Worthwhile to replace engine & repair battery?

The 12v is a pretty expensive battery, comparatively. But you can probably still pick up an Optima for about $175 new. As dollj has said, the high traction battery will most likely have problems because the shops that rebuild them don't really do a good, thorough job. I would suggest splitting the price difference with the shop and get a brand new battery from the dealer, they still foot the labor bill.

As for the motor, ask the shop for the VIN number off the block. There should be a small plate with the number stamped on it, attached to the block somewhere. Run the vin on that block through Carfax to see what kind of prius it came out of.

Good to hear that things are swinging your way.

 

As the 12 V battery has already been replaced (and at $230, I hope it is a genuine Toyota Truestart!), it is of little use to do anything but move on. The focus is now the ICE and HV battery.

 

I don't know if I would trust this shop's work.

Do you really want to sink that much money into the car? I wouldn't do it unless you're planning on keeping it a good 100k miles or more. Don't forget that it'll probably continue to need at least minor maintenance.

 

If you'd be happy selling it for the $3700 to (hopefully) get it up and running again, how is that better financially than selling it for $500-1000 putting no money into it? I personally wouldn't put that much money into a car with that many miles if I didn't plan on keeping it for a long time. Just my 2 cents.

 

I would consider buying an intact traction battery from one of the posters here before buying another rebuild. Even money bet the new battery place with no track record is going to play whack a mole with your pack and you'll be back in this situation within a year.

 

That garage is not to be trusted, get it to someone with actual Prius experience, after you get done with that garage, the repairs should be just about paid for, boy, is their chin out.
Any insurance company can get the "black box" data and see conditions at the time of the failure, with the proper incentive.

 

Found it: For Sale - New Gen II HV traction battery with warranty Or low mileage used battery | PriusChat

I found it by doing a site search for two batteries ny.

 

OP---What a crock of crap! I feel for you.

You can replace the engine but that doesn't really cure the problem as to why the old blew up in the first place. Put a new engine in a car that has a bad radiator or stuck thermostat or oil pump and you're asking for the same outcome.

The fact is they were not authorized to drive this car to a different city, this is not test driving. Once they drive it out of normal test drive area whatever happens to the car is on them. You didn't cause this engine to blow up and if they knew driving a car with a bad Hv battery would cause engine trouble they should not have driven it at all.

What exactly is wrong with the original engine? An engine does not normally "blow up". Good chance they drove it while it was overheating. Or it has just died for whatever reason and is not "blown up".

I would consult an attorney immediately and demand from the shop that you be made whole in every way. You want the car back in the same condition you brought it to them.

 

As many miles as this car has, I would be very hesitant to put any more money it in. It's time to retire the car and donate it to an educational facility.

 

Wow what a horror story!

First thing i would do is try to get the car back in your possession because depending on what the state laws are they could put a mechanic's lien on your car in as little as 30 days and take your car away from you. Then they can sell it or do whatever they want with it.

That would be simple if all you owed was the $230 12v battery install but they are trying to add on tow charges and storage fees which sounds very similar to an extortion attempt. On top of that it's located in another city.

If the engine is blown, this needs to be verified in person I would say Do you trust them to make additional repairs? If not maybe it's in your best interest to find another shop to tow it to if you can settle the bill.

Should you file small claims lawsuit and is the risk/reward worth it? You could either ask a lawyer or find way to file the suit yourself and roll dice with the courts.

For pretty much every car service, most shops use a book rate which shows how many hours it takes to do the repair. Then they multiply that times their standard hourly rate to get the labor charge. Putting in a engine is time consuming so it does take 8-10 hours to do. For example a $100hr shop hourly rate x 10hrs install time= $1000. Then Engine cost + shipping charge.

Toyota told me it was 2.5hrs labor to replace the hybrid battery but a typical repair shop may not feel comfortable doing the job. You may have to ask around to find someone.

According to KBB your Prius is worth at least $4k private party seller in perfectly running condition though you may be able to get as much as $5.5k depending on options and demand in your area. I seen them listed on craigs for $3k with engine problem.

 

That kind of mileage no way to sell at what you put in to repair cut you loss part out car sue shop.in small claims court no one will pay what you try to get out of Prius mileage age low gas prices. Make this a losing ventrue