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  1. TJKelley

    TJKelley New Member

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    Ok so I have just purchased my first Prius being a year 2010. I am getting comments like just wait till you have to buy a battery at 5 to 7 thousand. Is there a problem with the batteries on the Prius ? If so what is the life expectancy of the battery ?
     
  2. snoctor

    snoctor Member

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    The warranty is 8 years / 100,000 miles (10 years / 150,000 miles in California). I think expecting 10 years is reasonable. Consumer Reports tested a 2003 Prius with over 200,000 miles and found no problems. IF you keep your car long enough you'll be looking at around 2,000 (current price) for replacement. Generally, the only batteries being replaced now are for cars in which the batter was damaged in an accident.
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    this car is built like a tank, drive it and enjoy the gas savings. as you spend time here, you will realize that this car has fewer problems than most cars built today. i'm on my third with zero issues other than a couple recalls. all the best!(y)
     
  4. Vas25tl

    Vas25tl Member

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    It's not a Honda! Drive your Prius and enjoy it.
     
  5. eliteconcept

    eliteconcept 700 mile club, top tank mpg 69.5

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    Comments likely coming from uneducated non prius owners is my guess
     
  6. michinnom

    michinnom Member

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    Don't worry about these people who have no experience with our cars....Geez, the amount of crap we could be talking about every other car out there...
     
  7. TJKelley

    TJKelley New Member

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    Thank You to all who have posted a reply to my question about the battery life. I will drive and enjoy.
     
  8. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

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    OP- you didn't mention which state you live in... but all CARB states have the longer battery warranty (10 years / 150,000 miles).

    Did anyone mention the proven fact that the Prius blows up by simply looking at it yet? :rolleyes:
     
  9. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Recently someone posted their displeasure when their Prius Battery was diagnosed as having failed at around 128,000 miles, just out of warranty.

    They posted that the dealership was going to charge them upwards of $3,500 for replacement.

    I think this is currently "Worst Case" scenario. But I think that is what people should be told.

    The way I approach the whole Hybrid HV battery reality is in my case very much warranty connected. Since Oregon is a CARB state, I get 10 years or 150,000 miles, so I don't have to worry until I approach one of those parameters.

    Anyone not living in a CARB state with a new Prius get's 8 years or 100,000 miles.

    But I think people that are planning on keeping a Prius beyond warranty should approach it with the full realization that once the warranty period has expired you could at any moment be faced with a bill for replacement that currently can be anywhere from $2000-$3000+.

    There are a growing number of battery re-manufacturers, there are salvage yards, there is E-bay...so there are cheaper options...but I'm all for presenting the "worst case".

    But even at current Highest Cost-Highest Convenience replacement the battery will NOT cost you anywhere near 5-7 thousand. And there really are no "problems" with the batteries. Some people have put many, many more miles than the warranty coverage and driven for many years past warranty on the original battery.

    Prepare for the worst...expect the best.
     
  10. Bill Norton

    Bill Norton Senior Member

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    I have a bank courier friend with +250K miles on his 2010.
    His only unscheduled maintenance item happened just recently, $600 for an EGR valve replacement.
    And now he says his Fuel Mileage has improved around 5 MPG after that repair.

    Another bank courier buddy has +340K miles on his Gen 2 Prius and has spent $40 dollars on a used battery module. He paid to have it installed in the original battery pack. And that was many miles ago.

    I'm at +124K miles on my 2010 and all I do is replace fluids and put gas in it!

    Just smile at these Naysayers and tell them, "Nobody loves a critic" !!
     
