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NEW Battery from dealer

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by lordofthereef, Nov 27, 2021.

  1. lordofthereef

    lordofthereef Junior Member

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    Hello again! I am looking to buy a gen 2 battery direct from the dealer. The pricing seems too good to be true (compared to rebuilt units) so I'm just trying to see if I'm somehow missing something.

    The dealer wants $1579.50 for the pack and they are local to me. There's a $1350 core deposit fee, which I'm hoping I could get immediately refunded as I'd just bring the bad battery in when I come to pick up the new one. I'll confirm with them over the phone or online if that's the case. Even if now, so long as there's an avenue to get back the core fee (there should be), in ok with that. I'll drop a link below to the actual listing.

    I've done the whack a mole cell replacements, and am on my third, or maybe fourth one. I have lost count! Usually they last me about a year. I keep telling myself that the car isn't worth "dumping" money into (Carnac will give me $400 for it hahaha), and that I won't have it by this time next year, but here we are I think three years after posting my first comment on priuschat (feel free to check my post history; the wealth of knowledge and willingness to help around here is appreciated more than you know), the car is still with me and I'm still repairing it.

    So, knowing that I'm comfortable pulling and replacing the battery, does this seem like a logical step forward? We STILL want to get into another car, but the market right now is a bit bonkers. In many ways I wish I had replaced this car more than a year ago, but hindsight is always 20/20. The way I see it now is the $1600 might be a much smaller loss than whatever I spend on another vehicle, even new, with all of the ADMs happening due to low stock. Hell, many ADMs are twice that alone.

    Car has been bullet proof otherwise. Oil changes, spark plugs, tires and brake pads are all it has ever needed. Oh, I guess it did need a new right front bearing too. If it wasn't for this pesky battery, I don't think I've had a more reliable vehicle.

    As mentioned already, but that can't be mentioned enough, I'm thankful for all the help this community had given and continues to give.

    https://parts.harrtoyota.com/p/Toyota_2005_Prius/BATTERY-ASSEMBLY---HV-SUPPLY/63533084/G951047031.html
     
  2. nancytheprius

    nancytheprius Active Member

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    if you’ve already been able to replace modules with the “whack a mole” way you’ll definitely be well equipped! that’s a great price! the lowest i can find here is $1950.
     
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  3. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    Careful, you need to confirm that they will accept your old battery as dealers may not accept a battery with module serial numbers that are not from the same series.

    JeffD
     
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  4. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Yea... Go for it! That's a great price... And as long as you upgrade to a Gen3 Prius or Prius V 2015 or older you can use this new battery pack in that vehicle as well.
     
  5. mr_guy_mann

    mr_guy_mann Senior Member

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    You want to make sure that you have everything you need from the old battery before turning in the core. I believe you need to transfer the ecu, relays and mounting frame? Make sure you don't have corrosion damage to the ecu connector pins.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  6. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    That's an excellent price. Several people have reported getting new batteries from Toyota dealers for that amount.

    As @jdenenberg cautions, I would confirm that they will accept your whack-a-mole battery before pulling the trigger. I don't see a good reason why they wouldn't but they don't necessarily need a good reason.

    As for taking them your old battery and bringing home the new one, that's pretty risky. There are parts that need to be transplanted from the old one to the new one and if you miss one of the and don't find out till you get home you might have to order the parts new, adding to your cost. Most people make the extra trip to return the core after completing the work.
     
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  7. Aegean

    Aegean Active Member

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    You can remove from the old battery the sub-frame with the ECU and main relays and give the remaining battery to the dealer when you pick up the new one so you do not get charged core fee. It is just 3 nuts to detach it from the main battery.
    These are the parts you need to transfer from the old to the new battery but they are included in the subframe:
    1. Upper battery carrier (ECU sub-frame)
    2. NO. 6 BATTERY CARRIER PANEL
    3. Battery ECU
    4. No 1, 2 and 3 system main relays and wiring
    5. Main resistor
    6. Current sensor
    7. Orange plug ( service plug with orange wires is from new battery)
    8. Plastic terminal covers
    9. Junction terminal
    10. Mounting screws and nuts
    1D829A88-1B24-46C5-86B3-7A808506EF2E.jpeg
     
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  8. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    What about the rubber vent tubes and the black plastic pieces that clip to the clamp rods?
     
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  9. lordofthereef

    lordofthereef Junior Member

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    Thanks for the tips. I had no idea that the serials had to match. However, I've kept all of my old bad cells in the basement. I'll give them a call and ask, and if the answer is that it all needs to match, I guess I should plop those back in? Does it matter where I put any particular one in the series?
     
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  10. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    I've never heard of someone's core deposit not getting returned based on serial numbers not matching up... Those are alot of numbers to inspect and the lettering is very small. Employees in the parts department have more important things to do with their time than compare 28 serial numbers. As long as all the parts are there it won't be an issue. The only justification for a stealership refusing a return based on serial numbers of the modules if they were up to some kind of scam, in which case you'll want to talk to the manager at the dealership and warn them you'll be escalating your complaint to Toyota corporate.
     
  11. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Where did you hear this? Was it from someone who was refused a refund on their core deposit? Or just a rumor? Because there's nothing anywhere in the documentation that says serial numbers have to match? Maybe you're confusing this with warranty documentation?
     
  12. ammdb

    ammdb Active Member

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    You won't regret getting a new Toyota pack. It will keep the car on the road for many years to come, and make it much more valuable if/when you decide to sell it.
     
  13. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Yes, I think there is a confusing of the requirements of a warranty replacement. For warranty one of the checks is to make sure no one has monkied with the battery, which includes a check that all serial numbers are sequential.
     
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  14. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    I had to do exactly that because the dealer told me I was buying a complete battery for the 1600 I get there and the whole front end is missing off the battery and I got two plastic bags with the plug receptacle and some high tension wires blah blah blah so whilst in the parking lot I removed the front end of the battery and what I needed dropped the mess he wanted in the box and this guy could have put anything in the box while he waited outside and smoked the cigarette in the rain well drizzle I would say the 1600 from the dealer is the best deal on a new guaranteed new battery the 1300 core will not be refunded to you that day it will be build on your credit card or you'll pay it in cash and they will give it back in a day or two matter of fact usually to get the $1,600 deal you've got to do it online pay with the credit card make arrangements to pick up at the dealer of your choice in your area I guess that's how it happened here North Carolina so my core was already charged to my credit card when my core was turned in at the dealer they took some numbers made sure the stickers were all Toyota it wasn't a green tech battery etc the next day I got an email from the service manager saying my core was accepted and I should be seeing my refund on my card in three to five which was no problem for me and it did come back I got it in three

    SM-A715F ?
     
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  15. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Yeah I'm not believing that for a minute The big guy in the parts department where I am he was not in going to be involved in removing that silver cover off those battery modules no sir his job was to make sure that that wasn't a remand battery from one of the cottage industries like just talked about that was it I don't think anybody did any serial number checking I truly don't they just wanted to make sure they got a complete Toyota battery back The stickers and all say so no green tech stickers on the screws none of that And that makes your core good and you get your money I don't think the I used to work at the Toyota dealer when I worked at the Toyota dealer I can guarantee you ain't nobody in the Toyota dealer taking apart a battery they didn't even have them back then but still we didn't do any of that matter of fact hundreds of thousands of parts a year would have vanished from the parts department to people's cars for free or for different kinds of charges or all kinds of funny businesses This was a big Toyota dealership so there's all kinds of things disappearing and vanishing and going away and nobody's caring very much or at least they're not acting like it

    SM-A715F ?