2001 Prius gave P3006 code 6 months ago...

Hey all I'm new here and if this is in the wrong spot admin go ahead and move it.

So here's my story I bought a 2001 Prius back in March hoping it would save me a bunch of money on gas (I am a poor college student driving 35 miles a day), but about a week into owning it I got the dashboard lights. Red !, Check Engine, all of it. So first I took it to my local parts store so I could find out the code and do a bit of investigation on my own. I had already done a good deal of research into the issues that can come from these cars so I felt pretty prepared. Needless to say I was unhappy to see a P3006 code indicating a bad cell in the HV battery. So I took the car to Toyota to have them take a look as well. They confirmed my diagnosis that a cell was bad and the HV battery needed to be replaced. They were very understanding though of the costs and that I'd probably like to think about the repair first. They shut off the light and I was back on my way. Since then I have driven the car over 1500 miles, getting approx 40 mpg, without the light returning. So my question is do I still need the battery replaced? Or would the light have come back on if it still needed it? And finally if I'm going to have it replaced I'm going to go through Greentec seeing as I can save myself over a $1000 over the dealer, what do you all think of Greentec? Are they trustworthy?

 

Thanks for the move mods, didn't see this forum. I'd like to add that this car only has 80k on it and has been a really good car to me so far other than the potential battery issue. I will also note that when the light came on it was a particularly cold day(sub 10 F) and since then I have changed my driving style to attempt to keep the battery charged. At first I was trying to maximize the mileage (i.e. more battery, trying to keep engine off.) and now I tend to drive it about like any other car, excepting for the fact that it is more sluggish than most out there. Any help you guys could give would really be appreciated!

 

Thanks Chap!
I did exactly what you suggested and currently have enough to fix it now, I just wanted to make sure what the best course of action was before I plunked down $2000-3000. I'll definitely be getting the Mini VCI.

Thanks again
-Ryan