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'07 prius in Nashville needs help

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by zivram, May 22, 2017.

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  1. zivram

    zivram Junior Member

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    Daughter started her car - prior to this no issues at all, and the dreaded triangle of death came on along with tire pressure gauge and vsc and engine check. She drove 1/2 mile to her house. Called for a tow and took to Toyota dealer in Nashville. The worst imaginable - main battery - says Toyota. Told her about $3300 to fix. It has about 120K in mint condition- she paid $5000 for it a year ago. Anybody in Nashville experienced with this?
     
    #1 zivram, May 22, 2017
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome!
    besides a new battery, which would probably last another 10 years, the only other option is rebuilt, which would be $1500.-$2000. and probably only get her another few years, with potential complications along the way.
    you could call toyota and ask for goodwill help on the $3,300.
     
    #2 bisco, May 22, 2017
    WilDavis likes this.
  3. zivram

    zivram Junior Member

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    Thank you for your input. I am in NJ , which makes it a bit harder. She will be back at the dealer today and will ask for goodwill. Maybe, they'll be nice.
     
    #3 zivram, May 22, 2017
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  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    all the best!(y)
     
    #4 bisco, May 22, 2017
  5. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

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    Hi! I'm here in Nashville. Had 7 Prius in the family, many with high mileage. And 1 Ford Escape hybrid. None have ever had any battery problems. Like bisco said, you could easily go another 10 years with a new battery.

    I have replaced at battery in a Prius before though! Actually not too challenging!
     
    #5 Aaron Vitolins, May 22, 2017
  6. zivram

    zivram Junior Member

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    The car is an Beamans right now. I also called Toyota corporate to see if there were any dealer credits on the battery
     
    #6 zivram, May 22, 2017
  7. franken1313

    franken1313 Member

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    Buy a used hybrid battery on ebay. My battery messed up a few years ago. Dealer quoted me 5,000$ plus labor. I got a used battery for 700$ on ebay and I did all the labor

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #7 franken1313, May 24, 2017
  8. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

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    Any update? I'm not too fond of Beamen Toyota.
     
    #8 Aaron Vitolins, May 24, 2017
  9. franken1313

    franken1313 Member

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    #9 franken1313, May 24, 2017
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    when you say 'dealer credits', do you mean 'goodwill warranty'?
     
    #10 bisco, May 24, 2017
  11. zivram

    zivram Junior Member

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    Beamen said they would put in a rebuilt battery for the same labor cost as putting in a new battery. I did some research and can get a rebuilt with 3 yr unlimited mileage battery that covers all 50 states. Think I am going the rebuilt route. It will save over $1k over the new battery from Toyota. No tax on the rebuilt is also a plus and I have to get confirmation, but I was told we would also receive the recycle credit on the existing battery.
     
    #11 zivram, Jun 1, 2017
  12. zivram

    zivram Junior Member

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    No, we were inquiring about the recycle credit on the battery.
     
    #12 zivram, Jun 1, 2017
  13. zivram

    zivram Junior Member

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    IF, you know what you are doing and can lift the 80 lb. battery in and out of the car. The driver is 4'11" - not going to happen.
     
    #13 zivram, Jun 1, 2017
  14. zivram

    zivram Junior Member

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    The car was driving excellently - no problems at all. Went to the gym, came out and started right up and then the dash lights came on with the triangle of death, vsc, tire pressure gauge and the circle with the exclamation point. Manual said not to drive. So she had it towed to the dealer and they said new hybrid battery. It was NOT the 12V, unfortunately. Any advice is appreciated. Beamen's is letting her keep the car there n/c until we figure out what to do. If she buys the rebuilt from an outside source, there won't be any tax - just the tax on the labor - and it comes with a three year warranty unlimited mileage, covering all fifty states. This would save a $1000. I do hope this is the smart choice. Opinions?
     
    #14 zivram, Jun 1, 2017
  15. franken1313

    franken1313 Member

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    Do the labor yourself. It's not a big deal. It's supper easy. It's literally a few bolts to change the entire battery

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #15 franken1313, Jun 1, 2017
  16. zivram

    zivram Junior Member

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    Doesn't it have to be charged once it's installed? The new battery from dealer needs to be put together.
     
    #16 zivram, Jun 1, 2017
  17. franken1313

    franken1313 Member

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    Not if it's used. I got mine from a wrecked car on ebay & installed it myself & I had never even changed an oil in a car. I just watched A LOT of YouTube videos

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #17 franken1313, Jun 1, 2017
  18. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    My opinion is this is not the smart choice.

    If your only goal is saving $1000, then this will be short lived. A remanufactured/rebuilt battery is just a collection of (up to) 11-13 year old used modules, much like the ones in your current battery. These batteries seldom make it to the three year mark. Your 3 year warranty will definitely need to be used 2-3 times over the warranty period and it will not cover the labour to actually remove the faulty battery and reinstall the replacement. Very soon your $1000 "saving" will be gone and you will be no better off.

    Comparing a second-hand "rebuilt" to a genuinely new Toyota battery is like comparing apple to oranges, and well worth the $1000 premium to buy (genuine) new over second-hand. If you use a genuine Toyota new battery, you can have that installed and will not have to worry about it for another 10 years (at least). Compare that to ongoing hassles with warranty, and that is assuming you convince the suppler that it is a battery fault.

    If you want to save money visit several Toyota dealers and get quote from them then play them off against each other to get the best price. It will be a lot less work compared to dealing with warranty claims with your "rebuilder".
     
    #18 dolj, Jun 4, 2017
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2017
    Kevin_Denver, uart and johnjohnchu like this.
  19. johnjohnchu

    johnjohnchu Active Member

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    Rebuilt traction battery is NOT a smart choice. You really do NOT want to get stuck on the road somewhere in the foreseeable future, perhaps even on the regular basis.
     
    #19 johnjohnchu, Jun 4, 2017
  20. ChrisDIYer

    ChrisDIYer New Member

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    For what its worth, there is someone advertising on Nashville craigslist that he can refurb your battery for a flat rate fee of $500.
     
    #20 ChrisDIYer, Jun 4, 2017
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