1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

2007 self install with a new Toyota Hybrid Battery

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by gatorglenn, Jul 14, 2016.

  1. gatorglenn

    gatorglenn Member

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2010
    138
    45
    0
    Location:
    Atlanta
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius


    A few weeks ago my 2007 Prius had problems with the hybrid battery. The triangle of death and other warning lights plus the P0A80 code. The car had 178k miles on it and it has been a great car. The good thing is that I had another car to drive so I was not in a hurry to fix it plus I travel frequently so it took a little time to fix it.

    I did some research on buying used, reconditioned, and a new battery. Buying a 8-10 year old used battery down here in the south didn't make sense to me. I checked a couple of people that recondition batteries as well as Dorman. Those options seem to be hit or miss, at best.

    So I called around to several Toyota dealers. I got the same price quote from several dealers, $2588. I looked at the thread here about buying new batteries from dealers and prices around the country that they were selling for. So when I called the closest dealer they also quoted me the $2588 price but I asked if they would price match World Toyota which is about 30 miles away. The price listed for them was $2070.94. After a moment delay they agreed to price match that price. I could not place the order on the phone. I had to go in person to pay and it would be at the dealer the next day. It took a couple of days for me to get to the dealer but when i did they not only price matched they also knocked a little more off of the price for me. I had done some business with them before and I think that helped. All of this was with the parts manager who was a very nice guy.

    It was Friday July 1st before I got there to order it and they said it would be in the next morning. So on July 2nd I went to pick it up. I had also talked to the service department about getting it installed but due the the holiday weekend it would be Tuesday July 5th before I could bring it in and it would be installed on the 6th.

    So even thought they quoted me a good price to install it I didn't want to wait, so I decided to install it myself over the weekend. It was very hot and I had to work outside on it.

    [​IMG]

    The battery in the shipping container in the back of my Highlander bringing it home. Shipping container must be kept and used when taking the core back to the dealer.

    [​IMG]

    Taking the old battery out. I looked at a couple of You Tube videos and followed them in removing the trim and battery. Fairly simple.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    The new battery in the shipping container.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    New and old batteries side by side.

    [​IMG]

    The electronics on the old battery which had to be moved to the new battery along with some other wires and parts. Actually Toyota included new wiring that attached to the battery.

    [​IMG]

    This is one side showing the wire that has to be installed on the new battery. Also some on the other side as well. That is the old battery and you can see some corrosion on it.

    [​IMG]

    The new battery and I was starting to install the electronics on it. I did take addition pictures as I went to be able to look at while doing the install.

    [​IMG]

    Old battery label.

    [​IMG]

    New Battery label.

    [​IMG]

    Old battery on left with no electronics and new battery on the right with them.

    [​IMG]

    The new battery going in.

    I did get the new battery in and hooked up only to find it not working right. I had worked outside in the heat for several hours and had to leave it for the next day. I got up and checked the orange plug and the 12 volt connection and they seemed fine but the car did not start and I got an odd code. I made a couple of phone calls to Prius battery folks. Tampa Hybrid and Eric here on Prius Chat. Both guys were very nice and helpful. After getting their opinions I dove back in and took the electrical end cover off to check my connections. I founf my bone-headed move. One connector which was under the wiring was not fully seated. So I made sure they were all tight and put it back together.

    I was successful in installing the new Toyota battery. It ran great. I boxed the old battery up in the shipping container and took it back to the dealer in my Prius to get my core deposit back.

    The installation was more involved than I expected and if I had not been in a time crunch I would have paid the dealer the $399 they wanted to install it. It would have been worth it as it took 3-4 hours of work in hot weather outside.

    Tampa Hybrid and Eric in Wisconsin both install new Toyota batteries for a very reasonable price. If I had been closer I would have gotten either one of them to do it. They both seem to be great helpful guys.

    I feel very lucky getting a great price on a new Toyota battery. Not really much more than a Dorman would have cost me. I would suggest asking for a discount when talking to dealers about getting a new battery. You might also get lucky. Plus honestly if you can afford to get them to also install it, I would suggest that too.

    Good luck,
    Glenn
     
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,463
    8,377
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Excellent write up. The only thing you missed out on, is 2 additional years of warranty if you had let the dealer install. But I don't think the battery would fail in the next 3 years
     
    ozmatt likes this.
  3. ozmatt

    ozmatt Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2015
    571
    234
    0
    Location:
    australia
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    One
    nice work, should be good for another 8 or 10! :)
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    thanks for taking the time to share your excellent experience glenn!(y)

    btw, that looks like a new battery, not 'rebuilt'.
     
  5. stockdaddy

    stockdaddy Member

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2015
    208
    56
    0
    Location:
    Missouri
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    II
    You could give yourself an additional 18 months warranty if u paint the cover orange like Dorman does lol.
     
  6. gatorglenn

    gatorglenn Member

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2010
    138
    45
    0
    Location:
    Atlanta
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    I forgot to mention that it took me about 5 hours or so total to do this installation. I am not fast and it was hot. If I had an indoor place to work with a workbench I might have been able to do it a little quicker.

    Glenn
     
  7. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,463
    8,377
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    5 hours? Rookie lol
     
  8. ShaAnn

    ShaAnn Member

    Joined:
    Mar 23, 2016
    94
    42
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius c
    Model:
    Four
    I think you did a wonderful job....you are very talented to be able to do a job like that....
     
  9. gatorglenn

    gatorglenn Member

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2010
    138
    45
    0
    Location:
    Atlanta
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    LOL, Not really. I know one thing. It is pretty fast and easy to takes things apart but harder to put them back together. I think I only lost 2 screws that I replaced.

    Glenn
     
  10. JayMikey

    JayMikey New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2019
    6
    0
    0
    Location:
    Ohio
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Thanks for your write-up on this. Has everything been going strong since the install? How involved was just the part where you have to transfer the computer/electronics from the old battery to the new? I'm considering doing this swap myself (bc I can't get a straight answer from my Toyota dealer about how much they would charge for the install...they give me a different "quote" each time I ask someone over there and won't respond when I have asked for it in writing) but I am still a bit apprehensive about taking on the task. Did Toyota give you any hassle with getting the cored deposit back?