I was driving to Panera last night and my dashboard on my 2010 Prius lit up like a Christmas tree, and this is the "gift" that I received. I went to a local mechanic this morning, he ran the codes and it looks like the hybrid battery is shot and the 12v looks like it also needs to replaced (it's 7 years old). He quoted me $5500 for parts and labor to replace both batteries. I just replaced the brake actuator last year for $3500 (which I just paid off last week), and now this. This couldn't come at a worse time. Especially with Christmas only days away. The car has 158K miles on it already. Should I fix or sell/trade it in? I'm also worried about a possible head gasket issue at some point in the future. Is it worth throwing money at this thing or start again with a newer car. Not sure what to do and it's stressing me out big time! Thanks in advance.
This car has 3 failures that will break the bank. All over $3000 1. Actuator 2. Hybrid Battery 3. Head gasket If you can't stomach those repairs, you should get rid of the car once the 1st problem pops up.
They used to be $2k - 2.5k. I rebuilt mine with 8 year newer cells and that cost $800. What's your location? Might want to look at Toyota hybrid battery upgrade pack– NexPower Energy
I don't think I can wait as this is my only mode of transportation, and I need my car every day. Don't have reliable or competent public transportation where I live.
If you let us know what region you live in there might be someone near you who's on here who could help you out... For example, out here in the PNW I've installed new batteries for people and charged two hours labor at $50 an hour, which is all it takes to swap a pack if you aren't a criminal overcharging people. Also if you call around you'll eventually discover that most Toyota Stealerships can get you a battery pack for as low as $1900 once they've got your old pack back and refunded your core deposit. As for 12v I install these 55 amp-hour batteries that cost $120: 12 Volt (12V) 55 Amp (55Ah) VRLA AGM Sealed Lead Acid Battery 55 AMPS HIGH CAP | eBay They are superior to the 35 amp-hour $300 dollar ones and I charge 1/2 hour labor to install and $5 for hardware to connect the terminals.
I'm Louisville, KY. I found someone who is from California and runs a shop 25 miles away, but afraid the car won't make it out there safely. I was told that I could change the 12v first to see if that fixes it. Could I start there?
Did the mechanic give you the codes? If so, list all of them so that we can give our opinion on what needs to be done to fix the problem. You can replace the 12v battery yourself. It is not very difficult. You can search for YouTube videos. The battery at Walmart is $180. If you can not replace it yourself, have Walmart do it for much cheaper than $300.
That would be the way I would proceed. A wonky 12V battery can confuse and trip sensors, because there's not enough voltage going to them. In other words, a false alarms. Your average mpg should also be decreasing, with a bad traction pack. It may be well worn, but should last a while in a daily driver.
The best thing is to get the 12v battery from Toyota. But whoever you get it from, make you charge it first! You can get an AGM battery charger that is 5 amps, or less. And charge it for at leat 6 hour, 8-12 is better. The car doesn't charge it very fast. If you do not charge it first. You'll likely have the same issues, and think the problem is something else.
UPDATE: I went to the Toyota stealership this morning. In addition to trying to upsell me on changing tail light bulbs for $111, rotation, two new tires, and replacing the spark plugs, they did pull code P0A80. The quote to replace the HV battery was $4078.07 including labor. I told them to test the 12v and they said it worked just fine. Not sure I believe them, but at this point, I'm leaning toward replacing it using GreenTec. Battery and mobile installation will run $1349.
NOT GREEN BEANIE! You'll spend more down time waiting or them to replace their failed used batteries over and over again. You should stop wasting time "guessing" what it may be. Start with the 12v battery. "IF" you do need a hybrid battery, get the sodium battery. It is something you can do yourself. Toyota hybrid battery upgrade pack– NexPower Energy Tell him I sent you. I've been using it for a few months now. Huge improvement.
Second these. Maybe call around and see if someone will replace the battery modules only with used from a newer year/Gen 4. The installer will likely need to cycle and balance them prior to install. The sodium battery and lithium iron phosphate 12V batteries are meant to be deep discharged many thousands of times. I retrofitted a LiFePo4 battery from batteryhookup for $35. They have larger capacities than lead acid. At freezing temps this battery outputs 13V. I highly recommend them. SM-A536V ?
^ That. It's a crap-shoot and how dependent you are on the reliability of your car to make a living. If you gotta rent or borrow a car, every-time it goes down, you should probably go with a new or OEM battery, rather than a 'rebuilt', IMHO..... As i stated in other threads, some of those battery modules could be older than your car - what are the chances it's going to last a year or two? You know your going to get at least a decade out of a new pack.
That's good for you! They are crap. NEVER buy a used hybrid battery. You might as well buy your own battery. But like I said: You should stop wasting time "guessing" what it may be. Start with the 12v battery. "IF" you do need a hybrid battery, get the sodium battery. It is something you can do yourself. And get a NEW Sodium battery from Jack. Where are you located? I'd help you put it in....
