Best Rebuilt Manufacturer: GreenTec Auto!

So after all that what did the green tech cost in Maryland or wherever it is you are My brother's in Maryland what was the end cost of the green tech I have a green tech here in my yard I just took out of a car that's dead as a fek

SM-A715F ?

 

Glad you have had a good initial experience with this supplier. Time will tell how their product holds up. We'll check back in 13 months. Hopefully you won't have needed the warranty.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

That's why I didn't think my 1650 with the dealer was any kind of terrible thing to be doing brand new too so none of this having to worry about testing anything for 98% it's brand new Toyota's already done all that or the battery manufacturer has already done all that so I'll take it

SM-A715F ?

 

The first Green Tec pack I worked on was impressive. The internal resistance of every module except for the bad one perfectly matched each other. This is because they process so many modules they can match modules with near identical data.

They also might have some trade secrets that they do when they rebuild packs because for some reason the thermal conditions of the modules was incredible with nothing running hot like most older pack tend to do. Also I put balloons over all the vents when I work on packs and GreenTec was the only pack I've worked on that showed zero signs of venting not even the tiniest bit. Made me wonder what they did to make it like that?

 

I'm not sure there are any trades secrets but I'm one of those guys that will carry my gym to another 15 years if I want to or I'll die for first and my daughter will do it or won't so I'll pay the extra $700 for the pack that lasted the original 19 and 1/2 years that's just Toyota for you I don't think there's any tricks you can really do to a whole bunch of batteries here but it all sounds great if I would have seen the 995 I might have given it a shot but I had read the green bean the green tech all these companies have had some huge problems or been inundated with so many calls they couldn't keep up and with the people they did work with they still couldn't keep up with some of the warranty problems or they altered their warranties to reflect this later on etc etc etc I just wanted to try and skip all of that because I need to drive when I need to drive

SM-A715F ?

 

Once you've rebuilt a couple dozen battery packs I'd be interested in your opinion on the subtle differences of green tech packs compared to regular packs. But until you get to that point, maybe just work on proof reading and editing what you write because I'm often not understanding what you're saying amidst so many typos and unclear abbreviations.

 

I don't really think batteries are made to be rebuilt and balanced and played with unless that's just what you want to do because it's more costly to go any other out I mean items that use big ticket batteries Tesla's bolts whatever I don't think they really deal in rebuilt batteries I know Tesla you wind up with a new big honking thing that cost 20 grand but it's supposed to go near a million miles or such I think whatever. I have a green tech here laying on the floor that just died in an '04 and was put in I can't even guess I can't find the slip for it for this car so and green tech apparently can't look it up very easily like they say they can but I'm guessing by looking at the car and I drove this vehicle probably put in around 2014 maybe something like that was a Florida car and it failed pretty badly and 2020 late 2019 so I guess not too bad for a rebuilt battery but I think they didn't pay the 995 they probably paid more around the 2000 because this is when all this stuff was fairly fresh

SM-A715F ?

 

If nothing is running hot that would suggest that none of the modules are high resistance. There are two ways they could achieve that: find a source of new modules (Toyota or ?) or "rejuvenate" the older modules.

If the latter, I wonder if they have figured out how to rehydrate and then permanently reseal the modules? My impression is that most NiMH batteries on the way out are going mostly because they are drying out. There is a huge thread in one of the forums here about adding water (or ionic solution) back to these modules, but the last time I looked nobody had posted a method of reliably permanently resealing the modules. Perhaps one of the other battery rebuilders here might want to look at a recent GreenTec pack, from a wreck, not a battery failure, to see if there is any indication on the modules to indicate that they have been "rejuvenated" in a manner like this? A big company like that could invest in some very specialized equipment which might be capable of welding (in some manner) the holes in the plastic case shut. In the most extreme form of this they could cut the entire top off the module and then after "servicing" it weld a new one back on, which would probably leave a seam not present in the original Toyota modules.

