Worthwhile to replace engine & repair battery?

Wow.
That whole situation seems like standing in a muddy hole and then digging yourself deeper into it. Until you've dug so deep you can't really get out.

I suppose I could give you a whole lot of "Why didn't you do this? " advice, which wouldn't help you at all. Or "I could of told ya so".

At this point? The few things I would offer is that where and who is repairing your vehicle, engine, battery or otherwise is important.
The tricky thing is that you've already invested a considerable sum of money in keeping the vehicle running, but are now still stuck with a Prius with a failing Hybrid Battery and a Blown Engine.

To keep it going is going to take ANOTHER considerable investment.

From the details of your story, I would think you have a case against the repair shop. ( I'm NOT a Lawyer this is NOT Legal Advice ) But is suing and ending up in court a direction you want to go in? Best case scenario is you get some type of return or remedy, but you'd still have a 2007 Prius with over 200k miles on it.

With a blown engine and a suspect failing hybrid battery, it's not worth much as a vehicle right now.

You face the classic dilemma of do you want to throw good money after bad?

The situation is further complicated (with another cliche) because you switched horses in the middle of the stream. The failure of the battery from "Falcon" led you to a different repair shop that was "getting into" repairing batteries (not a good phrase) who evidently WASN'T really getting into repairing batteries and thought a road trip to Philadelphia was in order.

So now I doubt Falcon would honor any warranty they might of provided.

You could voice your IMO valid feelings and concerns with the last shop that worked on the vehicle, that took it on it's doomed road trip. But it sounds like they are taking a hardline, "ain't our fault" stance. Which leads to possibly lawyers and court rooms. And it comes with no guarantees. I have no idea how a case with these details may or may not play out. In the end, you aren't dealing with a newer vehicle that was in good shape to start with.

I think at this point, if you can afford it, I might file it under life lesson learned, and simply get out. I'd think you might be better served investing into an entirely different vehicle and starting over.
I have no idea how much a 225K , 8 year old Prius with a blown engine and a failing hybrid battery is worth. But I wouldn't expect much.

Good Luck.

 

It also depends on how much resources you have at your disposal. Time=money and don't know the combination you have and if personal principles fall into the mix, or if you simply like to tinker and fix, in which case this is a golden opportunity to tackle, since the specialist screwed everything up, and you could end up on the high ground.

Another option I would entertain is taking the losses, leasing, and getting the next generation of electric cars which is vastly simpler, and has reportedly higher range.

 

How could a failing traction battery blow an engine?

I would pursue an insurance claim, perhaps through your insurance company and talk to a lawyer.

Good luck.

 

That is one hell of a predicament. In your work order, is it written down that they would be driving the car to another city to make repairs? I know they will do a test drive around the block at least twice to see what is going on, but to another city is a very far stretch.

There have been stories of mechanics taking customer cars out for a joy ride and wrecking it. I remember one story of a brand new Corvette being wrecked because it was accelerated to a very high speed on a short residential street.

1. I would consult with a lawyer. The shop was authorized to fix the car, not drive it to another city knowing it needed repairs. This would be the equivalent of taking the car out for a joyride and wrecking it.

2. Wait for resolution of the first point. If the body and interior is still in decent shape or better, I would say fix it. Almost all the parts on the Gen 2 Prius are not interchangeable with other models, so replacement parts will have to come from other wrecked Prius' or from the dealer, making it more expensive.

3. There are wrecking yards that will buy it. But because two of the major components that the Prius has that are considered costly are damaged, I'm not sure you would be able to get very much for it though. Selling it to a mechanic as a fixer-upper would be another way.

 

i couldn't get through the first two posts, so i'll just say, donate it to cars for kids, take the tax deduction and move on. i see some pretty seer leases for $190./month.

 

The only way I can see the engine overheating to the point of blowing is by having the coolant not circulate because the pump failed or the belt broke.

Press the shop. How did they determine the engine is blown? File a claim with your insurance company if you have coverage.

Forgetting about the engine for the moment, we still have a traction battery that needs to be replaced. You already know that a rebuilt battery is as good as the rebuilder. I would limit the options to swapping it out with a traction battery from a junk yard or a brand new one from Toyota. Brand new is going to cost a significant percentage of the operable car's value. While you are shopping around for a used traction battery ask about the engine and the tranny.

 

btw, if no one has yet mentioned it above, falcon has some severe criticism in other threads.

 

there have been a few complaints about not answering the phone. and when you can't get warranty service, that can be a problem.

 

Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market can be used to search through salvage yards.

"battery" works for the traction battery. Find a local shop capable of doing the installation. Perhaps there is a local vo-tech school that could take on the job. An advantage to belonging to a car club is knowing guys that know more than you do who are willing to teach & help.

If I wasn't getting anywhere with the shop, I'd file a claim with my insurance and let them go after the shop & their insurance company.

The Falcon warranty I saw was for 6 months. No mention of mileage. For that same $950 you should be able to find a used one.

 

On a side note, I would talk to your insurance agent first since you have comprehensive coverage. If they will cover the cost of repairing the Prius, then it will be up to them to pursue the shop for damages. Let them do their job, its their job and you are paying them.

 

I would cut my losses and consider it a life lesson. I would likely donate it to a tax deductible org.

 

I don't know any schools in Delaware but Methacton HS in Pennsylvania may be a possibility. They have an active EV Club. I'd try the club before the school. Steve Savitz is the faculty advisor for the club. Contact | Methacton Electric Car Club

Classes start September 1.

In my opinion, the battery problem needs to be resolved before the engine's and you are going after the shop (one way or another) if there's anything wrong there.

 

What you can find online in a quick search is quite different to what you get when it comes to the crunch.

I gather the change in tune has come about from the mechanic's discussion with his lawyer.

In regards to the battery, bear in mind that anything other than a new Toyota supplied battery ($2100-2400) will be a reworked second-hand battery. There are very few shops that can do this process properly. Our advice is that if you are keeping the car for the long term, then always go new.

You need to go with your gut, if you feel that he will do a good job and the price is something you can live with then go for it. However, having someone work on my car in those circumstances would make me uneasy. It would depend on the mechanics ethics as to whether he will do as good a job as is necessary. You are the only one who can judge as we are not there talking to the guy.

All the best and I really hope this will be a story that has a good ending.

 

I'm not sure how you can verify a used engine with 41k miles or 241k miles? How would you know what's put in?