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Prius Battery Replacement Kit (GenII/GenIII) with NEW custom cells

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by 2k1Toaster, Oct 13, 2017.

  1. gamma742

    gamma742 Member

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    I would agree if you plan one keeping the vehicle. Otherwise, find someone to replace the bad cells and then sell it off.?.?

    Yes/No ??
     
  2. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    I’ve been replacing the 12 V batteries in the household with LiFePO4. I may personally consider the other aftermarket product with “Lithium inside” and have been telling others with Prii about it.

    It’s a bummer that this didn’t quite work out as long as an original Toyota battery, but for sure it helped pull down Toyota’s MSRP to compete…
     
  3. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    Since qlak did not update all his posts as he said he would... What happened was that he ordered a battery. It was marked as shipped and delivered in our system. He uses a VPN and details don't match his order info, so was banned as a bot. Next I hear is him spamming the PriusChat forums on all posts about how I and my batteries are horrible. Within 2 days I was able to track down that his battery was delivered but he didn't get it. I then issued him a full refund which he received.

    He has not updated his many posts or updated all the complaints he made. We are out an entire battery (that was lost/stolen) delivered to his address as well as the entire product price he paid which we refunded voluntarily. We still have shipping expenses, payment capture expenses, etc. The next time someone asks why things are so expensive nowadays, this is why. Over $3k out of my pocket because people steal. I believe he genuinely didn't get his battery because why else would he post so much. But it is not something we did wrong. We made it right 2 days after finding out about it and he hasn't corrected his many incorrect posts after taking the nuclear option.

    Both are good options. Hopefully people live places where things don't get stolen all the time or have the good foresight to ship to a pick-up point that is manned. And if it is stolen, try not to blame the company. I am not out in the middle of the night taking packaging off the porch.
     
  4. drone13

    drone13 Active Member

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    I'm not sure what to say here Nick, but I'll give it a try.
    First, I'm a customer of yours and have been running your pack for 1 1/2 years. The pack has been flawless and I'm very happy with your product. After 1 1/2 years it is still acting like the new pack I put in that long ago. The instructions were excellent (this was my first Prius and the first time changing modules) and everything went perfectly. The parts kits had everything needed and seemed to be professionally made. So kudos to the product. I have no regrets with your pack at all.

    The above being said, I would never buy from you again judging by the posts and threads I have seen in the intervening 1 1/2 years. It isn't that I believe any of the posters that have had issues with your service, or lack thereof, but rather your constant need to be abrasive and the way you will fight to the bitter end to prove you are right and customer somehow is wrong. I would only believe you are right in this particular kerfuffle with this customer if you can provide copious proof that UPS (or whatever shipper you used) admitted to just leaving and expensive heavy series of packages and assumed liability for the failed proper signature required documentation. I also want to see proof the claim was paid either by the shipper or your insurance company. I know I was required to sign for the delivery at the UPS store that I had your product shipped to, so I assume you are smart enough for this to be a requirement for all your expensive shipments. So, show the proof bro. Let's see the evidence because I no longer believe your words. You didn't lose $3,000 unless you were stupid and didn't insure. No tears shed from me there because I am a business owner also and I can tell you I am not that stupid. I would never blame a customer because my stupidity. I would grow and accept my stupidness and not project that on my customer. I also would never ship uninsured again.

    You are no longer believable and possibly the worst businessman I have ever encountered. I know this sounds harsh to all those who are relatively new to Prius Chat, but all you have to do is go to his store website, call the number listed way down at the bottom of the page (keep scrolling) and you will find his Phone #. Just call and listen to the robotic message that pretty much tells you it's worthless to leave a message. You'll see what I mean and kind of sets the tone for what it might be like to have any kind of controversy with Nick. Good transactions, like mine, are not an issue. But there have been enough controversies to color my opinion of recommending an otherwise very good product with the potential for a protracted battle for a product purchased that has problems.

    I apologize to any members of PC that find my message offensive and I'll accept any chastisement you feel is warranted, but sometimes I feel compelled to speak up.
     
