Replace Hybrid Battery message on OBDII scanner - Fifth Gear Automotive Experience anyone?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by babubhai, Jun 30, 2015.

  1. babubhai

    babubhai Junior Member

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    I have a 2005 Prius with 138k miles. Everything was working perfectly fine and last Saturday morning, I drove the car 3 miles for a 10 minute quick errand. When I started the car, it had the Red Triangle, Check Engine & Brake lights all lit up.

    When I drove the car towards home, I also noticed that the bars on the battery weren't going back up and I could feel the degraded performance in pickup/speed. I took the car to AutoZone for their free check engine light lookup, their scanner showed "Replace Hybrid Battery" message.

    I gave the car to Toyota Dealership the next day for their diagnostics via TechStream, it also confirmed the same along with couple of other error codes relating to battery failure.

    I live in DFW Metroplex and found this company called "Fifth Gear Automotive"; they are located in Lewisville TX and show good reviews about what they do.

    Has anyone had any experience with Fifth Gear Automotive on their prius? If so, please share your experience. I have been trying to get a hold of them. They directed me to their Prius guy, who's name is Rick or Ricky. So far I haven't heard back from him. Waiting to see what they do and how much they charge.

    So far, these are the options:

    1. Brand New Battery from Toyota Dealership - Price w/Installation - $3636
    2. Rebuilt/Re-manufactured Battery from Hybrid Car Battery Repair & Replacement | Hometown Hybrids (they provide mobile service to your door step). Rebuilt/Re-man battery $1100 installed (1 year warranty) and New Battery $2600 installed. (3 year warranty).
    3. NAPA has a re-manufactured battery showing on their website for Gen II prius, $1389 + Tax; you have to install on your own.
    4. Still waiting on Fifth Gear Automotive to see how much they will charge or what type of options they offer.

    Any other suggestions or ideas will be appreciated and will help me make a decision on which direction I should take. Please help me out. Thank you for your help in advance and for your time.
     
    #1 babubhai, Jun 30, 2015
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I would avoid any company that you have a hard time getting a hold of. Imagine when you need their warranty.

    You can ask Toyota corporate for a good will warranty and see if they'll give you a break. That would be the best choice here
     
    #2 JC91006, Jun 30, 2015
  3. babubhai

    babubhai Junior Member

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    Thank you for your prompt reply. I will contact Toyota and see what they have to offer.
     
    #3 babubhai, Jun 30, 2015
  4. babubhai

    babubhai Junior Member

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    Quick Update: Just talked to Ricky from Fifth Gear Automotive; they offer a re-manufactured hybrid battery for $1895.00 with 2 year and 24k mile warranty.

    So the updated options:

    1. Brand New Battery from Toyota Dealership - Price w/Installation - $3636
    2. Rebuilt/Re-manufactured Battery from Hybrid Car Battery Repair & Replacement | Hometown Hybrids (they provide mobile service to your door step). Rebuilt/Re-man battery $1100 installed (1 year warranty) and New Battery $2600 installed. (3 year warranty).
    3. NAPA has a re-manufactured battery showing on their website for Gen II prius, $1389 + Tax; you have to install on your own.
    4. $1895 for Re-manufactured battery with installation. 2 year - 24k miles warranty from Fifth Gear Automotive.

    Any more ideas or suggestions will be appreciated. As per the suggestion from another member in the above post, I will also contact Toyota and see what they have to offer.

    Please keep the suggestions coming...
     
    #4 babubhai, Jun 30, 2015
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    hometown hybrids is a member here and has a good rep, but any rebuilt battery is iffy, and probably no better than the length of the warranty. there new battery (if it is that) is a good price, and they are giving an extra 2 years over toyota. i suppose it depends on how long you plan to keep the car.
     
    #5 bisco, Jun 30, 2015
    Avi's Advanced Automotive likes this.
  6. JasonATX

    JasonATX Junior Member

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    <3. NAPA has a re-manufactured battery showing on their website for Gen II prius, $1389 + Tax; you have to install on your own.>

    I just did this option and the battery NAPA sells is a Dorman unit (formally Re-Involt). It comes with a 3 year warranty. You can get them somewhat cheaper from other locations online, but I decided to go with the NAPA option since a warranty exchange would be easier with a brick and mortar store. I've put about 600 miles on it so far with no issues.

    I ordered at my local NAPA on a Monday, the battery came in on a Friday (although they told me it would take 2 weeks). Picked it up and installed it myself that Saturday morning and returned the old battery to NAPA sat evening.

    Total install time doing it by myself was about 2 hours. It wasn't difficult as it's mostly just unbolting a bunch of trim pieces and brackets, unplugging a few electrical connectors and swapping the batteries (Dorman has a youtube video that covers each step). I also cleaned the battery fan since it's recommended and is easily accessible during the replacement. That added maybe 15 minutes.

    The battery does weigh quite a bit and is bulky. So having a friend to help move it in and out of the car would be recommended, but not impossible to do by yourself. Also, get some sandwich bags to put the batches of bolts in and label them so you know which ones go where when it's time to put everything back together.
     
    #6 JasonATX, Jun 30, 2015
    Aaron Vitolins likes this.
  7. Texas Hybrid Batteries

    Texas Hybrid Batteries Senior Member

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    Not advertising just offering another option,

    I'v replaced 100+ batteries in DFW over the last 2 years,
    Our refurbs are $950 installed w/ 18 month unlimited mileage warranty.
    We also buy NEW batteries wholesale from Toyota and sell them for $2200 installed with 48 month warranty and you still get the same 12 month warranty from Toyota that you would get if you had the dealer replace it.

    If your interested google my user name and you will find us.
     
    #7 Texas Hybrid Batteries, Jul 1, 2015
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    wow, that's an incredible price!
     
    #8 bisco, Jul 1, 2015
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