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New battery from dealership - 4750 CAD installed

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Presto, Jun 12, 2017.

  1. Presto

    Presto Has his homepage set to PC

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    Hi All,

    My 2005 Prius needs a new traction battery. I was quoted $4750 CAD for the job which included a new battery and 6 hours of labor to install. It seems to be on the high side, but with the crappy Canadian dollar, a lot of things have seemed wildly overpriced. I inquired whether that included the core charge for the old battery, and the adviser seemed to think it was.

    What is this forum's opinion regarding the cost of a new battery from the dealership? Should I try and haggle them to a lower price?
     
  2. windstrings

    windstrings Certified Prius Breeder

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    A brand new one cost 2700.00 and Rebuilt 1000.00 with hometown hybrids.
    Services | Hometown Hybrids
    They are a southern company but they may have a suggestion.... Seems you could ship the battery to you then fly a tech in to install it if no one nearby can for much cheaper than the prices you're getting.
     
  3. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    @Presto Try and get them down or shop around other dealerships (maybe try the valley or Squamish as well just for price check). We were quoted closer to $3,000 for a new battery for our 2005 but that was back in 2016.
     
  4. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    Take a few days of vacation, drive down to South Carolina and I'll install a Gen 2 battery (with modules from a 9k mile 2016 wreck) in your car for $1500. Then you can go to Myrtle Beach for a week with some of the money you saved.
     
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  5. Judith L Woodall

    Judith L Woodall Junior Member

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    I have a 2 week old quote from a Toyota dealer in Washington state of $2,804 USD (incuding 8.7% sales tax) and a core charge of $1,350. I think that is dealer speak for $4,154 USD.
     
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you pay the 4154 up front, and get the 1350 back at the end, after they make sure your old battery is original and untampered with.
    $2,800. is a decent price but not fabulous, have you shopped around?
     
  7. Judith L Woodall

    Judith L Woodall Junior Member

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    I have not shopped around. I only deal with the dealer I bought the car from. What does "untampered with" mean?
     
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    in most instances nothing. but we did have one member who had replaced a few cells in his battery with new ones, then when he got tired of repairing it, he had a new battery installed by a dealership.
    when they discovered what had been done to the old battery, they would not return his core charge.
     
  9. Judith L Woodall

    Judith L Woodall Junior Member

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    Would Prolong "reconditioning" be considered tampering?
     
  10. windstrings

    windstrings Certified Prius Breeder

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    Only pertaining to the battery! Naturally if it cased damage bc voltage too high etc, but normally not an issue.
    If you "tamper" with your windshield washer that doesn't mean your radio is not warranted.

    It's not a "hands off" policy.
    Just common sense, they don't fix customer screwups under warranty if it's related to the problem at hand on another issue.

    Refurbished batteries are great if the person doing it doesn't cut corners.
     
  11. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    They can call basically anything tampering. Even a sticker from a rebuilder. But for the most part don't do physical/visible damage, and you're good to go. Also don't open up and volunteer all the history of the pack. It failed, you came in for a new one. End of story.
     
  12. windstrings

    windstrings Certified Prius Breeder

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    They were just being a stealer ship.
    Shouldn't have mentioned it.
    They want "cores" that are fresh, not those already used twice.

    Should be none of their business as many cells would still be viable.
     
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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  14. Judith L Woodall

    Judith L Woodall Junior Member

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    How many years (not miles) is it possible to get out of a refurbished/reconditioned 9 1/2 year old (< 12 K mile) OEM battery that is reconditioned twice a year by a professional? Are non-OEM hybrid batteries ever reconditioned?

    Thank you
    Fools, damn fools, and volunteers.

    Thank you
     
  15. windstrings

    windstrings Certified Prius Breeder

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    If a rebuilder uses non oem batteries, he's getting them Cheap increasing his profit margin and decreasing the reliability for his customers.

    Always best to go with those with a good track record.

    I've done it twice and gotten another 100k + until the car was totalled in one instance and given away in another.

    I've used home town hybrid in both cases.
    Services | Hometown Hybrids
     
  16. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    there is no predicting how long a reconditioned battery will last. you can keep it running forever, but there may be a lot of work and downtime involved.
     
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  17. windstrings

    windstrings Certified Prius Breeder

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    For those really concerned with reconditioned batteries, I bet they could play the middle...... Negotiate the price difference and Have one of the techs install the new battery.... They don't get much for installs, I'm sure they could be reasoned with...
     
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  18. Judith L Woodall

    Judith L Woodall Junior Member

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    I am gathering information about reconditioning my hybrid battery because it would allow me to keep a good low mileage battery rather than paying real money now for an OEM battery with a 12 month warranty or paying real money for a non-OEM battery with a 48 month warranty. It's a comfort thing because the cost to me is about the same as a new battery if my core has economic value (in the best case I can see) when it is 20 years old. Would a core have economic value when it is 20 years old?

    Thank you
     
  19. calvino86

    calvino86 New Member

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    I'm the one bisco is referring to whose core was not accepted because a previous owner replaced two cells. I've learned that large cities seem less likely to reject your core. For example, I called Bellingham and Seattle Toyota in Washington. Seattle will accept a pack with replaced cells while Bellingham will not. I've noticed a similar pattern where I live. Most Atlanta dealerships will accept packs with replaced cells while several in Alabama will not. However, this pattern is not always consistent. To minimize risk, before you make any payment, call the dealer ahead of time and ask the parts department if there is there any reason why they would not accept the old core. Also, ask them specifically if they would accept a core that had been opened and one of the cells replaced. If possible, have them verify any statements with the parts manager. Alternatively, if the vehicle owner (or third party) can safely open their battery before installation and verify that all cell/module serial numbers are sequential, they can eliminate the risk surrounding this uncertainty. This post explains how to decode the serial numbers.
     
    #19 calvino86, Aug 16, 2018
    Last edited: Aug 16, 2018
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  20. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    why are you replying to a 14 month old thread?(n)