2005 failing hybrid battery questions

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by 2005dmny, May 23, 2015.

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  1. 2005dmny

    2005dmny Junior Member

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    UPDATE: Had car flatbed towed to dealership this AM. Diagnostics there confirm failed hybrid battery. Codes listed were:
    -- P0A80 Replace Hybrid Battery Pack
    -- P3016 Battery Block 6 Becomes Weak
    (There was also a handwritten note that they'd also seen a P0300 Random / Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected. Service manager attributed that to the same cause.)

    Dealership claimed to have contacted their Toyota rep and to have been unsuccessful at negotiating a "goodwill warranty" accommodation for this car. (Reminder: Its hybrid system should be under CARB 10/150K warranty. This 2005 Prius is 10 years 4.5+ months from new-car purchase, with only 93,100 miles on it.) I'll probably take a second run at Toyota on my own after repairs are complete.

    Repair quote is $3,241 parts and labor (plus tax, probably about $3,500 total). Urk.

    Battery due in tomorrow AM, have been told I'll have car back by early afternoon.

    Will report results, or any updates, as <cough> warranted.
     
    #21 2005dmny, May 28, 2015
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    You should get on the phone now and see what you can do with Toyota. They can negotiate a better rate "warranty rate" vs retail rate for that battery, should they cover part of it. If you don't negotiate the rate ahead of time, even if they provide you with $1500 assistance, that'll be off the retail price and not off the "warranty" price. Dealers get paid differently on warranty work vs retail work.
     
    #22 JC91006, May 28, 2015
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  3. 2005dmny

    2005dmny Junior Member

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    Will give it a go, though other matters press, time-wise. Will report outcome, once known.
     
    #23 2005dmny, May 28, 2015
  4. Beachbummm

    Beachbummm Senior Member

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    why not get a rebuilt pack installed for under 800 bucks?
    3500 investment in a car worth 4500 isn't a good idea in my book..today new battery tomorrow who knows what will fail
     
    #24 Beachbummm, May 28, 2015
    Last edited: May 28, 2015
  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    he probably likes his time, doesn't want to keep asking for warranty coverage on the rebuilt POS...I meant battery
     
    #25 JC91006, May 28, 2015
  6. Dino33ca

    Dino33ca Member

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    With a low mileage car like Op has it really is worth the money for a new battery. He can most likely get another ten years out of his car. Hopefully the dealership will also check his hybrid battery fan to make sure it's not clogged.
     
    #26 Dino33ca, May 28, 2015
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  7. Beachbummm

    Beachbummm Senior Member

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    a low mileage car should not need a battery, mine is a 2004 with 207,000 miles on the original pack...low miles might add 300 bucks to the real world value, not that Kelley blue book BS...no one ever gets that value, black book is more like it
     
    #27 Beachbummm, May 28, 2015
  8. Beachbummm

    Beachbummm Senior Member

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    I guess you are rich, most of us are not so we buy the best we can afford, I rebuild my own and have never been standard...last one I did took one cell at a cost of 35 bucks and I drove it about 5000 miles before selling it ..when the current one dies ill do the same
     
    #28 Beachbummm, May 28, 2015
  9. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    you doing it yourself at $35 is not the same as paying a guy doing it for $800
     
    #29 JC91006, May 28, 2015
  10. 2005dmny

    2005dmny Junior Member

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    A tentative celebratory: "Yes!" (I'd prefer to withhold a few details until I actually have a repaired car in hand and have paid the actual bill.)

    So: I *did* call Toyota myself a bit more than an hour ago, and spoke to a helpful, courteous, clear-spoken individual. She took down minimal information from me, and then she called my dealership's service manager while I was on hold. The service manager needed to get back to her with the requested pricing information before she could do "research," so we ended the call and she said she'd call me back.

