Cost to replace traction battery

that sounds awfully cheap. they have been $2500. or so, here. i wonder if there have been uk battery issues?

 

Make a pdf of that page, fast?

That's strangely low. Maybe they meant to say 1800 pounds??

Anyway, in case anyone wants ammo:

 

That does seem very very cheap alright. Although I was told that the battery cost in Northern Ireland and UK is considerably cheaper than here in Ireland. the battery is actually cheaper retail in Uk than the cost price to ?Toyota Ireland!

 

If the battery fear was taken out of the equation, hybrid's would have a good chance at gaining market share. Right now with dealer's quoting $4000 for a new battery, the hybrid segment will never go beyond the 3% it's at now.

 

Maybe you want to ask where they make these hybrid batteries

Isn't there a factory here in the UK making them for the Auris hybrid? That means control of pricing, no import fees etc. Not sure if there's a factory in the US doing the same? Even if the battery packs aren't produced in the UK, there will be thousands of them kicking around making it easy and cheap to ship to a dealer if required, rather than shipping over from Japan at high expense.

The £800 pricing was reported a few weeks back and there speculation then was that it was the cost of the pack itself before 20% sales tax and didn't include fitting. With the Hybrid Health Check warranty covering the HV battery upto 11 years with unlimited mileage, the cost isn't a worry to me.

 

Heavens, if we take a cruise ship back from England, I would be sorely tempted to buy one or two HV batteries at that $1300 rate and schlep them back to the USA as carry-on luggage! Unfortunately, storing them until needed would degrade them beyond use. Sigh.

 

As would the import duties slapped on you when you arrived home no doubt.

Maybe these European HV batteries ARE of lesser quality or capacity than the US ones hence the much reduced cost? Is that why European gen3 taxi's have been failing?

Just a thought.

 

What duty? Those are commercial samples to be tested

 

^^^ Right! Exactly! What he said! Or I could pop them into a Prius "Over There", drive them around a bit, and import them as used articles. Since they would be for our 2012 when it needs another one and since I would know the exact history of the battery, such an approach would be acceptable.

 

And the cost involved of doing that is what?

Sure everyone gets the odd item through customs without paying relevant duties, but I'm sure if it happened often enough your Government (or the relevant department) would wise up sooner or later. How much is the shipping for a 100 kg HV hybrid battery?

This is also assuming Toyota UK are happy to ship them? I wonder if the £800 is conditional on trading in the worn out/damaged pack?

 

^^^ Grumpy, the scenario is purchase the HV battery at the Toyota dealer in Southampton, strap it to the top of our wheeled luggage, and wheel it down to the dock and up the gangplank of, say, the Royal Princess for a leisurely trip back to the USA. Arriving in USA we trundle the battery plus luggage back down the gangplank, through US Customs, and over to the car of one of my sons who has driven down to meet us. And so back home with one less replacement cost to worry about for the long term use of the Prius.

 

Which is why Toyota UK introduced the Hybrid Health Check. This provides additional cover for the HV battery upto 11 years (10 years inclusive?) with UNLIMITED mileage so long as you have the car serviced at a Toyota main dealer every 10,000 miles or 12 months (whichever is sooner). If you choose to service your car elsewhere, Toyota will provide the check and additional warranty for £39 per 10k miles/12 months.

This gives peace of mind to second hand owners who may have purchased a car that was out of warranty (or very near to being out of warranty). It's also a cunning way of getting customers to support the Toyota dealer network. If the car is outside of warranty when you first have the HHC and it fails, then I guess you're on your own, but if it passes (like mine did out of original warranty) then you have the extra protection.

Toyota Warranty | Toyota UK

This type of additional HV battery warranty applies in some other (but not all) European countries. I understand that Ireland/Eire don't have it which is a cause of complain on the UK forums. Perhaps Toyota Australia could consider introducing it too?

 

Go for it - if you dare.

First, I don't believe any airline would be entirely happy having such a battery undeclared in their hold and not sure they'd be happy having one on a passenger plane if you did declare it. Second, they weigh a ton (not literally) and additional baggage costs would add up significantly, Third, when you go through US Customs I guess you're asked "Anything to declare?" and that could be tricky. Lie and you're in trouble, tell the truth and they might have some questions.

But it's your idea so give it a pop.

EDIT: You said boat. Change above from airline to cruise liner. But then a cruise liner isn't cheap and even adding this to your holiday itinerary is questionable. Still like to see you get it through customers.

 

^^^ The Plan was to use a cruise ship and carry the battery on as part of our luggage, so different rules apply. No weight limits, and the battery sits in the closet of our suite rather than being in the hold of an airplane, and thus no shipping charges either. Absolutely would declare it on the USA side, but our import value limits are $1000 each, so the battery should fall well under that. Hey, do the UK folks charge VAT on that battery? If so, I should be able to get that refunded, too!
Cheers!

 

The theory is there but I can sense some stumbling blocks. You arrive at port having ordered the battery and get a cab to the dealers to collect. "Oh we're sorry sir, there was a delay and it won't arrive until next Tuesday. We tried calling you but your phone was out of coverage". Or "Yes sir the battery is here. Where's the trade in pack to replace it?"

I'm not saying it won't work, but it's a rather elaborate way of trying to save a few quid. Toyota don't give any details on the website. They might only sell the battery through their own network on a replacement basis if they do the work. I'm sure it's no accident that full terms and conditions have been left off.

 

I still think they've missed a "1", as in "1,800 pounds". But that aside, if you read the language the language of the highlighted sentence, distil it, it says "Battery replacement cost is 800 pounds". Yeah I know... But I don't think I'd even need a lawyer to argue that "cost" equals cost.

 

You might be right. £1,800 seems more believable, though I'm sure I've read Toyota suggest the battery costs around the same to replace as a clutch. That would indicate about £800.

I'm seeing the dealer tomorrow over another matter. I'll ask them then - if I remember