Hybrid battery replacement

There are now many choices other than the dealer. Re manufactured batteries are now available with a three year guarantee for $1500 against the Toyota 1 year guarantee.
Not being from the US I also do not know if your in a CARB state. If you are your battery was still under guarantee.

John (Britprius)

 

For a new traction battery installed at a Toyota dealer, $3K including labor is an OK if not wonderful price. You got quotes from three dealers, so you did reasonable due-diligence.

As previously suggested, there are other alternatives such as installation of a used or remanufactured battery, but it is too late for you to consider those.

 

Sounds ok for new battery installed by toyota.

As others have mentioned there are other cheaper options, but if your car is in good condition and you're looking at hanging on to it and probably getting another 150k miles, then paying for new is worth it in my opinion. Some guys are paying over $2000 for remanufactured packs using secondhand modules that could be 30% down on capacity right from the get go.

 

Try these folks:
Taylor Automotive : Automotive Service and Maintenance in Sanford, NC

good experiences from PC'ers who have reported back.

 

actually dorman mfg on ebay and autobeyours.com ,,, hybrid battery depot......taylor auto is only one player in this inflated market........

 

I live in North Charlotte. What dealership did you use? And did they do a good job? I'm guessing you had it done at Toyota of North Charlotte. That price is not bad. As others have said you can get a cheaper price with a longer warranty but it will be used. There is a place in NC that's big on selling used battery packs that have been made out of other battery packs, they do offer a good warranty but your buying a used pack.

 

"I feel much better with 3 year warranty on a rebuilt battery vs 1 year warranty on a new battery."
Don't confuse warranty term with expected service life. You know that a new battery should last 7 years based upon your personal experience. The rebuilt battery might last 3 years if you are lucky.

"I am getting 7 year limited warranty on the $200 auxillary battery, why not on the $3000 hybrid battery."
The normal Toyota parts warranty is for one year duration, unlimited mileage. The 12V battery gets a longer warranty period because of competitive practices with regards to battery sales.
I believe that Toyota would prefer that you buy a new car than to buy a new traction battery, so there isn't a big reason for them to offer a lengthy warranty on a replacement traction battery.

 

Beside the Toyota dealers does anyone know of a good garage to take my Prius too in the Philadelphia Pa area ? My zip is 19438 , thanks

 

Chantan,

So you haven't had Toyota of North Charlotte replace your battery yet? The $3,967 price you gave minus the $1,350 leaves the total cost at only $2,617. If that includes the approximate 4 hours of installation labor that is actually a HECK of a deal from a Stealership.

If that doesn't include labor, usually at about $100/hr., I would consider Taylor Automotive over in Sanford as suggested earlier in a post. That is who will probably be putting a battery in Ema if she ever needs one. I live in the Lake Norman area.

Let us know what you end up deciding and how it works out for you.

Happy driving,
Chris

 

Chandra,

Sorry missed that. Thanks for pointing it out. Yes, I think that is a good price from a Dealer.

Chris

 

Napa sells Dorman reman batteries for the prius.

 

Yeah, I agree with you that new parts that would be expected to last much more than one year could have a more generous warranty. Like Patrick said above however, this seems to be standard practice in most of the replacement parts industry.

Rest assured that the expected life of your one year warranty new battery is considerably greater than that of a used/reco battery, 3 year warranty or not. And remember that if you got a failure in the 2nd or 3rd year on a reco battery then they'd likely just patch it up with a new cell to last out the remainder of the warranty. If your Prius is in otherwise good condition and you plan to keep it for another 7 to 10 years then I think you made a good choice.

BTW. Here's two tips for doubling* your HV battery life.

1. Let the engine warm for 40 seconds before driving first thing in the morning, or any time the engine has fully cooled. Though you can omit or reduce this if you only drive a slow flat route, without any large acceleration, in the first 60 seconds of your trip. Basically you just want the engine warmed past "stage 1" (the point where engine can first cut out) before embarking on any hills or significant acceleration.

2. Use "B" mode for descending mountains or very large hills.

*Actual results may vary.
Not scientifically verified.
I just pulled that number out of my butt.