  5. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    No we don't ship with insurance. Only when it is shipped to a store is a signature required which is a UPS rule for pickup not at the registered delivery address. And that is a GREAT suggestion to ship to a UPS store of you cannot have a secure area. I fully support that and recommend it anytime someone asks. This particular box was delivered outside the window where we could get any details past "delivered" or even instigate a claim ($100 max anyways) as it was over 3 months old and the window is 30 to 90 days depending on delivery. I'm not sure how to prove something was stolen or not delivered to a place we have no affiliation with. Generally when it happens I get an email or text that evening that "hey the package was delivered but I don't see it". Not months later.

    Anyways, I wired him out of my pocket for what he was out pretty quickly, sorry if that isn't enough. Maybe he'll be back to explain. Maybe not. He received the funds before I even sent a message saying it was sent which was in like 10 minutes!

    And that's part of the issue. We ship a lot of batteries. Almost nobody has an issue. Those that do, make a huge stink about it and usually very publicly. Some times it's our fault. Some times outside our control. If someone needs a battery we try to pack it up and ship it just as we did with your order (hopefully). The fact that you don't see a few thousand angry people means we have a pretty good success rate. And any issues that happen, I try to make right. For example I have shipped people Gen2 harnesses instead of Gen3 which is entirely my fault. Sometimes it happens, less than a handful ever, but hey. When it does, I overnight with early Saturday delivery if needed the proper harness. I've had people during install make huge mistakes and essentially weld 2 modules together with the wrong bus bar locations. Not only did we change the design so that doesn't happen anymore I overnighted modules for free to those customers too. I don't brag about all the stuff we do, but these are just examples of how when I am aware of a situation I try my best to make it right.

    With individual orders, like one battery at a time, we're over 1000 people. Bulk orders are separate and are 50-100 packs at a time in most cases. It's very frustrating when we do 99.9% just fine and 0.1% go nuclear. This isn't my job. This is a side project to keep Prii on the road. I employed a couple people pre-pandemic to help out and I would unload tons, literally, of batteries monthly myself. Post pandemic it's all different and it's setup straight to consumer now. I don't answer the phone unless you have an emergency of some kind. Texts are usually responded to quickly if I'm not traveling. I've had mostly positive reactions to our phone message, some people that message us just to say they love it and we answer their question over text as should be normal in 2023.

    Anyways, I'm sorry you feel that way, I just try to put out the details. I do not sugar coat things and people do find that abrasive. Glad your pack is working, it should continue to work for many years. We have numerous repeat customers so I take comfort that not everyone is offended by how we operate.

    As for a general update, we have packs in stock at the factory now. If you order, as a few people have today, your order will get shipped via air freight to California or Ohio then loaded onto a UPS or FedEx ground truck to your door. Total time is about 10 days average. This means everyone is about 10 days out versus 2 to 5 days once we received and sorted locally which is the biggest shift from pre-pandemic. We are hoping this new direct method of shipping is more transparent and easy to follow than our bundling of orders via sea, air and ground previously.

    I'm grateful that PriusChat exists for everyone. If there are things I can do to do better without consuming all my time or increasing the price even more, I will absolutely try to do it. I'm always grateful to receive feedback, harsh or praise.
     
  6. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    Pass the extra cost for insurance onto the customer, either as required or as optional.

    Do you not send the buyer a tracking # when a package is shipped?
     
  7. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    It's $240/package for the insurance unfortunately. But if anyone wants it, I will gladly add it. I would suggest the UPS Store pickup. It's usually free, sometimes only $10. Goes to a manned location kept securely. Obviously more of a hassle to pickup but if your area has porch pirates, it's an excellent option.

    Yes we send an email when shipped with a tracking number. It's automated. Label rate is calculated, pdf is generated, printed to paper, order status is updated, and tracking number is attached to order. It's one click.
     
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  8. nemebean

    nemebean Junior Member

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    Question for people who have installed this: What did you end up doing with the battery disconnect cables? I was able to get them connected at 90 degress so they fit in the plastic cover, but in order to keep the cables inside the ECU area and away from sharp edges I had to bend them at some pretty severe angles, and the more I think about it the less I like it. I'm probably going to go back in and move things around, maybe modifying the safety cover to allow them to come out the top. Is this what other people are doing or did you find a better way to route the cables?
     
  9. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    They should route normally. Do you have a photo?

