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Hybrid Battery Replacement in New York State 2005 model

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by garnetts4, Jun 15, 2011.

  1. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    That would be news to me. I'm willing to bet that the dealer is wrong.
     
  2. garnetts4

    garnetts4 New Member

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    I agree with you. I don't think it's a case of the state "adopting" the warranty policy, I believe it is Toyota's warranty and policy. That is why we are going to continue to pursue it after the repair. It's also been suggested that we contact the Attorney General to see what their advice is.
     
  3. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    As far as I know, dealers derive no gain from denying warranty work. It might be worthwhile asking the dealership if they submitted the work to Toyota for authorization, and if they did, who was contacted and what transpired.
     
  4. greengecko

    greengecko Junior Member

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    I'm hoping to hear how this turns out with the Toyota Warranty. We have a 2004 Prius in NYS. I'm trying to budget for our possible big ticket expenses for the next year and wonder if I need to put a battery pack on the spreadsheet or not.
     
  5. garnetts4

    garnetts4 New Member

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    I haven't done anything with respect to getting in contact with Toyota yet. We've been a little busy with camp starting and work and such. However, I will give you an update with the latest:
    1. The dealership agreed to cover 75% of the battery and labor while we pay 25% which works out to about $1300.
    2. We gave the go ahead and the dealer ordered a battery. It took just about two weeks to come as they said it had to ship from New Jersey to Long Island via Hazardous Material truck. They said it only comes once every few days. Turned out to take almost two weeks. In the meantime, my husband was carpooling with someone from work.
    3. The battery came in on Thursday last week and we dropped the car off. The dealership gave us a loaner. They said it would take until Monday or Tuesday to get it fixed. Didn't realize that they do an off line charge job on the battery before installation.
    4. They called on Monday or Tuesday this week and said that they didn't like the way the battery was charging. So, my husband still has the loaner. They have since ordered another loaner--they still have our car.
    5. Don't know if the new battery has come in (my bet is it hasn't). We will be returning the loaner tomorrow night--we leave on vacation on Saturday. Hopefully the whole fiasco is fixed by the time we come back.

    I can't necesarrily say anything about replacement batteries other than make sure you have time/an extra car or a rental. We've been without the car since June 11.
     
  6. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    These batteries are not hazmat. They either work, or they don't -- there is no "don't like the way it's charging" BS. The dealership is lying to you.
     
  7. direstraits71

    direstraits71 Member

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    By my calculations the battery plus installation is costing $1300*4 = $5200. Considering the battery costs $1941.50 here: Champion ToyotaWorld

    Looks like over $3000 for installation. That's definitely a stealership price!
     
  8. PaJa

    PaJa Senior member

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    It looks that dealer took 25% off and you paid 75% of full price.
     
  9. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    1. I agree with the other comments that $1,300 is an excessive price if the understanding is that you are supposed to be paying 25% of the total. $750 would be more like it.
    2. I can understand the concept that it might take a while for a new battery to arrive at the dealer due to part shortages, but question that this was due to the need for a special truck.
    3. The new traction battery does not require the dealership to charge it. There are only a handful of these traction battery chargers in the US.
    4. See #3 above. Either the new battery worked or it didn't.

    I suggest that you visit your car when you drop off the loaner, to see if it looks like anything had actually been done to it. Look for the new battery installed in the car, and ask to see the original battery which is probably lying on the floor somewhere. This would give you some assurance that work had actually been done to your car.
     
  10. Southern Dad

    Southern Dad Active Member

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    I would suggest a consultation with a local attorney. Generally, you can get a few minutes of their time for free before the meter starts running. Either way, I think if you file in Small Claims Court against Toyota (The amount is small enough and Toyota does business in your county.) chances are good that you will get paid to go away. The last thing Toyota wants is a verdict even in small claims that goes against them.

    Don't file anything or even have a lawyer contact them until after the car is repaired!

    *Remember, I'm not a lawyer but I have plenty of experience pissing people off in magistrate (small claims) court.*
     
  11. kapalacc

    kapalacc Junior Member

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    I need an update! It's like reading a book without and ending- come on- what happened?
     
  12. garnetts4

    garnetts4 New Member

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    The story ends with the battery being replaced. We paid the $1300 out of pocket. Car has been running fine since then........