I've posted a few times asking advice on my 2005 Prius that seemed to have a battery issue. It's in really good condition, except the battery. I had it towed to Toyota and they ran the diagnostics. The two codes they pulled were P0A80 and P3019. The number 9 cell is bad. All the cells are between 14.68 and 14.97, except #9, which is 13.63. I've looked into Prius King. They'd have to come to me since my battery has no charge to drive to them. All in, they're close to $1600 with the travel fees, for a refurbished battery, 1 year warranty. At the Toyota service center, I can get a new hybrid battery, with installation, sales tax plus the diagnostic fee for a total of $2890. The guy I spoke with said the car was in "spectacular" shape and he didn't see anything else to be concerned about. (Ive taken it in every 5k miles for oil changes, had two rods replaced a few years back, just had the muffler replaced (we use a lot of salt on roads here in winter), and the 12 v battery was replaced a few years ago too. I'm thinking of getting the battery, then taking my time to buy a new Prime, waiting for the best incentives to come up. I'd then sell my current 2005 Prius. Maybe 6-8 months from now. If I did, what ballpark pricewise could I hope to get back if I sold a Gen2, 2005 very clean Prius with a brand new hybrid battery in it? My other option is get a new car now, but there's virtually no trade in value to speak of, and a private buyer would have to tow the car, which is a problem. Plus, I'd be driving a borrowed car and likely quicker to get a new car sooner instead of waiitng it out for a great deal. The Toyota service guy said given the car's condition, he'd get the battery, because I'd get my money back out of it selling it private party. My car fax report says about $4,100. not sure how it calculates the hybrid battery health, but with a brand new battery, what do you guys think? I'm trying to weigh options, and don't want to sink money without knowing I'd get it back. And maybe I'd drive it longer than 6-8 months if I don't see a good enough deal to jump on.Thanks for any feedback!
Shop the dealers. You can get the job done for LESS than 2500. DIY for $1600. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
It's at the closest dealer because I had it towed. I'd have to shell out a couple hundred in towing to get it to another one in the area. The battery was $1950, then labor is $650, so $2600. Sales tax and the $129 diagnostic test is something that can't be avoided. Or I can go with Prius King for $1580 and keep it going, then sell in 6 months, with a transferable warranty.
Get the Toyota installed battery that comes with a three (3) year warranty, not that you'll need that warranty on a *new* battery. Better than being stranded at a random time/place, and needing another 200 tow when the *used* 1600 battery goes south on you.
$1600 for a remanufactured buys you junk and you might as well just burn a pile of cash for heat. The new Toyota battery will last another decade. $1600 nets you a few months. $2600 nets you a decade. That's not a comparison that even makes sense. Now if you are going to do it yourself for $100 and buy a new car in the mean time as that one fails, that's a different story. As to what it is worth on the used market, the price does go up. However because of the number of used sellers advertising their old Prius with a NEW battery that has a re-manufactured/reconditioned battery in it (i.e. USED), the market is very wary of such claims and most people assume any advertised as new battery is in fact used junk.
New parts in old cars don't usually net much return on resale or trade. A genuine Toyota hybrid battery is sort of an exception- if the buyer is knowledgeable. Brand X batteries are fine when you're going to sell it in 6 days, not 6 months. Used car valuations aren't grading anything for the battery that I know of, just an all-or-none. Everything works? $4100 seems reasonable. Same car tomorrow: Needs a battery? It's a $1500 parts car/project car. If you get the Toyota battery, save the receipt for the next owner so you can get your full price. If you get the brand X, lose it and shrug if they ask.
look around the places you would try to sell it on, and see what others are asking. i would also go with the toyota battery, unless you know a mech who would install a new $1,600. aftermarket battery for a few hundred.
Yes. If you can get a customer infront of the car and show it, that adds value. However the 7 seconds you have to trap a prospective customer on the internet or newspaper makes the receipt moot. It's a great additional value proposition but most people will not read the description to find out. Of course there will be some. But some is not most. And value is based off of most. You can always wait to find the perfect buyer, but that's harder.
This makes sense. If I can get my $2600 back plus a bit more, I’d be good with that. And I’d have the info from Toyota that it’s certified new. This may be the best route. Thanks for your input. So many options to consider, and balance against what my longer term car plans are.
It didn’t recognize drive anymoreafter it limped home. Hybrid battery wasn’t taking a charge. Fan vent in back was on high and it barely accelerated as I got close to home. The engine starts but the battery is so weak I wouldnt trust it going further than my block.
I didn't see miles posted but I'd say 4k on the high end --- even if you showed a $2500 receipt. Cheapest way (aside from replacing bad cells) would be to buy one used on car-part.com (usually 500-600) and then taking the 1.5 hours time to remove old battery / install new battery. If miles are lower (under 160k) then you could probably get away with replacing bad module (???). Try going into the automotive section on craigslist and searching for "Prius", "Hybrid Battery", "Battery Pack", "HV Battery", etc...a lot of times the guys that rebuild them for 500 will have ads on craigslist.
The other $1600 option for DIY is to buy your kit (if you have stock ) and get basically a new battery.
Yes, this is a pricing fallacy that unfairly hurts the seller. Buyers generally can't discern whether the undriveable prius merely needs a new battery or a lot more, and so the seller sustains the burden of proof. But after throwing in a cut-rate refurb battery, the seller can now sell for the same price as a car with a much healthier battery. In some sense this is fair since the 1-2k he saves by getting the refurb is a labor cost of getting the car driveable. When I bought my '06 I didn't bother to check for a refurb. I was lucky. So the lesson here I guess is: check for refurb!
It has 174,250. I commute by train due to traffic being awful in Boston. That’s helped keep the mileage low.
I thank everyone for their insights on what to do. I’ve decided to go with a new battery. I’d feel more confident on the road and if something happened in the next 6-8 months , like a house repair, that makes a new car not an option, I just keep driving mine. I’m not a gambler or a mechanic so I’m not going to mess about with individual cell replacement.
I think this is an excellent plan. If it were me, I'd test the market for 4900. But you'd have to get the ad out far in advance of the new purchase.
