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

2004 - Gift or Curse?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by berryman, Nov 8, 2010.

  1. berryman

    berryman Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2004
    55
    0
    0
    Location:
    Southern California
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I'm planning to "gift" my 2004 Prius with 140K miles on it to my son who lives back East. I've never had any issues with my batteries (either the 12V or the HV). Should I be concerned that there's a good chance he may have to change out either or both batteries in the not too distant future?

    My thought is to give him the car because he can't afford to buy one. However, if the HV battery goes out, he probably won't be able to afford to replace that either.

    Thoughts/recommendations?
     
    #1 berryman, Nov 8, 2010
  2. Blackmamba

    Blackmamba New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2010
    113
    9
    0
    Location:
    usa
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I doubt the HV battery will go out any time soon. Even people with 200,000+ miles have not had a problem. A 12 V failure is more likely but can be easily replaced.

    I think your son is lucky. My parents wouldn't even let me drive their Prius. I had to buy my own!
     
    #2 Blackmamba, Nov 8, 2010
  3. xpcman

    xpcman Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2009
    1,302
    295
    0
    Location:
    California - SF Bay area
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    I agree with Blackmamba - get a new 12 Volt battery before you give it to him.
     
    #3 xpcman, Nov 8, 2010
  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    18,198
    6,463
    0
    Location:
    Green Valley, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I agree that if you wish to give your son a "break", that you should replace the 12V auxiliary battery now, prior to gifting the car. There is an excellent chance that battery will fail once the car gets into cold winter weather. In addition, if the 100K and 120K mile services were not performed (in particular, engine and inverter/transaxle coolant replacement, iridium spark plug change, transaxle ATF fluid replacement) I'm sure your son would appreciate it if you took care of that for him.

    The current cost of a 2G traction battery from a salvage yard is around $500 plus shipping. Independent Toyota hybrid service may be available in large metropolitan areas, so this repair would not necessarily cost a large sum.
     
    #4 Patrick Wong, Nov 8, 2010
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)