Reconditioned Battery/5 year warranty/1500 dollars

can you please call electron automotive while you're at it?

 

Red, If you like your car and want to keep it, I can help you out. I'm in Columbia, SC and would be happy to discuss this with you. There is no "rebuilder" in the southeast that can do better.

 

Personally, I will take my chances with the new Chinese kits offered by the member 2k1toaster here at priuschat. But only after the current testers have given their opinions.

 

Yikes....if this was pointed at my post, all I can say is "ouch". If it was meant as a general reply to the thread with regard to finding a "rebuilder", could you clarify that a bit?

 

I agree. Personally, if I were to DIY I might prefer the new cell kit.

You provide a good option with "no assembly required" for a good, reconditioned and tested used battery pack.

 

Looking back at many of my posts, I don't think I've ever really made it clear to "gen pop" about the Gen 2 HV batteries I build. I will start by stressing that this is NOT my livelihood. I'm a serious DIYer / auto hobbyist, and have been for 35+ years. I focus on low volume and high quality. I started training as an Electronics Technician straight out of High School. I've been a wire biter my entire adult life and a multi-craft technician for 30+ years. I recognize I don't have all the answers, but I'm very comfortable with my level of knowledge in regard to electricity, electronics and mechanics. Every battery I've built for another person has been assembled using a complete "28 module pack" from a low mileage Gen 3 wreck. I'm very selective about the battery packs I purchase. All 28 modules are put through testing to verify condition and capacities. Every component of the battery is inspected and tested. I keep spreadsheets with the complete history of every module and battery assembly. Every battery gets installed in my car and tested, typically for days, before I drive to the persons location. At their location, we do a techstream healthcheck of the car to verify its condition and codes. I remove their battery from my car and install it in theirs. I also now bring a pre-cleaned and tested cooling fan, which can be swapped into their car if desired, at no cost. At a minimum, their fan and ductwork is removed and given a basic cleaning. I currently have an OTC 3183 digital battery tester being shipped to me to allow performing a 12v battery health test also, which will be an included service. After the HV battery is installed, we test it and test drive for as long as the person desires with techstream monitoring. I always take "my" HV battery with me to install back into my car so I can safely drive back. Sometimes, I install their battery instead, just to get some live testing done on the way back, knowing that if it fails, I still have "my" battery available to swap on the side of the road if needed. As for the person's old battery, I do a bit of testing, and as can be seen in some of my posts, I've decided to share some of the results because I feel it's of interest to the community to see how these batteries react to real world DIY repairs. No opinions, no folklore, just facts and graphs. Again, all this info for the old modules is recorded in a spreadsheet and archived for future reference if needed. Every now and then, I'll sell some modules off. Currently, none of these old battery modules have ever been put into anyone elses car by me. This may change in the future, if someone really desires it as a less expensive option. The cases and electronics get added to my supply for a future build. The modules get separated based on good or bad. Eventually I'll start selling them off to DIYers again. I've basically been testing them, then storing them for the last few months, with plans to build an additional website specifically for Gen 2 HV battery information and module sales.

 

Okay I have to jump in here... I made an account just to add my two cents. Lol I bought a 2006 Prius this fall. I was rear-ended and my old car was totaled. After lots of research I decided to look at Prii. I found this car with a clean carfax and a really great price. I knew the battery would likely die on me soon from what I had read. But because I wasn’t having to pay out of pocket I took the leap.
My hybrid battery set-off the check engine light this week. The car seemed to still run fine but after getting a diagnostic test done at the dealership I wasn’t taking any chances.
I had looked into Green Bean before I ever even bought my Prius. My husband and I are about to buy a house and because the car is older and we may not keep it beyond 5 years we decided to get a refurbished battery. $3,350 just didn’t seem like the best decision for us right now.
After doing A LOT of research we went with Green Bean. And we had a WONDERFUL experience. Here’s my guess at why they are so affordable and offering long warranties: They are a NEW company with a great vision and have put quality and care into everything they have done so far. They know who their target market is — that is evident by looking at their website. Excellent aesthetics and graphics and a simple video explaining their process. They are appealing to the upcoming generations — millennials who care about the environment and don’t have money for a new battery. But they need something to give their company an edge and appeal in this relatively new and competitive industry. MOST up-and-coming companies that are just getting their start offer their early customers ridiculous deals that no other company can beat. This is how they build clientele. I would bet anything that in a year or two their prices go up and warranties come down. Right now they’re taking a business gamble in order to gain clients. In a few year’s time their company will have grown and a few dead batteries that fall under warranty won’t be such a big deal.

