Are Prius throw-away cars?

My first ever ride in a Prius was a cab in San Francisco.

Probably in eight years, at least half the new cars will be hybrids. Yeah, that's a bit optimistic, but it's what I think. There will be a huge trade in replacement parts for older hybrids, and the batteries will certainly be even better and cheaper.

 

+1000

 

A couple of weeks ago my neighbor asked how often I had battery problems. Now keep in mind that parked in my driveway are a 2001, 2007, and 2010 Prius. He was asking because someone had told him that Toyota Prius's were still having significant battery issues and he was smart enough to know who might have a clue. The real answer is that I have had about 4 significant battery aging issues over 10 years....in the previous Camry's. Now I don't have to worry much about battery problems anymore.

 

The few unlucky people with an inverter failure may balk at repair costs and junk the car, but the battery ? Around the cost of a transmission, and a much smaller failure rate.

I try to maintain the car reasonably well, and expect 20 years of service. Now in the sixth year of service, the first repair is likely coming up: an $89 gear shift selector. Not *quite* enough to make me throw the car away.

 

Hummm,

$8,600 - Texas service writer's estimate
$1,700 - Actual Re-InVolt, net cost
$6,900 - labor

$6,900 / 8 ~= $843/hr :: labor rate for do-it-yourself
​

Bob Wilson

 

Here in New York we have a term for that kind of pricing it's called being, " RIPPED OFF !"

 

I still can't believe after 10 years, Toyota dealerships turn out to be the biggest source of disinformation. Toyota Corporate should carefully look at their dealership cluster f***s if they want to figure out just why some folks are so badly turned off by Toyota in general

 

Personally? I have only one time ever been to a Toyota dealer that I was satisfied with...and then only marginally so. I would rank Toyota dealer service as "terrible". Worse than Ford...

Dealers are all independently owned and its hit or miss...but around here its a miss.

 

There is a bigger picture to this whole thread.

If this isn't trolling, and if the story is true then what you have is a Toyota Dealership, with a Toyota Service Manager who is either prejudice against Prius and purposely making negative statements about Prius, to owners and surrounding customers and/or a service manager who is woefully ignorant to the realities of one of the main vehicles his own service department is charged with servicing.

If it's either or both, it shouldn't be happening. Bottom line? You are a Toyota Dealership service manager, it is your responsibilty to know the realities about the vehicles you are servicing...and I think it's also your responsibility to be supportive of the products your dealership is selling. Giving out false information and defining a owners vehicle as being disposable....is doing neither.

 

Yeah..maybe this was trolling.

 

Someone reports an excessively overcharging car dealer. If that poster is called a troll, then we have a LOT of trolls on Priuschat.

 

This is just a very good indication that you should change your dealer.

 

Once a dealership has attained that status, its not easy to terminate. Ask Chrysler and GM. The "dealership" is a property right just as much as their land and buildings.

 

Hey folks, relax a bit. Not every employee at every dealer is going to be "world class" and there are bound to be a few bad apples. For example, the 'salesman' assigned to handle our 2010 purchase was let go about 2-3 weeks later . . . for good cause. Heck, he turned over the car with loose floor mats and no floor mat hooks.

It is a fair thing for the original poster to share their experience with the dealer and/or Toyota upper levels and perhaps, just perhaps a little remedial training is in order. Let the 'powers that be' know and give them a chance to 'do the right thing.' I'm thinking this service writer may have only seen traction battery replacements several years ago or another hybrid. Of course the service writer could be anti-hybrid nuts and if so, he needs a clue one way or the other.

The important thing is we've share our knowledge and hands on experience. We know this $8,000 is pure hokum and that is all that is important.

Bob Wilson

 

i absolutely agree with you than dealer must be making a killing !!!
gaining trust by agreeing to the customers worst fear,and making a killing on the rest of whatever repairs in the feature!!!

chande that shaister soon bud!

 

Silver2010,
10 years... 10 years!!! that is how long we have had to endure the ongoing mis-information about the real cost of replacing your hybrids battery.

As you have read, it should cost you no where near $8,600 to get it replaced.
And the truth is, it is unlikely that the battery would need to be replaced during the lifetime of the car. I have personally seen Pruis with 200,000+ miles on them with the original batteries.

This just goes to show that there is still a need for me to continue hosting Green Drive Expo so that consumers can find out the real information about these types of topics. And owners like us can hang out and vent our common frustrations (in a positive way) about such misinformation.