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Consequences of NOT replacing/repairing hybrid battery

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by JLem, Aug 21, 2018.

  1. JLem

    JLem Junior Member

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    I’ll start off by saying that I don’t know much about the technical ins and outs of car engines/hybrid systems. But, our 2006 Prius with 180k miles just threw all the warning lights, so we brought it in to the dealer to get checked. Short story is that it is a bad hybrid battery and it would cost $2,700 to replace. They actually said it is one module (?) that isn’t fully charging.

    My questions:
    1) can we continue to drive it without fixing anything? What are the risks?

    2) Any advice on whether sinking $2,700 into this is a good idea?

    Thanks for any help/advice.
     
    #1 JLem, Aug 21, 2018
  2. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    No, not for very long. If you are handy and don't mind doing a crash course in battery construction and repair, you could fix it yourself reasonably cheaply. Don't buy someone else's second-hand problems (aka refurbished/rebuilt), they are just not reliable.
    Only really you can answer than, but it would depend upon (among other things) how good a condition overall your car was and how long you intend to keep it.

    Secondly, $2700 is a bit pricey in today's environment. Shop around. Yous should be able to get it done at the dealer for around $2200 OTD.
     
    #2 dolj, Aug 22, 2018
  3. JLem

    JLem Junior Member

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    So, what would happen if the car was driven with a bad hybrid battery? Does it not just become a gas-only car? Or is the hybrid system so integrated into the car that it would just cease to run?
     
    #3 JLem, Aug 23, 2018
  4. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Nope.
    Yup.
     
    #4 dolj, Aug 23, 2018
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  5. khp

    khp Member

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    I drove mine one time about 80 miles to a wrecking yard to buy a used HV battery with the triangle of death on ( clearing it once and a while) and barely made it 20 miles from the wrecking yard. The car wouldn't go any faster than 35 mph or so down the Interstate toward's the end. I was driving with the flashers on and pulled into where I worked and had some tools. Swapped the battery right there and then. It was fine after that but I won't do that again.
     
    #5 khp, Aug 23, 2018
  6. JLem

    JLem Junior Member

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    Thanks everyone. I've decided to replace the battery...but with a used/refurbished one through Green Bean Battery.
     
    #6 JLem, Aug 24, 2018
  7. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    In general, a "refurbished" battery is not a great idea. It is not actually refurbished. Rather it is composed of a bunch of used battery modules.

    While the refurbished battery comes with a warranty, expect to have one or more failures during the warranty period. If you would be inconvenienced by experiencing occasional vehicle downtime, this would not be a good choice.
     
    #7 Patrick Wong, Aug 26, 2018
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  8. #1 Toyota salesman

    #1 Toyota salesman Member

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    Good luck...we'll be looking forward to your "help, my third refurb battery is throwing codes again" posts

    $1800 will get you a NEW Toyota pack, tax included, a few hundred more of you want them to install it

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #8 #1 Toyota salesman, Aug 26, 2018
  9. thehybridguy

    thehybridguy New Member

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    Your car will go into a limp/safety mode. This is designed to keep your car from damaging any else.

    Once the lights come on you may get maybe 60 to 110 miles of driving before the car will no longer drive.

    The enegine gets started from the hybrid battery. It does not have a starter. So you cannot run it like a gas only.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #9 thehybridguy, Aug 28, 2018
  10. JLem

    JLem Junior Member

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    Just wanted to return to this thread to update. We replaced the battery with a refurbished one through Green Bean. That was about a year ago, and we've had zero problems since. The total cost was $1,550, which included the install and a full 5-yr warranty. Scheduling was easy and quick (our appointment was 4 days after making the request). They use mobile installers, so they showed up to our house, and swapped out the batteries right there in the driveway. I forget how long it took, but I don't recall it taking very long.

    all in all, our experience was excellent...and we saved a few hundred dollars. Of course, YMMV
     
    #10 JLem, Aug 6, 2019
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  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    please keep us updated, a lot of green bean talk here lately.

    all the best!(y)
     
    #11 bisco, Aug 6, 2019
  12. Charlie JO

    Charlie JO New Member

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    Still good?
     
    #12 Charlie JO, Jun 23, 2020
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