DORMAN or CARDONE ? hybrid battery rechoice?

oem toyota only. rebuilds are a messy business. you have a fairly new car, unless you only plant to keep it 3 years, get a new battery.
but before you do, get the trouble codes from the dealer and report them here for evaluation.

 

The consensus is NO rebuilt pack sold by the companies is recommended.
They are just replacing failed modules with used modules from other failed batteries.We have not seen evidence any company takes the time needed to match modules, balance the pack, and test to verify performance. They offer warranties but the pack usually needs replacing before the term is up, further inconveniencing the driver.

I would think the best alternative to a new Toyota battery would be a Prolong reconditioning system and perhaps used modules from Hybrid Automotive if they fit the Prius c. @jeff652, the owner, is a trusted member here.

 

check in with auto be yours in titusville, they might be able to point you in the right direction.

 

what symptoms caused you to take it to the dealer?

 

Am I right, you're 9000 miles out of warranty?



My 2 cents: stick with new battery from Toyota, and first contact corporate Toyota, either directly, or see if your service department can talk to them, get some sort of compensation, maybe pay for half. The new Toyota battery is apparently under two grand now:



Battery for 2013 Toyota Prius C | Toyota Parts

 

@jeff652 is the owner of prolong, and can answer your questions.

 

Dorman now has a 1 year warranty. (previously was 3 years)

Cardone has 3 year warranty.

Call around to other dealer parts departments to see if they are will to sell to you.
Be sure when installing to tighten the fasteners using an inch-pound torque wrench to the proper specs.

I agree with seeing if Toyota Corporate will help out with a reduction in price.

Depending on how your battery failed (for example if it is shorted) a charger will not help.

 

If a Toyota dealer replaces it they give a 3 year warranty. @ericbecky here was able to "straighten out" a different misinformed dealer.

The Prolong system works in the whole pack at once. @Raytheeagle is somebody here who has used it for a while.

 

Can you give us more details on your pack.

Details like:

• Codes pulled
• Did you pull them or a dealer?
• What are your DIY skills?
• History on your Prius: any accidents, damage, rodent intrusion, etc

I have successfully used the prolong equipment to preventatively maintain our 2010 Prius II with 175 k miles on it.

Will be doing a 2 cycle reconditioning over Easter .

Keep us posted .

 

Aren't C batteries cheap used?

Used 2013 Toyota Prius C Electrical Battery (hybrid) (hybrid Batt

 

Do you have a way to read any additional codes, like Techstream?

If you have a way to determine those codes, it will help understand what the issue is.

While the P0A80 displayed, that just tells you there is an issue with the hybrid battery, not where to really look.

 

The prius C is new enough that you should have no problem locating inexpensive quality used batteries at a fraction of the cost to new or remanufactured batteries.
I'm seeing 2015 batteries in the $750 range at a salvage yard search engine: http://www.car-parts.com

 

Based on my experience with Cardone reman parts in the past, there is no way I would ever buy an expensive hybrid battery from them expecting it to go well.

 

If you are getting a battery from a junked car, I am curious why there is a core charge. What do they plan to do with the core? Repair it and sell saying it is from a junked car?

If possible the encoded date of the pack and modules should be checked. This may be a "repaired" battery instead of one from a low mileage wreck. If they replace a module its production date would likely be radically different.

 

All the junkyards Ive dealt with have a core fee.
They can sell the cores to recyclers.

I suppose the unscrupulous ones could sell your bad core to a different customer.

I've seen recently wrecked Prius have their existing battery get filled with bad cells between the time of the crash and the time it gets moved to a junkyard.

Scammers are creative. That is for sure.

 

Hot climates really kill them faster. Do some searching here. Wrote about the steps I took to keep things cool.

Ill be buying a prolong system as well in a few years once I have a garage again after my construction.