My 2006 Prius wouldn't start yesterday. The dash lights blinked on & off and the fob was locked in the dash. About 5 mins. later it came out. I was able to jump start the car with no prob. I drove to the dlr. & they checked the bat. & charging system. They found no problems, but said I might want to R & R the bat. as it's 5 yrs. old. I got a price of $170 which I feel is a lot. I want to stick with the stock bat. Does anyone know where I can get a better price for the bat.? Dlr. also stated that the bat. was fully charged & when I went home I plugged in my battery tender. The car was wired for the tender already although I haven't had the need to use it until now. The parts dept. told me this is a Gel bat. with no water- should last 5 or 6 yrs. Warranty is 3/36K. I just think the price is too high. Appreciate all feedback.
$150-$180 is the typical price without installation fee... with >$200 You could try "shopping around" at dealers in what you consider a reasonable driving distance. Might save $10. Lower prices perhaps on the 'Net, but then shipping costs and delays... your call. Installing a 12V battery is not difficult, but tedious what with taking everything out of the hatch area and maybe some HV battery cooling ducting to get at it. Here's a thread on doing it, list of tools, pictures and all: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...2v-battery-replacement-preemptive-strike.html One thing to stress: FIRST disconnect the negative lead where it connects to the bodywork first. Wrap the loose end tightly with something non-conducting; plastic bag, duct tape, whatever. This way there won't be any disconcerting and possibly costly sparking if you drop a tool, etc. While you're at it, check for corrosion where the negative lead is screwed to the bodywork. The screw-end on the outside is subject to coating with salt and crud and that's fertile ground for corrosion. Clean up as necessary. When you're wrapping things up, use some conducting grease on the lead end and around the screw hole.
I agree with Rokeby. Call around to see what the best price is (if that is an option for you). I replaced by 12V battery last Friday as it died on me while parked at the airport for four days. I knew the battery was iffy... but getting stuck in the Minnesota cold for an hour was sufficient motivation to look for a new battery. I found a Toyota dealer that was charging $40 less than the other dealers. It took about 30 minutes to install. Might have gone quicker if it was warm out.
Good points. I checked all of the above & there's no corrosion. Here in So. FL it's not cold & the only salt is @ the beach areas. I'd hate to spend all that $$ and find out the bat. is good. Exp. tells me most likely the bat. gave me my only warning I'll get, but $170 is a lot of $$. I'm going to continue with the bat. tender for a few days & see if it goes down. We have 2 Prius's & a Harley so the 2006 can sit for a while if needed. I was hoping that someone can help with a dlr. with perhaps a price around $140. BTW, my dlr. wanted $30 to R & R the bat. I already have it apart & see how easy it is to replace it. If you guys want a really hard job: Change the plugs on a Ford Aerostar V-6 van. I paid someone to do that job- it was horrible!!
I had one of those. It was a good car, but engine access was terrible. When I bought it, I took a look at the engine and decided right then that I would pay for all of the service. Tom
MSRP of the 12V battery is $139 but the individual Toyota dealers set their own parts prices. ~15 years ago I helped a friend replace spark plugs on a Ford Aerostar and agree that was not a pain-free experience.
I had a 1994 van. It ran well & I sold it when the heat & sun here had ruined much of the exterior. I saw that van recently & I sold it 5 yrs. ago to that guy with 155K miles on it. I found out MSRP on the bat. is $138.70. Do you know if dlrs. offer a senior citizen discount on parts? I just turned 60.
