Sell or Fix 2004 w/ dead Hybrid battey

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Mike & Flo Adams, May 19, 2014.

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  1. Mike & Flo Adams

    Mike & Flo Adams "God makes the wind. We set the sails."

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    I wanted to see how it went with Joe first. I was contacted by a woman that works for Houston Prius Battery Repair claiming that they have come behind Joe to fix "SEVERAL" cars that Joe did not fix correctly. Maybe it is true and maybe not. Personally I doubt it. I looked very hard and could not find even ONE negative review. I did find more than 40 - '5 out of 5 star' reviews. Now I know why.

    If my battery pack dies next week I will probably reconsider but I will bet anyone here $100.00 bucks that it doesn't. And that's not gambling because it is a sure thing!

    Please excuse my outburst. The older I get the more I outburst. BTW, just being ex-law enforcement does not mean you were smart in any way. "Smart' is a relative thing. My wife and I do OK but at 63 we are still learning every day if not always remembering everyday~!

    Ciao,

    Mike
     
    #21 Mike & Flo Adams, May 26, 2014
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    please pass the popcorn...:)
     
    #22 bisco, May 26, 2014
    Houston Hybrids and usnavystgc like this.
  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I guess you've answered your own question on how Joe gets these 5 star reviews. You have not even had the battery for a week yet and you can already give him a 5 star review on more than 1 site, yelp and google. The repair you got is not a new battery, it's a module replacement that will eventually fail again. I have no doubt about Houston Hybrid getting some of his business after the module(s) failed again. These band-aid repairs often need service in the near future. It has very little to do with the quality of the repair but rather the life expectancy of the battery modules themselves. The modules that weren't replaced will fail just because it's time to fail.

    I don't trust for 1 second that there isn't a single unsatisfied customer from Joe. There is no business with a 100% satisfaction record. If you see it online, you would be wise to question why so many have said such great things.

    I'm a skeptic myself, I believe a fraction of what I read online. It's great information but it's not always the absolute truth.

    Best of luck to you with your repair, I hope it lives up to your expectations.
     
    #23 JC91006, May 26, 2014
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  4. Mike & Flo Adams

    Mike & Flo Adams "God makes the wind. We set the sails."

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    Okie Dokie JC91006 - Actually I agree with everything you said. I also believe it is almost impossible for a business to have all five star reviews and that made me skeptical.But, if you will re-read my earlier posts, and as I have mentioned several times, I really searched. I Googled his business name and every review that showed up was 5 stars on every site. I was still skeptical so I went so far as to contact several of the reviewers , the majority of which had posted reviews about one year ago, and ask them directly. They all confirmed that they were happy then and they are happy now.

    As far as the failing modules I also know about that. We will probably sell the car before twelve months is out with full disclosure about the battery pack. By that time we plan to own only one car, our Prius V. The market at the time we sell the car will dictate what we get for it.

    I make my living as a digital forensics expert witness working with the prosecution and the defense on computer crimes. In the years that I have done this I have learned everything there is to know about the Internet. You will not find anyone more skeptical than me about the Internet. My favorite quote is:

    "The problem with the Internet today is that it is very difficult to tell who is telling the truth." by Abraham Lincoln.

    Why do you think I did so much research? I have seen pedophiles posing as online candy store owners and clowns for kids parties. Rapists often lure women via the Internet these days and so do many murderers. Many crimes begin on the Internet and there is no such thing as being too skeptical especially if you are a woman.

    So, maybe you will find a negative, fake, or paid review but I couldn't. That does not mean that there isn't one out there it just means that I could not find it. So, go look and tell us what you find. Be sure to check the "Ripoff Report" site which is well known for exposing fraudsters.

    So, for me the matter is closed. Too many other really importnat things to deal with in life. Thank you for your input.

    Mike
     
    #24 Mike & Flo Adams, May 27, 2014
  5. Mike & Flo Adams

    Mike & Flo Adams "God makes the wind. We set the sails."

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    I will take you word for it Jessica. Now that you have expounded on the subject I can see that you know what you are talking about. I apologize if I caused you any concern. Honesty is always the best policy.

    Joe must have been thinking of someone else. He described a male he talked to that really wanted to be a franchisee and became angry when he was refused.

    Please call Joe if you want any more clarification.

    BTW - I never expected a rebuild to be as good as the original. That would be silly and is not our goal. We hope for one year.

    People assume too much about too many things. Do your customers think a rebuild will last eight years?

    Thank you and best of luck in your business. I will send my Houston Prius friends to you.

    Mike
     
    #25 Mike & Flo Adams, May 27, 2014
  6. Houston Hybrids

    Houston Hybrids Junior Member

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    Mike- "How long will a rebuilt battery last" is the million dollar question in my line of work and a great question at that. I have rebuilt factory batteries that have failed with as little as 60,000 miles and as much as 300,000 miles, which is an incredible difference for the same product...or so many people think. What it really boils down to is how the car is driven and maintained.... There are many different scenarios that can lead to premature battery failure or prolonged battery life. For example, my mother-in-law may drive her Prius like its a hot-rod, (not paying attention to best practices for driving a hybrid) keep it parked in the Texas sun, only drive it every few weeks at best and take her 10 poodles who shed like mad with her everywhere she goes (thus clogging the battery fan). Her battery is probably not going to be as healthy as someone who practices hypermiling, parks in the shade and drives their car regularly. Same goes for rebuilt batteries ;) I hope you have many good years of life out of all your batteries and if you ever have any questions you can find me lurking around PC!
    Jessica
     
    #26 Houston Hybrids, May 28, 2014
  7. Philw

    Philw Junior Member

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    I couldn't afford the $3000 the mechanic wanted to put in a new battery, and the new battery alone cost $1500+$900 core charge, so i looked on you tube and was surprised at how easy fixing the battery was. I took out the battery, CAREFUL TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS ON DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY, then tested each of the 28 cells in it, going the 1 low cell, replaced it with a used one from eBay and put it back in and it runs better than it had since I bought it and gets slightly better mileage. Total cost? $35 and a total of about 8 Hrs of slow careful work. Doing it again would take me about 3 Hrs.
     
    #27 Philw, Jun 2, 2016
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome and congrats! it's amazing how easy it is to keep these batteries going. i'm surprised no one has set up shop replacing bad cells. seems like you'd have an endless stream of customers. all the best!(y)
     
    #28 bisco, Jun 2, 2016
  9. uagent

    uagent Junior Member

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    I've kind of felt the same thing, but then from a mechanic's POV, they have to do the same labor to get at the battery, plus the time to disassemble and diagnose which cell is bad (I know the trouble code narrows it down to the bad cell pairs). By that point you've eaten up a lot of shop time, so I imagine the customer would be pretty hot that they spent $50 on parts and a few hundred in labor :/
     
    #29 uagent, Jun 4, 2016
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    true, but when your only other options are $1400.+....
     
    #30 bisco, Jun 4, 2016
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