    They don't bend so easily but some very mild warm air to heat them up a tad helps wonders with routing. Never too hot to touch, just generally warm
     
  10. nemebean

    nemebean Junior Member

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    I was able to get them bent, but I'm worried about how much they're bent. They basically make a 90 degree bend as soon as they come out of the connector, which seems like too much. The problem is that if I don't wedge them in place like that then they rest of the sharp edges of the case which also seems like a bad idea.[​IMG]
     
  11. drone13

    drone13 Active Member

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    Prius Chat user @edthefox5 has a nice post with very good pictures on how he installed and routed those cables. Worth a look It's this thread post #822
     
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  12. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    It's not ideal, but copper does bend. Some cables are shorter than others but yours seem to have enough slack to route out straight and wrap around? Or on top?

    Yes he does. There are a few good posts. Generally routing them out straight is the best option. Some of them are a bit longer than usual and some are a bit short. If too long, you should get extra in the ecu area. If too short that's where you see some strain. It's just part of the tolerances of the OEM cable as that's one we do not replace unfortunately
     
  13. rogerthat

    rogerthat Active Member

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    Jeez, absolutely ridiculous not to ship with signature confirmation. That should be a requirement.
     
  14. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    For those that don't live in crime riddled areas it's just an annoyance. I get thousands of packages a year, no issues. If something ships to me signature required, I don't get it. I'm not ever there during delivery hours. Even the batteries I get come delivered freight with nobody there. And they (used to) get picked up by my awesome UPS man with nobody there. Everything is on camera and it's not individual people that you have to worry about where I am.

    I strongly hate signature required delivery so no I won't be making that standard. The option is if you are somewhere that needs it, it can be added. Or ship to store.
     
  15. nemebean

    nemebean Junior Member

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    Yeah, so ed left the slack out by the battery instead of by the ECU. I think that was the method that would require modifying the safety covers though since they won't fit properly over that routing.

    I initially had them come out of the connector straight and loop around, but then they rubbed on the metal casing and that seems really dangerous. If it wears through the sheathing on the cable it could energize the entire case, right? Which is a problem since you need to reach in there to remove the safety plug.

    I'm kind of leaning toward padding the case with some of the packing foam. That should let me route the wires less severely and keep them from rubbing on anything sharp. I might even be able to do that without tearing apart the car again since I have access to that area with the bin out (I will, of course, remove the safety plug and wait ten minutes before sticking my hands in there).
     
  16. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    Bit easier to see from this angle, but the wire has thick insulation and then a plastic sheath as well. It is meant to go in and around the metal casing. The internals of the battery vibrate mostly together. Meaning the wire vs metal wont be moving across themselves as much as you might think.

    I wouldn't add foam as that is just a loose piece unless you can sandwich it somehow. But again, none of that is needed, it is designed to be that way.

    7-x_Side_Version-3.jpg
     
  17. ColoradoCrow

    ColoradoCrow Active Member

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    "And they (used to) get picked up by my awesome UPS man with nobody there."(y)
    I would agree with you there. Lou is a great guy. I worked with him on that route for a holiday season. I moved several off your boxes in his truck. The pandemic was a strange time frame.(y)
     
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  18. drone13

    drone13 Active Member

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    @nemebean It's pretty easy (and cheap) to get some fuel tubing and slitting it down one side and slipping it over a sharp sheet metal edge if you're worried about chaffing through the cable. I did this on mine in one area of the case the case just to satisfy my OCD, but it likely wasn't really needed. I don't actually recall the size since it was just some tubing I had available in the garage, but I think it was probably 3/8"
     
  19. rogerthat

    rogerthat Active Member

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    Yes, for 98% of stuff shipped I can understand no signature confirmation. For a $2k battery, it's a different story! I think the vast majority of your customers would like that to be the default - the extra hassle for the customer is well worth the added security. It also would likely have prevented the issue with qlak.
     
  20. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    I see where you're coming from but it isn't happening. I get lots of things much more valuable shipped without signature requirements. I absolutely won't make that a requirement. And again I am not changing my entire model because 1 person had a bad time with their neighbourhood when thousands of others have had no issue. For those who want to have a signature required, just ship it to a UPS store. It is usually free. Then you can pick it up anytime with only a 1 day delay.

    Good suggestion.