Dorman Battery Warning

Don't know. Most dorman buyers who report their troubles here are long past the 30 day window. Did you buy it through a local auto parts store? If so, they may still have it waiting shipment.

Where are you in Texas?

 

Yeah, if I was replacing a tire with a used one my first priority would be to match the tread! LOL. That's why the paint jobs and the decals on these used batteries are so important. No real need to paint such a part. It's all marketing.

 

They still had it and I got a refund.

I would have never done that had I not seen this thread.

 

Awesome.

Please see if this option will help you out: Texas Prius Battery Replacement

Matt is

 

"Reliable Rebuild" is an oxymoron in this space. It always has been and always will be a band-aid. A new battery is the best choice, and there are people now (like me) that are starting to offer new non-Toyota batteries. Service the same space at a lower cost, and you still have your core.

Right now there are at least 3 companies I know of making new batteries of different designs, 1 prismatic and 2 cylindrical. The prismatics to replace the originals are terrible. The cylindricals from two companies have been sort of hit or miss, trending on the miss side. Within this year, there will be a fourth option, the third cylindrical option, mine. It will match up with the original very well (and my testing shows even better). I have made lots of custom batteries over the years for all sorts of products from large industrial projects to small consumer devices that you can buy in BestBuy and lots that are on Amazon, etc. 2 year 40k km warranty (2 year/ ~25k mile).

I really did expect more from Dorman though. I also recommended them in the past having heard all the glowing reviews. This is the first one I have seen with such terrible QA, but I am sure it's not the only one. The scary part is how many that QA inspector let slip past them on whatever terrible day they were having that were good enough to work, but still have exposed wiring and melted connectors...

 

Well they were decent in the beginning (especially warranty) but I think this shows that the aging pool of modules is having a huge affect now. Besides the shoddy workmanship shown here, I assume these packs are sitting in area distribution warehouses going bad instead of periodically charging. Just a guess.

We've been using a used tire analogy and trying to find four with all the same tread depth can get you a few more miles. Except the analogy needs to be amended that there are no more tires of the correct size coming into the pool so the ones left to choose from are increasingly more and more bald.

 

Thanks Doug.

I'll add one of my recent Dorman experiences (there have been a few). A local Prius owner purchased a Dorman battery from Rock Auto and it failed after 10 months. Rock Auto couldn't get a Dorman battery to send him as a replacement so they gave him a full refund for the original purchase plus they got him a $1000 back from Dorman for the core battery that he gave up 10 months earlier.

We put a new Toyota battery in his car and he paid an extra $500 because he didn't have a core battery anymore. After everything was said and done and he applied the $1000 from Dorman it cost him right around $2000 for the new battery and the car was fixed right. What really impressed me about this was the way Rock Auto went above and beyond to take care of this guy, definitely a great company to do business with.

Matt

 

that is amazing.

 

I see the aftermath, but I'm trying to figure out how it got to this point?
Are you saying this is a new purchase and when the crate was opened this is how it arrived?

If it is from 2016 it is still under warranty so why was it opened up?

What is the back story here?

***
Also, if you purchase a Dorman battery, if it is replaced, the clock resets for the warranty.
On the flip side though, if you are even a month out of warranty, you will not get a replacement under warranty.

***
As far as Rock Auto... hmmm... a while back one of my customers had problems with RockAuto and the pack he bought from them. The warranty issue had to do with RockAuto being the seller, not with the product itself. Or some such thing. I remember that it was a huge hassle for the customer and I advised future customers not to buy through RockAuto. Maybe some had good experiences with Rock Auto, but not my guy.

 

IDK rebuilt is rebuilt no mater if you buy a dorman or do it yourself for $50.
they can last a month or over a year like my current rebuilt pack I did myself..
theres no reason to drop thousands on a new battery when so many other expensive repairs can kill the value of the car at any time..
the warranty is meaningless if you have to pay labor over and over then you have also lost your core that they quickly rebuild and sell to someone else.. I doubt their rebuilding process is any different then what I did here at home..

 

Anyone try these batteries yet?

 

i don't recall ever having heard of them.

 

advanced auto $1,677. vs $2,200. new?

$2,200. on amazon! maybe the advanced auto wasn't for prius.

then again, amazon wants $2,300. for a dorman.

 

Cardone has been offering remanufactured automotive parts for years. I've used their reman power steering pumps.

 

sorry, i meant never heard of anyone here putting in one of there batteries.

 

Cardone is no better or worse than Dorman or any other major HV pack "remanufacturer".

Refurbished, rebuilt, re-whatever - they're all garbage compared to a brand new.pack.

Not everyone can afford a new pack so some owners must default to the inferior option of a rebuilt one
and all the misery that may entail. What a shame.

 

Hey, you've got to pay for the sweet, rattle can paint jobs covering those carefully matched and balanced Gen 1 modules....

 

Cardone and Dorman are major aftermarket suppliers. Go into most auto stores and you will see aisles of Dorman parts for example.

If people can afford a new pack, they should do it.

But if they choose to go the rebuild route, they should use a local well-established supplier, or large well-known supplier like Dorman that has a strong warranty.

I regularly install Dorman packs and have used them locally as well as had them shipped to customers across the country.

Whenever there has been a problem Dorman has always stepped up to the plate. Now maybe this is because I do so much business with them, but I like to believe they handle it the same for all customers.

I think I may have installed a Cardone at some point. Their rep called on me again last week.

As others have said, I would imagine their quality is similar to Dorman given they are big boys in the aftermarket supply space.

 

it is an incredible color its a shame to cover it with all that pesky plastic and carpet
wasn't there a company that had neon green battery pack?

 

Yup, greentecauto.





How about cutting large openings in the case, fill in with plexiglass, and install some sick LED lighting inside? Make it flash and change color with the jams.