar link, wheel, tire, and tire sensor) to repair the car, then we should also replace some of the same parts on the left side of the car. We were thinking we would pay out of pocket to avoid making an insurance claim which would cause the premiums to go up. But that was before we knew exactly how much everything is going to cost. Now we are looking at all options.

 

Thanks, Bisco. Can you tell me more about why I should disregard the mechanic's statement that the hybrid battery is about shot?

The car has over 225,000 miles on it. I have never really had the battery condition assessed, but I have noticed that often when I start the car, the battery charge is really low (like down in the pink zone), and then within 5 miles of driving it says it is fully charged. This has led me to believe, even before the accident, that the battery is getting really weak. So I'm not entirely surprised that the mechanic would bring this issue up.

 

That's the first bit of good news that I have had in days! Thanks a ton!

 

Thanks, Fuzzy1. The mechanic seemed to be basing his opinion just on the car's age and mileage. What kind of indicators should I be looking for? What I have noticed just by driving it is that often when I start the car, the battery charge is really low (like down in the pink zone), and then within 5 miles of driving it says it is fully charged. When the batteries were younger and healthier it used to take them longer to charge.

The car isn't drivable right now, so getting second opinions is hard.

 

Really? That would be great! I had the impression that the emissions test is part of the state inspection and that the car would fail the inspection if its emissions are too high. I'll go to the DMV website and check it out.

 

Maybe "supsension" isn't the right term, but the wheel is pushed back and turned. According to two mechanics (we initially had it towed to a dealership, and after they quoted us an absolutely crazy price, we had it towed to an independent mechanic), all sorts of things are broken or bent: control arm, ball joint, strut assembly, wheel, possibly the axle, etc.

The independent mechanic told us that we have the choice of going with used parts, which will save us a lot, obviously. Since our hope was to drive this car for as long as possible, though, we initially told him that we would prefer to go with new parts. But now with his new recommendation that we also replace the battery and the cat, we just don't know.