 

They actually sell 3 different batteries for the 2nd generation Prius:

Prius 2004-2009 | Greentec Auto

The most expensive one at $1750, with "new cells" costs as much as one from the dealer. I bet these are cylindrical cells, like these guys use (maybe a different battery manufacturer) NewPriusBatteries. There is a four year warranty. The middle one, at $1550 has "high capacity" batteries. Not sure what that means. Do they sort all the recycled cells into a big distribution and use the upper half for these, and the lower half for the $995 battery? That would be consistent with the difference in the warranties offered.

Anyway, it is probably a mistake on our part to discuss a "Greentec battery" when there is not just one type.

 

Having multiple price points and warranties makes me think these remanufactured packs are only expected to last as long as the warranty period.

I see on their website that GreenTec buys old packs which I like.

 

Aren’t Toyota OEM packs now sold for the Gen 2 also just factory remanufactured with new cells and other components that need to be replaced? I can’t believe Toyota still makes the battery packs new after being out of production for more than ten years.
Similarly GreenTech puts new cells in old packs and checks other components in their top of the line product.

 

I don't know you tell me the pack I just bought looks brand new down to the stickers so I have no clue I really don't care as long as Toyota claims they're new that's what matters nothing's remanufactured in a battery sale it should be new new electrolyte new liquid new metal hydride new lithium ion I have no clue I know that the Toyota battery went close to 20 years I've seen no remanufactured anything go much more than four or five just to get you through the period where you're going to get another car loan . I've never had a car loan in 67 years

SM-A715F ?

 

Toyota battery packs are brand new, but don't come with many of the other internal parts such as the ECU or relay module, which must be taken from the old battery assembly.

 

Yes I have two or three front end assemblies of the battery here put up in my shop also one or two from the Gen 3 wish I could easily use the Gen 3 battery in the Gen 2 car such a cleaner setup but really doesn't matter

SM-A715F ?

 

I think your sense of things is probably what's going on... It would explain why there's never once been any signs of venting even when pack temp is up. Perhaps when/if they rehydrate they add some type of seal that will pop and restore venting once its absolutely necessary but not until. This also brings up the question that perhaps the issue of a module needing to vent is primarily a function of how much electrolyte has been lost / dried up?

I suspect to research this further I need to precisely weigh modules from a couple green tech packs and compare that module weight to other packs.

 

Toyota never rebuilds packs because forcing people to buy brand new is way more profitable for them.

My understanding of it in recent years is that Toyota looked at all the businesses rebuilding battery packs for a bit under $2K and realized they could take over a great deal of that market share if they negotiated a new contract with Panasonic to create way more brand new NIMH packs so they could lower the cost of a brand new pack to be near the same cost as the rebuilt packs.

 

That is data I have searched for a few times on line but never found. If "drying out" is most of the story in the demise of a NiMH cell one would expect that the worst modules (electrically) would have the lowest weight. This assumes the exteriors are all equally clean, and that the weights of new modules are all very similar. A lot of kitchen scales are only accurate to 1 gram. If they are really dry that should be enough to tell, since 1cc = 1g and the modules are pretty big. For better accuracy a somewhat more expensive scale, like this one (I don't have one myself but the specs say it is good to .01g) would be needed. (Edit, rats, URL won't post. Look up "bonvoisin lab scale 5000gx0.01g" on amazon.)


I have never cut one open, but I vaguely recall reading that the cells in a module are open on top above some baffle height. because they could be rejuvenated by injecting liquid at a single point. That always made me wonder if it might be bad for a Prius to traverse a really steep slope parallel to the long axis of the modules, since that could redistribute the fluid irreversibly towards the downhill cells, leading to earlier failure of the uphill cells. (Hard to say, easy to demonstrate though with a fridge ice cube tray. Fill the 12 cells [2 x 6] to a little below the baffle height. If it is flat and level the fluid levels will stay like that. However, tilt it towards one end and then flatten it out again and now the cells which were most downhill will be full right to the baffle, while the ones which were most uphill will have much less fluid.)