Normal corrosion on a 10-month old HV battery?

I would have gone out of my mind if I had purchased a battery and experienced that level of workmanship. Every battery I rebuild is in the condition as if it just came off the manufacturers assembly line, other than some discoloration on the case. I would have that POS on their doorstep demanding a quality replacement. Or, I would just invest a few dollars into a new website with a lot of photos showing the exceptional quality of work.

 

It met the 6 month(?) warranty period so really not much could be done.

I don't know what they charged for this workmanship. Hopefully not much.

 

Very Good.

 

falcon already has a rep here, feel free to pile on.

 

I want to throw some more info out on the "bus bar corrosion" topic. Today, I replaced a HV battery in a members 2007 Prius that had failed. Block 8 weak. My understanding is that it was a previously rebuilt battery that was still in its warranty period but the desire was to update to a Gen 2 HV with Gen 3 modules. Following successful replacement and a ~450+ mile round trip, I did a quick disassembly/inspection of the old battery. It had (23) 2007 coded modules and (5) 2006 coded modules. It was a 2006 module that failed. Definitely a "rebuild". I'm going to assume the warranty was 1 year, which is pretty optimistic for a rebuild. That would mean this is less than a year old. I've included photos of the bus bars. Those are the first 9 photos.

About a year and a half ago, I built a Gen 2 battery using 28 modules from two 2013 Prius C HV batteries. I media blasted and polished the bus bars (using a soft wire wheel on a drill press). That battery was installed in my son's 2005 for the sole purpose of ensuring he had reliable transportation while driving to school. I pulled that battery out recently to install a Dorman for testing. (I repaired its failure and corrected its deficiencies, and the boy agreed to be my test vehicle while I had to cover other obligations). The last 3 photos are of the bus bars on his battery that I removed. A year and a half old. You can see some corrosion just starting to form on some of the fasteners. Any difference between the first group and second group of photos? I'd be willing to say the bus bars in the forum members old battery were untouched prior to reinstalling. The rear surfaces are also horrible, including where the contact surface would be with the module terminal.

I think it's just another example of what is out there lurking. It's unbelievable what's being slapped together and called "rebuilt".

 

Which picture numbers were the year later photo of the media blasted and shiny copper?

 

I think an important factor that we may not be considering is that older cells will be more leaky than newer cells. The out gassing may be the reason for the corrosion and not the lack of cleaning the terminals.

 

Comical.

Apparently you never bothered to type "genuine oem toyota parts" or "genuine oem toyota parts Maryland". Some links are to Toyota dealers who have an online store and sell parts at a discounted price. Some links are to a retail Toyota dealership that does not have a discounted online store. Other links are to sites that sell some OEM parts but mostly non-OEM parts.

You should be ashamed for not buying a Genuine OEM Toyota HV Battery, considering you have four Pri's. You were penny wise, pound foolish, and got what you paid for.

Spend the money for quality and peace of mind. Get a 100% NEW, Genuine OEM Toyota HV Battery.
Don't forget, everyone will add a refundable $1350 core charge, unless you bring the core with you at time of purchase.
Not all dealerships will sell to the public or even another mechanic. Call and ask.
No one will ship b/c it is cost prohibitive.
Won't hurt to call and ask your local dealerships if they can come close to MidAtlantic; highly unlikey, but they might come down considerably from their retail price.

Your best bet is MidAtlantic Toy (somewhere, VA), $1975.16, Battery - Toyota (G9510-47031) | ToyotaPartVA

Other Toy dealers who sell online:
Metro Toyota, Kalamazoo, $2256.03 Toyota Parts: Search Results
Toyota Parts e-Store (Chicago, IL), $2083, 2007 Toyota Prius Electrical Parts & Components battery Battery - OEM Toyota Parts
Olathe Toyota (Olathe, KS) $1993.28, Battery - Toyota (G9510-47031)
Austin Toy (Austin, TX), $2588.67, Battery - Toyota (G9510-47031) | Discount Toy
Gulf Nation Toy (Houston, TX), $2083.88, Battery - Toyota (G9510-47031)
Camelback Toy (Phoenix, AZ) $2210.73, 2007 Toyota Prius Parts - Camelback Toyota Parts - Genuine OEM Parts - Free Shipping
San Bernardino Toy (San Bernardino, CA) $2200.80,2007 Toyota Prius Parts - Toyota of San Bernardino Online Parts Store

Some people balk and think it is crazy to spend $2K for a new battery when the car is worth $2K-$4K. To me, it makes sense if: you can DIY, your car is in very good mechanical operation, and exterior is still acceptable. The alternative is buying a new car or a younger used car, and possibly taking out a loan. The upside with driving your existing car until it dies, or another vehicle retires it early for you, is you can drop comprehensive insurance, saving you a sizeable amount every year.

Also, there is the reliability issue. As you found out, "rebuilt" or module swapping is problematic. If you have more time than money, enjoy unnecessary stress of inconvenient breakdowns, and enjoying tackling unnecessary/preventable repairs, then save a penny.

