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Hybrid Battery Replacement in New York State 2005 model

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by garnetts4, Jun 15, 2011.

  1. garnetts4

    garnetts4 New Member

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    Hi All: We have a 2005 Prius purchased, registered continuously in NYS. It has about 105k miles and we got the red triangle kiss of death. The code that the car is reading P0A80/ Internal hybrid battery failure. We picked it up from the dealer today and the red triangle is still on the dashboard (they replaced 12 volt battery that cleared up some of the other error codes). Toyota has continuously stated (called Customer Care and dealer is saying the same thing) that the warranty is 8 years, 100k.

    I've read on line that cars purchased NYS follow CA emissions standards. The Owner's Warranty Manual states the 150k, 10 year warranty for states that follow CA emissions standard. NY is listed as one of those states.

    So, to me we should be covered. Just want to do a sanity check and see if anyone else in NYS has encountered this.

    Thanks!
     
  2. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    The issue is "when did NY join CARB?" If after you bought your Prius, then they are correct. My 2004 in CT had the same issue.

    JeffD
     
  3. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Yes, you should be covered so long as the your warranty booklet (for your 05) states that NY state is included under the California emissions warranty (and thus the 10 year/150K mile HV battery warranty).
     
  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    don't forget reinvolt.
     
  6. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    I know NY was a CARB state by 2006, I can't find out when they became one.

    [Edit: But Patrick can]

    Sorry.
     
  7. garnetts4

    garnetts4 New Member

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    Yes, my warranty booklet states that it applies to CT, Me, MA, NH, NJ, NY vehicles equipped with California Certified Emission Control System.

    I guess the question is--how can I confirm that it is equipped with it? Is it labelled anywhere in the car? Would it be on the window sticker?

    I also saw that they adopted CARB in 2006, but I think they followed CA emissions prior to that. For what it's worth, we live on Long Island and we have the stricter emissions than "Upstate NY" (not sure if that's changed recently though).

    I have contacted Re-involt--battery is $1675 and $280 of shipping. Trying to work with my son's soccer coach (he's a mechanic) to see if they can install it.
     
  8. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    The vehicle emissions label can be found on the underside of the hood. See if it says the car meets CA emissions requirements.

    If you finally determine that your car is not covered under warranty:

    1) An alternative is to purchase a salvage battery from a donor vehicle with relatively low miles and a recent model year. You may be able to buy this for ~$500 plus shipping.

    2) Let your mechanic know that Toyota repair documentation can be found at techinfo.toyota.com so that he can look up the procedure to replace the traction battery and decide whether it falls within his skill range. It is reasonable for a moderately-skilled DIYer to do that work so if your mechanic is willing to learn the procedure, there should be no problem.
     
  9. garnetts4

    garnetts4 New Member

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    Thanks Patrick. I was looking last night and couldn't figure out where it would be labelled. My mechanic actually says that he has been trained in replacing the battery, but has actually never done it. (He and his partner are certified mechanics).
     
  10. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    It's also worth calling Toyota Customer Care and doing a bit of begging and pleading...play the "it's only 5k over the 100k mark", I'm in a lot of online forums, I love Prius and am frustrated that the battery hasn't lasted longer, etc. I think others have gotten Toyota to cover part of the replacement cost. It could be worth it if you get a brand new Toyota installed and warranted HV battery for half price. Can't hurt to call and try to play that card. Heck, maybe they'll pay the whole thing if you push the "my owner's manual says" bit a bit harder.
     
  11. garnetts4

    garnetts4 New Member

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    That's an idea also. I actually called Customer Care already and have a case opened. I didn't try that tactic though. I will give it a shot!

    Does anyone know of the place in I want to say it's Missouri that is a salvage yard that specializes in Prius salvages? I would like to see if they have any batteries.....
    I read about them on line somewhere and can't recall their name at the moment.

    Thanks.
     
  12. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    Many, many places sell salvage batteries. LKQ out of Webster, Massachusetts has a couple on Ebay right now for $650. They usually include some kind of warranty on their parts. car-part.com also has a searchable listing of salvage yards with batteries for sale. We recently referred a guy in St. Louis to XVipers for a battery because they were the closest, and they even installed it for him, but given the distance, I think you would be better off going with someone closer.
     
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  13. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    The place was in Missouri, but they sold out a couple of years ago.
     
  14. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    The OP could check out these repair facilities in NY State:
    They are listed at: Preferred Independent Hybrid Car Repair and Service Shops | Hybrid Cars
    NEW YORK

    B & A Automotive
    455 Mamroneck Ave.
    Mamroneck, NY 10543
    (914) 381-2468
    Contact: Anthony Contarino
    [email protected]


    Gil’s Garage Inc.
    817 Saratoga Road
    Burnt Hills, NY 12027
    (518) 399-3363
    Contact: Robert Kenney Jr.
    [email protected]


    Harriman Auto
    2 Ramapo Avenue
    Harriman, NY 10926
    Contact: Greg Epsaro or George Casimiro
    (845) 782-7859
    [email protected]

    JeffD
     
  15. garnetts4

    garnetts4 New Member

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    Thanks for all the help and suggestions. I've actually located a couple of salvage batteries that are fairly local (<50 miles) and that one shop in Mamaroneck is about an hour (give or take away). So thanks for those suggestions.

    Here is the update with what's going on with the dealer. They contacted the regional rep and originally he said that they would go 50/50 on the repair. The dealership then explained that we had been there with a battery complaint a few months ago. So, the offer is now 75/25. The cost to us would be between $1300 and $1400 (that's with tax). That would be a new batttery.

    After I read Patrick's reply, I looked under the hood when I got home from work today. If I knew how to insert a picture, I would, but I don't so I won't. The label on the hood says the following:

    "This vehicle conforms to U.S. EPA regulationis applicable to gasoline-fueled 2005 model year new tier 2 bin 3 motor vehicles and to california regulations applicable to 2005 model year new lev-II SULEV passenger cars."

    So between that statement and what the owner's manual states, I think it should be covered. We will call the dealership tomorrow to followup on this.

    Thanks again everyone for your help!
     
  16. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Yes, I think you should be covered based upon what your warranty booklet states.

    Also, if you lookup your 05 Prius at Side-by-Side Comparison and click "Show Detailed..." you'll see NY included under SULEV II.
     
  17. garnetts4

    garnetts4 New Member

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    My warranty booklet lists on page 6 under Emission Control Warranty--California with a + symbol for Hybrid Vehicle Battery--120 months and 150k miles. The + then says

    "Also appies to Ct, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, RI and Vermont vehicles equipped with a California Certified Emissions Control System. Vehicles covered by this warranty are also covered by the Federal Emissions Control Warranty.

    Oh, and thanks for the link!
     
  18. garnetts4

    garnetts4 New Member

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    So, according to the dealer, NYS did not adopt the warranty policy for California. That doesn't really make any sense. What we've decided to do is take the dealer's offer and then continue pursuing Toyota for what we think is the real policy based on the paper work that we have.

    If we didn't need the car (as both of us work and kids have places to go) we could pursue it further without getting the battery replaced. But that's what we've decided to go with. Their offer is cheaper than a refurb battery and really for an extra $500 to $600, we feel more comfortable with a new battery. Let's hope we don't have the same issue in the future.
     
  19. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Makes sense.

    If you have the original warranty book provided with the car and that states that NY cars are covered by the CA warranty, then it sounds to me that you have an excellent case. Good luck.
     
  20. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    Plus, you would never be able to get any money out of Toyota if you went the Reinvolt or salvage route. I hope Toyota steps up and makes good here.