Re-manufactured Batteries

It seems the rebuilding by replacing bad cells method is not working out so well:
Luscious Garage | Blog | Prius Battery Rebuild: Yes or No?

 

I figured replacing bad cells would end up being a short term fix since it's like replacing your remote batteries with used batteries which is also a short term fix. But what's the deal with re-involt are they really refurbing them and what kind of results are they getting. I'm thinking that after 1775 + shipping in two directions id only save a couple hundred and not have the piece of mind id have with a brand new battery. Is this the general consensus or am I being too skeptical of the rebuilds?

 

Didn't see the article at first, thank you for that it was pretty much what I was suspecting.

 

It seems the manufacturing tolerances on the original batteries are close enough, that if one cell fails, the others will follow before too long. If one does have time to replace them as they fail, that can work. But it does take careful balancing of the cells. It looks like the new battery is going to be the solution for those who plan on keeping the car on the road for a long time.

 

I have a ReInVolt in my 2004 Prius. It was installed by my Toyota dealer for $400 and it cost me at that time $1600 (it is a bit higher now). That was at 195k miles in April 2011. I am now at 237k miles and it continues to work well.

Taylor automotive (ReInVolt) in North Carolina is a class act, as is Autobeyours in Indiana. I can't comment on any of the other rebuilt HV battery vendors as I have not had any experience with them.

You can do a good job of fixing an HV battery yourself, but it requires careful re-balancing of each of the 28 modules and matching Capacity, Series Resistance and State Of Charge of all of the modules (usually requires having a few extra modules) before reassembling the battery.

Due to circumstance, I was able to keep my old battery. It had 27 good modules (one had a failed cell) that I rebalanced (returning each of them to 6.5 AH capacity) and they were sold in sets and used successfully to repair 6 other HV batteries.

The battery modules were improved for the 2010 model year (lowered series resistance) and again in 2012. so using a full set of the newer modules does result in a better battery (the newer modules can handle 130 amps whereas the earlier modules are limited to 100 amps). Since the newer modules will behave a bit differently than the 2004-2009 modules, it is probably better not to use a mixed set.

JeffD

 

Correct. Luscious Garage is knowledgable on this subject and sees more hybrids than any of these other shops. They have a better idea as to what works and what does not. I would either purchase a used battery or a new one.


iPhone ?

 

Interesting topic, I just emailed Carolyn my thoughts on the subject to get feedback. Basically, I suspect that reman is OK if replacement batteries are from a young pack.

 

Reinvolt by far has the best reputationfor both Gen I & II hybrid battery remanufacturing process. I stock these batteries. Hope this helps.

 

If by stock you mean they sit on your shelf until bought, I have to say that would not fill me with confidence.

 

Sage,

My experience is that the Prius NiMh modules will quickly discharge their surface charge and then the self discharge rate is very slow in a good module. I would be confident that a ReInVolt would still be good to go after 3-6 months of shelf time. The last set of my 2004 modules after 195k miles and almost 8 years of use after my rebalancing efforts, held their charge for over 3 months with no problems.

The self discharge rate is actually a good metric of the remaining useful life of the module and you should let the modules sit for a while to check that the whole set has about the same self discharge rate.

JeffD

 

We service Hybrids from all over the region on a daily basis. Our hybrid batteries are fresh. Confidence is such the we offer 3 year warranties on our installed batteries. I am not here to promote my business so please forgive my response. I merely recommended Reinvolt batteries because I know the quality and the owner who stands behind there work. Thanks Sage for keeping me on my toes. I can see how things can get misinterpreted.