Should something happen to your current car with the new HV Battery, you can always transfer the pack directly into another Gen2, or a Gen3 by removing the modules and placing it into the Gen3 case. The new HV Battery gives you options and reliability.

When it comes time for me to replace the HV Battery, I hope San Bernardino or Camelback will drop their $2200 price some, getting closer to MidAtlantic's price of $1975. But, if they don't, $2200 is still affordable, esp when you amortize that cost over a 10 year life expectancy.
$2200/10years = $220/year = $4.23/week = $0.67/day
I can easily give up a $5 latte/week.

If the replacement battery lasts longer than 10 years, the amortized costs goes lower.
$2200/11years = $200/year = $3.85/week = $0.55/day

 

Or... you can buy a salvage battery for around $1000 or less... Removing the battery out of the Prius is annoying but not $2000 annoying. If I can save $1000+ and that means I'll have a break down in 5 years, then so be it. A vehicle of this vintage could have another severe mechanical problem that would make the money spent on the battery worthless.

If you're working on your own cars, it seems to make more sense to rebuild the packs. If you're hiring people to do this work, then buying a new pack may make more sense.

 

Maybe in the SF area the odds of finding a good ,newer yet cheap pack close by exactly when you need one might be reasonably good but for many others that's just not the case. Old packs are easier to find and typically cheaper but letting them sit unused at a scrap yard can severely affect their health. Plus, since typically they've been pulled you can't check their status with software.

Finally, this is a gen 2 thread and survivor good, used packs are getting scarce. One can get a gen3 (and 4?) and swap out all the internal modules into the gen 2 case but that is well beyond the DIY skills of many owners.

 

Only NiMH Gen4 batteries. Most of the US trims have Li-Ion battery. Only Trim Two and possibly Trim One have NiMH.
Somebody already put NiMH Gen 4 modules in a Gen 2 case.

 

That is correct. Save money where it makes sense. And for you, this appears to be a cost:benefit determination, that you feel to be prudent. Some have gone this route, and have been winners. Far more, are not as fortunate.

No offense meant, but you are being short sighted and not looking at the bigger picture, opportunity costs, and the reality.

1) TIME IS MONEY TOO!

• TIME is the most precious resource. You never get it back and you can't gain/earn more time.
• You can always earn more money: spend less/save more, get a raise, get a better paying job, get a 2nd job, etc.
• I value reliability and minimal unnecessary repairs, b/c I want to do other things with my time.
• You might value working on your car every free second, b/c this brings you happiness.
• What will an inopportune HV Batt failure cost you: Missed flight? Late to a job interview? Late to court? Late/Missed a midterm/final? Late/Missed your child's performance? Expensive tow b/c a distance from home? Possibilities are endless.

2) Reread Post #1. Assuming the OP is not making anything up, this is a REAL WORLD case study. Something you can look forward to.

• April 2016 - OP does a module replacement; lets call this April 2016, week 1.
• April 2016, week2 - assumed, P0A80 again. OP opts for a "rebuilt" HV Pack with a 6month warranty.
• Feb 2017, week2 - assumed P0A80 again. OP swaps out 2 modules acquired from crapBay (eBay).

Analysis:​

• Initial module replacement gave him ONE week! This is not unheard of either.
• "Rebuilt" HV Pack only gave him 10months.
• OP does not report how many additional breakdowns he experienced since Feb 2017, but clearly he has.

3) MONETARY COSTS reported in post #23

• 1st module cost $35.10
• "Rebuilt" HV Pack cost $1205; unknown if OP incurred any core return shipping costs.
• Inferring OP paid $35.10 x 2 = $70.20, for the two additional modules mentioned when the "Rebuilt" HV Pack failed.
• Known, likely costs: $35.10 + $1205 + $70.20 = $1310.30
• Unknown if OP incurred any vehicle rental vehicle fees while repairing the HV Pack.
• Unknown if OP incurred and towing fees due to HV Pack failure.
• Unknown if OP lost any wages, due to vehicle causing him to be late/miss work.

4) Opportunity Costs of the HV Pack failures:

• What things did these failures cause OP to miss/not attend?
• Performing the repair himself, what things did the OP miss/forgo?
• What would the OP prefer to be doing?

5) REALITY 101

• Gen2 modules are 8-13 years old, and getting older: 2017-2004=13, 2017-2009=8
• The pool of "good" Gen2 modules remaining, seems to be getting smaller.
• The test case experienced 2+ HV Pack failures in less than one year.
• Do you really believe your luck will hold out for five years, with only ONE HV Pack failure?

By all means, module swap away, if this will bring you happiness. But remember there are costs beyond money, that many people do not account for.

As I stated in Post#30, with a new HV Battery, you can always transfer the pack directly into another Gen2, or a Gen3 by removing the modules and placing it into the Gen3 case. The new HV Battery gives you options and reliability.