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What would you do? Hybrid replacement battery - Cost, Warranty, Travel

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by legoadan, Jun 3, 2023.

  1. legoadan

    legoadan Member

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    Hey y'all!

    So my Hybrid battery broke down and I've been calling around all morning to get price quotes. Should I just go the cheapest? An additional wrinkle is that the warranty would be on SoCal and I will be moving to NorCal in 3 months so even IF I used the warranty it would cost me money to tow the car down to SoCal...

    Price - Warranty

    $3700 - 1yr (unlimited) at West Coast Toyota

    $1600 - 1yr (12k) at Hybrid 911

    $2000 - 3yr (unlimited) at Hybrid Driver Battery
    $1700 - 1yr (unlimited)

    $1200 - 2yr (20k) miles at Sam Auto

    $1250 - 1 yr (12k) at Ace Hybrid
    $1500 - 2 yr (30k)
    $1800 - 3yr (45k)
    $2800 - 5yr (75)
     
  2. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    If you get a new battery from Toyota, you'll be able to make claims on that warranty at any Toyota dealer. No penalty for relocation.

    For all those others... that's a big deal.

    Lower-priced battery replacements are always used batteries. Sometimes touched up, sometimes genuinely in good shape, better than what you've got now, but maybe not by much.

    In terms of value? If you sell this car to another person, a receipt from Toyota that says you put in a real new battery is like a pedigree; you get to ask more when you sell the car. Difficulty: dealers mostly won't care, so if you plan to trade it in this won't matter as much as in a private sale.
     
    Tim Jones likes this.
  3. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Two critical factors you didn't list:

    How many of them are 100% brand new battery cells ?
    And do those prices include installation ??

    Unless you enjoy playing "whack a mole" with making a warranty claim every few months,
    you do NOT want any replacement battery with any used cells.
     
    JohnPrius3005 and Tim Jones like this.
  4. legoadan

    legoadan Member

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    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller - Good thoughts on the Toyota Center thing! It's still too expensive for my current finances but nice to know.

    sam spade 2 - All are rebuilt, except the Toyota one which I can't afford and should've left off the list. The prices do include install.
     
  5. legoadan

    legoadan Member

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    Ended up having to go with the cheapest for now mainly due to finances—hands are tied at the moment. New job starts in a few months and if the battery breaks then, then I'll upgrade to option 14 on this list (I'll live in NorCal by then).

    upload_2023-6-3_10-37-28.png
     
  6. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Make sure you've got the cooling fan and ductwork all cleaned out to make the replacement last as long as possible.

    Good luck with the car and the new job!
     
  7. legoadan

    legoadan Member

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    Honestly, I'm 100% sure that was my issue. My dog is little but sheds a lot and at 124k miles I NEVER got to cleaning the air filter for the hybrid battery. Will take it more seriously now! Will probably leave the vacuum in the garage. lol
     
  8. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    Bummer on the used battery. They take yours and put a few used batteries in it and sell it to some other poor soul.
    No such thing as a rebuilt battery. Just a old used battery that will hopefully hold a charge for a while.
     
  9. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Also check out https://2ndlifebattery.com/contact-us/

    And if you want to upgrade and get better performance (especially AC) and better MPG and not worry about your pack for a decade or more get this one with my affiliate link and I'll offer you a discount on installation and unlimited tech support: https://projectlithium.com/?ref=9qLPw
     
    Tim Jones likes this.
  10. PriusII&C

    PriusII&C Active Member

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    Although the warranty for Prius C says 8-years / 100k miles, someone stated in Prius Chat that he got his battery replaced by Toyota under the 10-years / 150k miles warranty (like a regular Prius) in California.
     
  11. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Define "rebuilt", please.

    IF.....that means they replace ONLY the cells that are obviously bad,
    then you really don't want ANY of them.

    The only rebuild that you should consider is if they replace ALL of the old cells with new ones.
     
    Tim Jones likes this.
  12. legoadan

    legoadan Member

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    I honestly don't know. I just know its not a new battery.
     
  13. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Nothing wrong with re-using the hardware but you REALLY should know what they are doing with the actual battery cells.
    And it is never too late to ask.
     
  14. legoadan

    legoadan Member

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    Update: The battery failed as predicted. It was rebuilt and it only had a small warranty so that was to be expected.

    Last week I purchased a Lithium battery and I got it installed on Saturday. The car feels amazing!! Everything feels brand new and I'm loving it. To be fair, it's not an apples-to-apples comparison because I'm going from a busted Nickel battery to a brand-new Lithium battery.

    But regardless, the car feels great!! The battery was $1,600. Taxes and shipping brought that to $1,750. Installation was $250 at a "certified" place for the lithium batteries—though I did have to drive 90 miles to get there.
     
    PriusCamper, Roqu3, Pri3C and 3 others like this.
  15. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    That's Great!
    I know that feeling.

    Keep a eye on the antifreeze level.
    Should always be at the same mark.