Hey, all. I recently bought a 2005 Prius knowing it had a bad battery with the intention to replace or repair it, but I'm seeing so many different options that I just don't know what to pick. This post doesn't contain any links to the websites that I'm looking at because I don't have enough post history to be able to post links, but I've named the companies. This is very similar to the Reddit post I made earlier today, I just wanted to reach out to the audience here as well, so I apologize if you're seeing this thread for a second time. If it matters, I want to drive this car for at least 2 years before looking for a new one. I hope someone more experienced than myself can help me pick the most cost efficient option here and maybe help me weed out bad links. I live in central Indiana, and this is what I've found as viable options: Local Hybrid Repair Shop: $895 The local repair shop is called "Hybrid and EV Battery Repair," and they are in Indianapolis, IN. I've heard through word of mouth and this forum that this deal is too good to be true and that I should stay away. What do you all think? Self Repair: $1199+$399 Core Deposit The ElectronAutomotive website can ship me a rebuild kit for $1199. I will send them the old battery to get my core deposit back. I'm a bit scared that I might mess it up and end up with a $1200 paperweight. Refurbished Battery (Replacement): $950, $1149, or $1500 + Core Deposit I feel sketched out by these $950 and $1149 batteries. I know price doesn't exactly equate to quality, but I can't shake the feeling that there is something wrong here. I'd love these options if they are viable, though! There's also the same company that offered the rebuild kit, and they sell a full battery for $1500. The $950 battery is offered by the Greentecauto website The $1149 battery is offered by the BestHybridBatteries website The $1500 battery is offered by the aforementioned ElectronAutomotive website So of these options, what do you experienced owners think? Is the $895 repair too good to be true? What about the $950 and $1149 refurbished batteries? Seeing such a wide range in prices has me concerned that I could be getting conned into buying a bad battery if I go with one of the less expensive options.
My suggestion would be to change where you're looking. I wouldn't even consider anything that uses refurbished cells as opposed to brand new. Refurbished units are still older, used cells and are prone to failing quickly since they are usually the remaining cells collected from a failed battery. If one cell failed, those others are probably going soon. If you can't do it yourself, the best bet might be to find a local hybrid mechanic to install a pack that has new cells from Texas Hybrid, Bumblebee or even a new Toyota pack. Prices have been dropping.
welcome! get a new oem, or new aftermarket; 'newhybridbatteries.com' don't cheap out if you want reliability
Do you have a friend or family member that enjoys learning car stuff that can help you? All the options you listed are from people who have learned how to rebuild battery packs and are charging way more than the actual time and effort they'll put into fixing your pack and the repairs they make will have a hard time lasting 2 years. Perhaps watch youtube videos about how to pull the battery pack than either do it yourself or get help with someone else. There's a chance you could have simple corrosion issues in the voltage sensing wires and for $50 you replace that part, clean everything up and you're done. There's also lots of testing you can do on the pack to diagnose the problem and fix it yourself / help from a friend or family member. We can walk you through those steps when you get to that point. Another option to consider is if you really like Prius and in a couple years you want to buy another Gen2 or Gen3 Prius you could buy a brand new battery pack for as low as $1650 from a Toyota dealership and if you have your battery pack already out, it's a fairly straightforward swap and you'll have a battery pack that won't give you any problems for 6-12years, so you could put it into your next Prius and be worry free about battery issues in your next car too!
at least the 50th time oh well, if the o/p's had any interest, they would ask, and i would search more.
I’m watching my battery closely and have been looking at greentecauto.com. They offer three levels of battery from a one year warranty refurbed one for 950. A two year “high capacity” (whatever that means) for 1450 then a four year unit with all new cells for 1850. I find that 4 year option very intriguing because if it lasts as long or longer than a stock one did back in the day then I’ll be driving this car for something like 8 to 10 years. What do y’all think?
Go with @2k1Toaster ’s kit if you’re looking to drop $1600. You get to keep the old modules and make some money off of them, further reducing the investment you make. That’s what I’d do.
