How much is it worth spending on a new hybrid battery?

I always hear verry high prices from the US.
Here in Europe a brand new OEM battery cost €1650 inc VAT. (1748 USD) Then you need to instal it by yourself. If tou cant they ask around €2000 inc Labor and VAT so for €2000 (2119 USD) you sould be done.
At least here in europe thats the case.

 

If possible check several dealers; that seems higher than other have paid to replace the HV battery using a dealer. Some have reported around $2500 for a new (OEM) battery installed.

 

The tone of your post seems to suggest that you are NOT willing or particularly anxious to invest into OEM replacement of the Hybrid Battery?

Well that IS always a real personal financial decision. No, $3700 is not a cheap investment. *Side note...seems a little high.

I'm not going to get into other options you might have as far as refurbished or rebuilt batteries...salvage...they exist. But I'm going to stay with the basic replace with new OEM.

Is it worth it?
I'm going to say certainly.
We have Prius owners that have put many, many more miles than 135K on their Prius. I think if you replace the Hybrid Battery with a new OEM battery, you could expect at least 100,000 more miles on the vehicle without worry of Hybrid Battery replacement. And I think that's a conservative estimate.

As far as Hybrid Battery replacement being the "Tip of The Iceberg"?
Why is it any more the tip of the iceberg, than say a transmission repair/replacement in a regular ICE vehicle?

That is nobody can guarantee you how well everything else may or may not hold up in the next 2-3-5 years...or even 2-3-5 days, but making the assumption...and it is an assumption that the rest of The Prius is and has been well maintained...I think you could expect Toyota levels of continued reliability.

To the OP, I think you can look at it in two ways at least.
That is the Hybrid Battery failure, can be an opportunity to move on. Get out, exit ownership of this Prius.
Or you can look at it an opportunity to reset the Hybrid Battery....a component that eventually WILL fail on any and all Prius.

Really both decisions are fundamentally valid.

I think you should base your decision on a unemotional, legitimate evaluation of how you feel the condition of the rest of The Prius is really in...including how it has been maintained up to this point.
Then keep in mind, that a less than $4000 investment into "transportation" as economical as a Prius, that could easily continue for another 100,000 miles isn't perhaps as horrible an investment as the cost seems to represent.

But it is a 10 year old vehicle, and really only the OP is in the best position to evaluate the condition of the REST of the vehicle.
If I determined or deemed it great...or good for it's age? I would easily consider investment into a Hybrid Battery.

 

Ditto all the above. Another factor I'm going to consider when/if it's my turn is that I really like the car. I can't imagine a better body style for what I need a car for, it's just perfect. I'm pricing batteries out at under $2500 over the counter including tax, and I can do the work, and to me that's a no-brainer for running that car for many more years. And that's without considering fuel economy.

 

For me, I'd probably get a different car. Anything over $2000 is too expensive to fix for me, and newer cars tend to have technology and safety enhancements. However, if you have the money and you really like your current car, then a new battery pack will probably last another 10 years/150,000 miles or more.

 

Lots of good advice already. A new battery is pretty attractive, but I agree that that price seems steep. There are also people who can replace just the bad cells for you. Or, depending on how bad it is, sometimes a grid charger can buy you some more life before you end up having to replace the whole battery. But if the car is in as good of condition as it seems to you to be, then maybe a new battery is a great option. But like the others said, shop around first.

 

I have a 2005 with 290,000+ on the original hybrid battery. Also had it since new. The engine is sound. These cars are workhorses. The interior is mint condition and then some. There is some rust on the driver's side rocker panel. I have been expecting it to die for over a year now but it keeps going... At 135,000 miles, your Prius is still in its infancy!

 

welcome!
first, call toyota, and ask for a goodwill warranty, you're just outside on the years, and way under in miles.

if they refuse, check the battery price thread. i think they can be had for $2,000. and you should be able to find someone outside the dealer to install it for a couple hundred bucks.

also, in cali, there is an experimental toyota program where you can get a remanufactured battery for $1,600. or so.

lastly, consider putting a new battery in, your car is just broken in! and if the rest of the car eventually gets too costly, look for a lower mileage prius that needs a battery and swap them.

all the best!

 

Flying Egg,
These stealerships are misleading you. The list price on a Gen 2 HV pack is $2588 and can be had for less when purchasing it online and then picking it up at the dealer with the online pricing. The warranty is 3 years when installed by a dealer (I don't recall what the mileage limit is).

Installation price varies but some dealers will offer a discount if you disassemble the interior to the point that all they need to do is bolt in the new pack. So it's possible to get a Toyota dealer to do it for about $3200 total - which still ain't chicken feed.

 

where in cali are you?

 

check the battery pricing thread. i think cali is the cheapest in the country.