Come on people! It’s just good business.

Love,
A very satisfied customer

 

This sounds like an ad from Mr. Green Bean company.

 

Oh good grief my name is Melissa Rogers —- I lead worship and clean houses during the week. Go find me on Facebook or Instagram. Also, I forgot to add.. someone mentioned GB has a “lots of fine print in their warranty” and yes actually prorated. That is false. Go to their website and read the warranty for yourselves. They compare their warranty to other companies and that is the only place on their website that mentions prorated warranties, etc.

 

Could you kindly elaborate on your research of other companies? What do you actually know about the battery rebuilding business for you to give them such high praise? Hopefully your research can back up the answer you're about to provide.

Did you know the check engine light ON does not mean you have a bad battery? There are usually many more warning lights

 

At the time I wrote my initial post the DID have a prorated warranty.

They changed it to a full warranty less than a month ago.
This is a good thing. Prior to that the extra fine print definitely scared away savvy customers.
One guy chose new instead of Green Bean. He even wrote Green Bean a private email with suggestions for improvement.

I chatted a bit with Tim from Green Bean yesterday and confirmed the warranty info.
It is transferable to a new owner with a few paperwork and timeline requirements.
It is not transferable to another vehicle.

They do have quite a bit of positive reviews, even though though original foray into Facebook was extremely sketchy. (If you recall they had off the bat had over 3,600 likes on Facebook, when a longtime, trusted shop like Luscious garage only had under 1,000.)

The price for a 5 year warranty is compelling. Small margins being made up by volume I suppose.
I would be interested in them as a supplier if all checks out good.
Either that, or they will simply be another colleague in an ever expanding group of independents.
As long as they aren't scammy and don't rip people off then it is a good thing.
There are too many bad actors in this field already. We don't need another one!

 

Does the 5 year warranty include the labor? That would be the most expensive part of a warranty, if it's included. You can replace that battery 3-4 times over 5 years before you can comfortably spend your $1500. As far as volume goes....warranty volume is not a good thing. And the worse thing....if they go out of business, the warranty is worthless.

 

Do I count as a current tester? In my opinion, they're excellent!

 

i feel dirty.

 

this is why.

 

Melissa,

I'm going to be in the Atlanta area on December 12, 13 and 14th. My wife has an appointment on Wednesday that will take about 8 hours and I'm going to be trying to find things to keep me busy. I even thought about driving down to Newnan where I grew up, to visit the old neighborhood. What are the chances we could meet up and perform a load test on your GB battery for comparison? I'm not afraid of driving a couple hours. All it takes is a bluetooth adapter that I plug into your OBD port (just as if I were reading codes on the car) and use an android app to monitor and record the battery state of charge and voltages while it runs the AC. Takes less than 10 minutes. I've done it many dozens of times on various batteries. Some of the results are in various threads on the forum. I could even hook up techstream and do a healthcheck for you and check the battery using the Toyota software.

 

This is really good service, going above and beyond. And you didn't even sell her the battery

 

if she declines, ask green bean if you can stop by and test one.

 

Thank you Melissa for using us! We appreciate the business. I looked you up and noticed we just replaced your battery today! Congrats.

I have found that there will always be skeptics of anything. But thanks for giving us the shoutout! Let us know if you need anything in the future.

TIM