  11. GreenClipper

    GreenClipper Senior Member

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    I'm not always impressed with the responses I see to some of the posts, but this one is spot on! If I was to "worry" about some of the costs of owning this car, that some on this forum speak of, I could easily say I couldn't afford to own a Prius. And most anyone who doesn't own a Prius, or any vehicle which gets the kind of mileage that this one does, you have to understand that they are JEALOUS! They would like to get this good a mileage, but for whatever reason they either don't want to own one of these cars, or they will give some other excuse, like they are too small, or whatever. A brother-in-law of mine never really said it, but I know by what he did say that he thought: that I paid $25K, or a $15K car. Well let them all say what they want! I haven't had my 2010 three years yet, & I have 87K on it. Nothing, NOTHING, done to it, except the under panel plastic hinge broke, & I replaced it MYSELF with a "piano" type hinge. Enjoy your Prius, and don't pay too much attention to what is in the forum, as it will make you paranoid, and want to buy an extended warrantee, Ha! The way I've gotten down the road all my motoring life is "don't go back to the dealer", for anything if you can help it, as any of them will "screw you into the ground"! And don't worry about batteries, traction, or 12v. :)
     
  12. GreenClipper

    GreenClipper Senior Member

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    Thank you for this! I have a 2010 I bought new, and the cruise control went out when it had about 50K on it and it was out of warrantee, due to miles, but was still well under in age. Toyota paid for all but about $70. of the cost to repair/replace it. So far nothing else. 100K on car, I come from the day when a car was wore out by the time it had 100K on it. Well not so with these cars now days. I didn't even do the trans. fluid/CVT, or whatever it is called, till a few months ago! Guess my car is going to hell, but I don't plan on spending any money on it that I don't have to. My priorities have changed since I've gotten older. I just had the third set of tires put on it yesterday. First OEM set were terrible, (for me), GoodYear Assurance……got 38K out of them. But later I thought it was probably because I began to think, because of the info on this forum, that I needed to put 40 to 45lbs. in them. I ended up with "stress cracks" in the tread & near tread of the sidewalls, till I decided they weren't safe. I just took off a set of Continental's that were good tires, as I got 61k + out of them & if it were still summer, I would have pressed them to 65K, easily. New set are Michelin Defenders, which I like so far. So what I'm saying here is: don't look for troubles you don't have! I will be the first to say no car is trouble free, but the troubles others have, you may not necessarily have……this is a good place to find out about your car & what to do with a given problem you may find, that you know nothing about, but don't "be carried away"!, by people advocating you must do this, or that. My former Toyota, a Camry went 7 years with the original battery in it. I've yet to put a new battery (aux), in this car. I do intend to do it before the 7 yr. mark, but you know the Prius battery is in the back, not subject to the heat of "under hood". Mine is garaged all the time, no heat or cold, I'm retired, no sitting on an employees parking lot freezing, or boiling, sooooo
     
  13. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    keep in mind the 12 volt battery may need replacing soon if it is the oem.
     
  14. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    GreenClipper, Holy wall of text Batman! :eek: :D

    Please use some paragraphs, it makes reading posts much easier. ;)
     
    dan2l likes this.
  15. GreenClipper

    GreenClipper Senior Member

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    IV
    Sorry man, didn't mean to not make paragraphs. Glad I can say I wasn't an English major, Ha!
     
  16. GreenClipper

    GreenClipper Senior Member

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    IV
    Sorry man, didn't mean to not make paragraphs! Glad I can say I wasn't an English major, Ha! Also don't know who to respond to either, I guess, as I sent this to "Spiderman" first, before I realized it was from you Xliderider.
    Guess I need to apologize to Spiderman too!
     
    spiderman likes this.
  17. GreenClipper

    GreenClipper Senior Member

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    IV
    Think I "replied" to your post, when I should have replied to "Xliderider". Guess I don't know my way around this forum like I thought I did…… I am starting to research a new "Aux" battery. Thought I wanted an Optima to begin with, sounded like they "sort of" had the market on the Prius battery, but have heard some bad reports from different places, so I'm still "assessing"…..
     
  18. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Hey, I didn't mean to bust your chops, but it really isn't that difficult. :)

    Just hit the return key on the keyboard twice, and a paragraph is born. :p

    It breaks up your post and makes it easier to read. It's even better if the paragraphs are broken down by topics or when you change your train of thought. ;)

    SCH-I535