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Replace vs recondition battery

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Looney Tunes, Feb 10, 2016.

  1. Looney Tunes

    Looney Tunes New Member

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    I have a 2005 Prius in the mountains of Colorado with 162k miles and a dead #9 cell. I have been quoted 3,000 to replace the battery pack and around 2,200 to replace the dead #9 and recondition the batteries. What are the positive and negatives about reconditioning the batteries. Both come with a 3 year unlimited mile warranty. Thanks much!!!
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome! all depends on who's doing what. is the replacement a new battery from toyota?

    what is the reputation of the rebuild shoppe? there are a lot of scammers, and warranty means nothing.

    i believe there is a reputable company in boulder.
     
  3. Looney Tunes

    Looney Tunes New Member

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    Oops, I was going to say that it is a refurbished battery, not a new one. They seem reputable, have been around for more than 20 years and members of the BBB for most of the time. The reconditioning is from The Hybrid Shop in Westminster.
     
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  4. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    The best practice long term fix is usually a new Toyota batt. The refurbs are usually less reliable and you have to plan on further replacements, hopefully under their warranty.

    One approach is to call Toyota USA for $$ assistance in replacing with new HV batt. We have some guidelines for that. It's a wild card but you could get a new batt for $2000 installed which would be the best. You can also buy a Toyota batt and have it installed yourself.

    Boulder Hybrid Conversions is active here (bisco referenced) not sure what they can offer in this case.

    You've done some of the homework, so if necessary you tell Toyota if they can beat your other options, you will do that.
     
    Shane Burns likes this.
  5. oneofmanysons27

    oneofmanysons27 New Member

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    I've had two batteries go bad on separate prius's over the years, both had issues with corrosion on the cell links, and maybe a couple bad cells. I've had good luck cleaning and replacing a few cells.
     
  6. jeff652

    jeff652 Senior Member

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    Battery reconditioning is not a one time event. If done one and never repeated, it won't be long before another module fails and you are back at the point of having a red triangle. Our products enable fast, easy in car battery reconditioning and cell balancing that can be repeated for as long as you own the car. By performing maintenance and care of the hybrid battery, it can easily last the rest of the life of the vehicle. It's also less than $400. :)
     
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    for 3 grande, i would talk to a dealer about a new one. and at 3 grande, i would be cautious about the company. that's about the most expensive reconditioned replacement i've heard of.
     
  8. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    You need to shop around for a genuine NEW Toyota HV Battery. You may have Toyota dealers near you who sell parts online, at a significant reduction compared to their retail counter sales.

    I'm fortunate that there are dealers near me who do sell online and will match or come close to other dealer online prices. You will have to will-call pick-up the HV Battery, as no one will ship it.

    $2071 2007 Toyota Prius Parts - Discounted Toyota and Scion Parts and Accessories
    $2071 2007 Toyota Prius Parts - Toyota of San Bernardino Online Parts Store
    $2174 http://parts.camelbacktoyota.com/parts/2007/Toyota/Prius/Base/?siteid=214329&vehicleid=189812&section=HYBRID%20COMPONENTS

    NEW will get you the best longevity and trouble free operation. Rebuilt, asking for a breakdown at the worst possible time. You can always transfer this battery into another Gen2, if something should happen to your current Gen2.