hybrid battery dead at 85Km

Sounds like a ripoff. See Our Point of View: Prius Battery Change is No Big Deal.

If you can't get a good price on a new replacement, many suggest going w/getting one from a wrecked Prius or going w/places like http://www.re-involt.com/FAQ.html.

 

Isn't NY one of the states with a 10 year warranty on the hybrid parts?

 

AFAIK, the 10 year/150K mile AT-PZEV HV battery warranty didn't exist on the 1st gens.

 

[deleted .. Cwerda already got it]

 

You have every right to be upset at a thoroughly outrageous repair quote ($6,000!!!)

Reinvolt is probably your best option. Or maybe the regional manager will come through and give you the wholesale price on the battery.

 

Hello,
Thats probably the highest quote I have ever heard.
The Big City of New York is a place to make Big money without a doubt. You'll find a way better deal if you do your homework.
I recommend re-involt also. They helped me in a similar scenario.
Joe

 

Jani, I don't know where in NYC you are but there's a shop near me the works on Prii, although I haven't brought them my car yet. I don't know if they can/would change the HV battery but worth a shot. Brooklyn Auto Repair & Service In New York | Brooklyn Auto Repair NY. Maybe between them and http://www.re-involt.com/Prius_Battery-.html your car stands a chance. Ryan

 

What are the symptons? Time is the major factor in Hybrid Battery life. There are cases where the warning lights come on with a code indicating Hybrid battery failure when it is the 12V battery that is failing.

If the car has the original Hybrid Battery then the battery has probably reached the end of its life. However $6,000 is ridiculous. I have had two batteies replaced for around $2,000. ReInvolt in North Carolina may beat that.

 

$2K is about the going rate for an installed Reinvolt. Such a replacement has the advantage of using Gen II cells, which are more robust.

From what I have seen, battery life is a combination of age, mileage, and operating conditions. Perhaps the number of cold starts is the closest approximation, since a cold start places the most strain on the battery, as it will undergo max discharge to propel the car while the engine warms up. This would explain why a number of very high mileage cars have gone 300,000+ miles on the original battery, because they may only have one cold start/day, while the typical daily driver would usually have two. The most stress would be a late afternoon start in the summertime, where the engine is cold but the cabin interior (and thus the HV battery) is very hot.

 

California requires Toyota to warranty the battery for 150k miles.

 

Not on gen 1. AFAIK, that started w/the AT-PZEV certified 2nd gens.

 

My hybrid battery went out on me two weeks ago. I live in San Gabriel Valley in LA. My triangle came on as I was leaving for work one morning two weeks ago. Pep Boys was able to diagnose the problem to be the battery. I have 114,000 miles and a 2005 Prius. I consider myself lucky to be under the 150k. I was able to get a new hybrid battery from a Toyota dealer under the warranty. When my Prius was in the shop they gave me a loaner Toyota Corolla and said it will take a month to have the battery Japan due to the back stock in inventory. It ended up being only 1 1/2 weeks as they didn't expect to receive the parts from Japan so soon.

 

I'm curious if your commute or where you live has lots of hills. Since So Cal can get pretty hot, I'm wondering if the car is out in the sun most of the time or are/were you able to park it in the shade or an enclosed area. I'm just trying to see how much correlation there is (if any) between HV battery failures, hills and high temperatures.

Did you have any of these symptoms prior to the triangle of death or any others worth noting?
- battery would make very rapid swings from "full" to "empty" or vice versa (on the MFD)
- battery fan ran a lot more than normal or at high?
- sluggish acceleration?

Just wondering...

BTW, you posted in a Gen 1 area, which your car isn't...

 

My 2003 Gen1 gave me a DTC of 3030 a couple months ago. The code said that "module 18 becomes weak" (~121,000miles) so I took the back seat out and the cover off of battery,,, Lots of green fuzz on almost all connections. Carefully, one at a time, disconnected dirty connections, cleaned in solution of vinegar and rubbing alcohol then reinstalled adding a stainless steel star washer to each connection, sprayed all with 'tire slick or shine' (best water repellent I've ever used) and finished re-assembly. that was in March.'Tis now May and the battery holds a charge longer than when it was new.
So, maybe the battery is not as bad as you think. The total clean-up job took me a couple of days, but I was going slow and careful... and worth every minute!

 

This is another case of G1 Prius traction battery dying after about 10 years, unrelated to mileage. It does seem to be a trend. I wonder if the G2 battery will have the same pattern.

 

Vancouver,WA toyota

2 weeks ago I got a price of $1700 if I picked it up myself!!!
Its like $200 to ship from coast to coast..
Simple job

My 2001 186,000 just one battery computer repair....Not $1100 from TOY, but $120
from the used parts bin!!

 

My mechanic replaced the battery in my 2001 in January 2009. He gave me the dealer price of $1,985 and charged me about $300 to do the replacement. Otherwise I would have gone to Re-Involt.