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Prius 2008. 120K miles. Original HV battery

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Tykong, Mar 5, 2018.

  1. Tykong

    Tykong New Member

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    new to this forum. I’m currently driving a very old Lexus rx3000 1999. Just put new tires on them. Car runs fine with some minor issues. I have been offered a free Prius, 2008, 120K miles, original HV battery (very expensive). She ( original owner, take cares of the car well, rust proofing etc) replaced the 12 V battery (cheaper one) a few weeks ago. Reason I threw in the battery cost is because I’m not certain which is which, but the bottom line I was told is there are 2 batteries and she had replaced the much cheaper of the 2, not the one that’s over $4000.
    I’m very confused whether I should take her up on her offer and rid my Lexus. But I also hate to end up with a car where the battery life is towards its tail end and I’ll end up inheriting one which will cost me beyond my means to repair. Can I get some advise what I should expect. I know nothing is definite but would be grateful for some input.
    As far as the HV battery, I read online you can replace certain cells and not the whole battery if it fails? So it won’t cost as much as rplacing the entire thing? So confused.
     
    #1 Tykong, Mar 5, 2018
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2018
  2. Tykong

    Tykong New Member

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    Potentially how long will the car last before I have to do something with the HV
     
  3. Tykong

    Tykong New Member

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  4. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Since someone is giving you this car for free, you should consider spending $4000 (it should be much less) to get a new battery when the time comes. Then you'll have a much newer and reliable car for only $4000

    Alternatively you can sell the car for $5000 to $6000 as it is now
     
    srellim234 likes this.
  5. George W

    George W Active Member

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    Invest in an ELM27 compliant code reader, and a free app called Dr. Prius.

    You drive around and watch the 14 part bar-graph display real-time HV performance, and get a better idea of where the pack's life expectancy is. The app also has a real world test to identify modules that are under-performing, but I'm not sure if that is only in the 'paid' version ($5).
     
  6. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    The HV battery from a dealer, installed, should be in the $2.5k USD / $3.3k CAD range. Not $4k.

    Why complain about replacing a battery on a car that you get for free that's 9 years newer than what you have?

    Just FYI, we've owned RX300's, RX330's, RX350's, RX400's, and RX450's as well as Prius C, Prius Gen-2, etc.

    I much prefer the Prius over the RX300. I assume your RX's are AWD? All of ours were/are. I prefer the RX400h and RX450h over the 300/330/350 and any Prius. You are going from a luxury car to an economy car albeit one that's a decade newer.

    Yes you can replace individual modules in the battery. However you will then be playing the game of whack-a-mole. You should really just replace as one full unit with a new battery today. Toyota sells them new, and so do I.

    I'm in the GTA every couple weeks so I know the area, driving conditions, etc. I see no reason why a Prius wouldn't work. We keep the Prius C at our place in Brampton, no problem.
     
    George W likes this.
  7. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    You guys do know this thread is almost a year old don’t you? Whatever decision the OP made he hasn’t been back since. I’m guessing he passed.
     
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Wookie mistake :p
     
    Skibob likes this.