Recondition, replace or dump car?

welcome!
the age old question. i would start as is. that would give someone the option to install the battery they want.
if no luck, replace the battery and try again.

what's the kbb value of your car with no codes?

 

Did the Red Triangle go away on its own or did you do something to clear it? You cannot be sure the hybrid battery has failed without reading the codes. It is not unusual for the display to show a rapidly dropping State of Charge when the car has just been started and the A/C is blasting. It probably means the battery is not as strong as it once was, but could still provide many miles of service if it is not left sitting for too long. If it is fully warmed up and you are on the highway will it maintain 5 or 6 bars SOC on the display?

With 198k miles on the odometer, in my mind it is doubtful that you would be able to recover the entire cost of a new battery upon selling it. It would seem to me like making renovations to your house and expecting to recover the entire cost when selling it. Most real estate people will tell you that is unlikely. On the other hand, I wouldn't feel right about doing a temporary fix like a battery recondition and then selling the car to some poor sucker without telling him the battery is on its last legs. My choice would probably be to keep driving it every few days to keep the battery from failing completely, and try to sell it as-is.

 

Keep us updated... Also if you specify what region in US you live you'll likely be contacted by an expert/enthusiast who lives near you who can be more help than just online.

 

at 4k, you won't be able to dump much into a battery, but prices have come down considerably.

 

Bisco, What's the price of a new OEM battery installed these days and how many years "should" a new hybrid battery last?

 

the price isn't fixed. iirc, i have seen reported here anywhere from the low $2,000.'s up tp around $3,500.
it pays to shop around and try to negotiate, and some have gotten a close by dealer to price match a dealer further away.
regional deals are also part of the equation. some area's are higher than others.

a new oem battery should last 10-15 years, depending on a number of factors, climate probably being the biggest.