GreenBean is offering LIFETIME WARRANTY!?!?!?

1) it's expensive

2) you have to put up with breaking down, calling them, hoping it is covered under warranty, and renting a car until it's fixed.

3) i don't think you can beat $1,600. from 'newpriusbatteries.com' or 2k for an oem if you can find it

 

My guess is that they have plenty of inventory to handle this "special" offer now that their business model was destroyed by Toyota reducing price of brand new replacement pack to $1650... And if you owned more than one battery pack and were fast at swapping packs on your own this offer would more than pay for itself after a couple decades. Plus you'd be part of the 2nd use society rather than the throw away society.

Of course, what are the odds this company will be around in decades to come?

 

GreenBean is GETTING DESPERATE!

I'd still be very cautious.

 

+1

There isn't an underwriter in the world that would give an insurance policy to a company offering lifetime unlimited replacement batteries. The only companies that offer that do so on niche loss-leader type products. Even if all of them need to be replaced forever, it's a drop in bucket compared to the PR. I don't see that as the case here, as this is the main product.

But who knows, maybe they invented a perpetual battery machine...

 

I wouldn't believe Toyota if they said "lifetime".

How's the saying go..."If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is."

 

Sounds like a cash flow situation. Sell a few today, suspend the offer once the banker heat is off, give away a few later- and that's if they have to.

Consider:

If it really is a quality part going into a car that already wore out a factory battery past the end of Toyota's coverage, chances are that car isn't going to be on the road much longer anyway. The rest of it will be worn out before a high quality replacement can wear out.

 

A lifetime warranty would either indicate their batteries are so good they will never need to be replaced, or they have so many used batteries that swapping them in and out is not a significant cost for them.

 

Exactly... Helped a guy on here a couple months back... He pulled his after-market rebuild that went bad shortly after he bought the car and took the pack to the local auto parts store and picked up a another rebuild and was back on the road at no cost. Worked out awesome for him... And again, as I said before when Toyota started selling brand new packs for as low as $1650, they did it to disrupt the rebuilder market and non OEM battery market and this promotional offer may well be a sign that the pressure is building in the form of decline in sales...

 

You still have to pay a mechanic or dealer to prove the battery is bad before they will replace it. Read the fine print. How many times are you willing to pay the 110 diagnostic fee to Toyota and have your car out of commission before you give up?

Buy a Toyota or @2k1Toaster new battery once and your good to go for 10+ years.

 

That price drop is great news! I did some google searching and couldn't find that price for a new replacement pack. Was there an announcement? Did people just notice the price drop?

 

You have to decide whether the lifetime of the Green Bean Company will be long enough so that the warranty has some value.

 

Some dealers are still up in the $1999 price... But if you keep calling around you'll likely find the $1650 price... Or maybe that's a West Coast thing where they sell enough of them that having a competitive price point is actually on their radar screen?

 

Tracy Toyota Internet price is currently 1625.80. Plus tax.

 

Greenbean says their price includes installation, and that they will come to you at no additional cost (if you are in their coverage area). That's sounds like a good deal, I'm not certain I could replace my own pack, having middle-aged health issues and 3 repaired hernias.

 

Greenbean offers the gen 2 battery installed for $1449 versus the Toyota OEM at $1650 plus installation so close to $2200. But it’s still a reconditioned battery, not new.

Greenbean used to ask for a shop diagnosis before they honor their warranty but now it appears they can accept photos of codes you read yourself.
One thing that I see in their reviews is that the battery is not performing like a new battery but no codes are triggered. Does this have to do with their modified battery ECU?
Comparing the cost of this reconditioned battery with other rebuilders at just $500 means that you can pay 3 rebuilds in the next few years to break even. I am sure, based on reviews, Greenbean will replace the battery once under warranty but then who knows?

 

The logic I use in regards to the buying new or used or rebuilt batteries is would I put in a used or rebuilt battery in a pacemaker?, or my smoke alarms?. The cost of simply buying a new one versus used or rebuilt outweighs most situations. Plus, when you go to sell the car and you have proof of a new battery in it, you will garner more value for your car. In our Prius cars, the battery, simply put, it the most important part of it.

 

If you can put an 80 pound bag of concrete in your Prius, you'll be able to handle the battery pack which is slightly lighter....

 

A more accurate "logic" would be do you buy premium quality flashlight batteries at a regular store, or do you just buy them at the dollar store? As in a brand new high quality pack of batteries (New Toyota battery pack) will last much longer than batteries from the dollar store (Rebuilt battery pack). Equating that choice as relates to a pace maker or smoke alarm is silly.

 

Funny you say that, because lifting 80 lb loads over 25 years is what gave me 3 and *half* hernias.