    She did so, after barely an hour had passed. The dealership's service manager had knocked about 13% off the original estimate, and Toyota offered to cover about 36% of that revised, lower price. I gratefully accepted (not wanting to dicker over something that had been so easy in what is clearly a "gray area").

    If all goes smoothly tomorrow with the repair, the bill, and the retrieval of the car, I'll get a bit more specific (though you could likely do the arithmetic for yourselves).

    Fingers crossed for tomorrow . . .

    P.S. to Beachbummm, above: As I thought I'd indicated upthread, I'd already decided against remanufactured. Too many uncertainties, success rate/lifespan seem to be variable (and perhaps getting worse). Yeah, YMMV. I decided not to go that route.
     
    #30 2005dmny, May 28, 2015
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  11. Dino33ca

    Dino33ca Member

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    That's really good for a Florida car. It seems like high mileage Priis do better with batteries than their lower mileage counter parts. There are taxi cabs up here that have 500k to 700k kms with the same batteries. As for resale on low mileage Priis the resale value up here is quite extraordinary. I'd imagine Op's car would be going for close to 9k here...
     
    #31 Dino33ca, May 28, 2015
  12. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    so they covered 1/3 of the cost and you pay the "warranty repair" cost, not the retail rate. Sounds like a good deal. That's $1000 off
     
    #32 JC91006, May 28, 2015
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  13. Beachbummm

    Beachbummm Senior Member

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    500 to 800 is the going rate in my area on craigs list for a rebuilt, they deliver it and install it and take yours with them..I get a cell off e bay for $35 and 3 hours later the car is back together and on the road..again if you can afford $3500 to replace something that can be fixed for $35 bucks DYI or $800 for a rebuilt someone else fixed Im very happy for you.
     
    #33 Beachbummm, May 28, 2015
  14. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Rebuilts are unpredictable....just because you had a good experience with a $35 repair once, does not mean you'll have the similar experience a 2nd time around. $35 is worth the gamble if you don't need a pro to do it. Paying $800 and then it fails after 2 weeks, is not something poor people can stomach
     
    #34 JC91006, May 28, 2015
  15. Beachbummm

    Beachbummm Senior Member

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    congratz!At least Toyota is willing to work with their customers unlike GM that sells death traps to save 57 cents on an ignition switch
     
    #35 Beachbummm, May 28, 2015
  16. Beachbummm

    Beachbummm Senior Member

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    you like to argue new over rebuilt I have seen your posts before...
    you do things your way and Ill do them mine, Im not here to argue, life is too short.
    when my next battery fails maybe Ill give Toyota a call even at 1000 off I still feel its too expensive on a ten year old car. but too each their own
     
    #36 Beachbummm, May 28, 2015
  17. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    NO, me? that must be another guy. I'm not the arguing type....:)
     
    #37 JC91006, May 28, 2015
  18. Beachbummm

    Beachbummm Senior Member

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    BTW I have rebuilt 3 and never had an issue and life itself is unpredictable, you have a 2015 that can short out and die at anytime.. just like a 2004 its a machine that can fail anytime,any where for any reason...no guarantee any of us will wake up in the morning either.
     
    #38 Beachbummm, May 28, 2015
  19. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    stop arguing with me already
     
    #39 JC91006, May 28, 2015
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  20. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    Too funny.

    To each his/her own. It's their car, money, and time. Exchange of ideas/perspectives/opinions/experiences can benefit everyone. Whatever path the owner takes, they will have to deal with any issues that result: New HV Pack, used/rebuilt pack, or module(s) replacement. Realistically though, a New HV pack will most likely give the owner the greatest longevity and issue free operation.

    There are quite a few posts about Gen2 rebuilds that have gone bad, and actually cost these victims more money, than if they had gone new (via online Toyota dealership) and DIY install. However, not everyone is in driving distance to a dealer who sells online, nor can everyone DIY.

    For the ultimate auto reliability, one can lease (car always under warranty), but that's a huge waste of money.
     
    #40 exstudent, May 28, 2015
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