Hello, I'm the original owner of a 2001 Prius with just over 100k miles-- I was on a waiting list and among the first people in San Francisco to get one. I remember fondly the days when nobody had heard of hybrids and it was always a nice conversation piece. It's been such a great car all these years, but I haven't driven it much since getting married (it's our 'extra' car now). I made the mistake of letting it sit idle for a couple months. The Aux battery was dead, and when I jump started it, the engine wouldn't turn on -- touch screen showed the battery light and triangle of death. Towed it to the dealership and they're seeing P3030 (voltage line snapped) and P3000 (?). Some block voltages are below 1V, delta SOC is 20%. They quoted around $3200 to replace the battery, but prepared me for the possibility of having to shell out another $1200 if they find the ECU is bad. Given that this would exceed the resale value of the car, I don't know if it makes sense to do this work, so I'm hoping to get some advice. 1. Can anyone recommend an independent hybrid shop in the SF Bay Area that might be able to do this for cheaper than the dealer? 2. I've read stories about folks getting rebuilt traction batteries and installing themselves. I might be up for a project like this, but I'm afraid of high voltages, and getting in over my head. Would anyone recommend going this route? 3. If I decide not to repair, how should I go about getting the most out of resale? The dealership told me they'd give me $500, but I don't know if there's a better option. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks. Charles
1. Luscious Garage in SF or Arts Automotive in Berkeley 2. Sounds like you've disqualified yourself if you cannot deal with high voltages and currents that can kill you if you don't know what you are doing 3. A 13 year old Prius with 100K miles does not have much value if it is not running. You can try Craig's List but don't hold your breath for a price much above $1K.
You can also try ebay,I have seen them go as high as 2500 with a bad battery and that kind of miles on the car.
Yeah, put it on Ebay. If the car is not wrecked and just has a bad traction battery, you should get about $3k out of it.
Thank you all for your inputs. For better or worse, I ended up making a cash deal with the mechanic at the Toyota service shop. It was closer to Mr. Wong's estimate of $1k than usnavystgc's $3k, but oh well... I actually saw the little car today parked on the street next to Toyota (did a double-take, and confirmed the license plate). It looked pretty nice and made me a little sad to think I gave up on her. But then again, I do have a nice looking 2004 Prius as well Charles
