DORMAN or CARDONE ? hybrid battery rechoice?

Discussion in 'Prius c Main Forum' started by skinnedknuckles, Mar 27, 2018.

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  1. skinnedknuckles

    skinnedknuckles Junior Member

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    Hi all, it appears my hybrid battery needs replacement, according to toyota. It's a 2013 prius C with only 109,000 miles. I'm sure I can swap the battery pack easily enough, but is there any consensus on which rebuilt battery pack to go with? Dorman and Cardone are very similar in price and warranty, 3 years. Anyone here have experience with these? I'm not sure which to go with. Any info greatly appreciated. It's a lot of money and I'd like the best battery. Thanks.
     
    #1 skinnedknuckles, Mar 27, 2018
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    oem toyota only. rebuilds are a messy business. you have a fairly new car, unless you only plant to keep it 3 years, get a new battery.
    but before you do, get the trouble codes from the dealer and report them here for evaluation.
     
    #2 bisco, Mar 27, 2018
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  3. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    The consensus is NO rebuilt pack sold by the companies is recommended.
    They are just replacing failed modules with used modules from other failed batteries.We have not seen evidence any company takes the time needed to match modules, balance the pack, and test to verify performance. They offer warranties but the pack usually needs replacing before the term is up, further inconveniencing the driver.

    I would think the best alternative to a new Toyota battery would be a Prolong reconditioning system and perhaps used modules from Hybrid Automotive if they fit the Prius c. @jeff652, the owner, is a trusted member here.
     
    #3 Prodigyplace, Mar 27, 2018
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  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    check in with auto be yours in titusville, they might be able to point you in the right direction.
     
    #4 bisco, Mar 27, 2018
  5. skinnedknuckles

    skinnedknuckles Junior Member

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    Toyota will not sell me the battery pack. They quoted about $3,700.00 to replace the battery and with only a one year warranty. No way will I do that. I don't mind spending $1,500.00 for a good battery, but if they are not available, I guess I could try to recondition the battery that I have. I guess I may not have a choice. Do I have to use the prolong reconditioning system? What are the benefits of the prolong system? Can the modules be reconditioned individually or in pairs using a Nimh battery charger? Thanks again.
     
    #5 skinnedknuckles, Mar 27, 2018
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    what symptoms caused you to take it to the dealer?
     
    #6 bisco, Mar 27, 2018
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Am I right, you're 9000 miles out of warranty?

    upload_2018-3-27_10-13-39.png

    My 2 cents: stick with new battery from Toyota, and first contact corporate Toyota, either directly, or see if your service department can talk to them, get some sort of compensation, maybe pay for half. The new Toyota battery is apparently under two grand now:

    upload_2018-3-27_10-18-6.png

    Battery for 2013 Toyota Prius C | Toyota Parts
     
    #7 Mendel Leisk, Mar 27, 2018
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    @jeff652 is the owner of prolong, and can answer your questions.
     
    #8 bisco, Mar 27, 2018
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  9. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Dorman now has a 1 year warranty. (previously was 3 years)

    Cardone has 3 year warranty.

    Call around to other dealer parts departments to see if they are will to sell to you.
    Be sure when installing to tighten the fasteners using an inch-pound torque wrench to the proper specs.

    I agree with seeing if Toyota Corporate will help out with a reduction in price.

    Depending on how your battery failed (for example if it is shorted) a charger will not help.
     
    #9 ericbecky, Mar 27, 2018
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  10. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    If a Toyota dealer replaces it they give a 3 year warranty. @ericbecky here was able to "straighten out" a different misinformed dealer.

    The Prolong system works in the whole pack at once. @Raytheeagle is somebody here who has used it for a while.
     
    #10 Prodigyplace, Mar 27, 2018
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  11. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Can you give us more details on your pack;).

    Details like:
    • Codes pulled
    • Did you pull them or a dealer?
    • What are your DIY skills?
    • History on your Prius: any accidents, damage, rodent intrusion, etc
    I have successfully used the prolong equipment to preventatively maintain our 2010 Prius II with 175 k miles on it;).

    Will be doing a 2 cycle reconditioning over Easter :).

    Keep us posted (y).
     
    #11 Raytheeagle, Mar 27, 2018
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  12. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    #12 padroo, Mar 27, 2018
  13. skinnedknuckles

    skinnedknuckles Junior Member

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    Wow, thanks for all the replies. I did not consider a used battery from a wrecked car, might be best solution, depending on warranty offered. And i'm guessing no core is required. A brief history; I bought the car for for what I thought was a good price, about $6,000.00, as is. The car drove well and had no warning lights. Three days later the red triangle and some other warning lights came on, and message telling me to pull over and stop driving the car. I took it to advance auto and they pulled a code, something like P0A80, hybrid battery replacement. To be sure, I drove the car to Toyota dealer, and they confirmed that the hybrid battery needed replacement and quoted $3,700.00. They told me that the car had been diagnosed as needing a hybrid battery about six months earlier at another toyota dealer. I drove the car home, did some research, and decided to see if I could do the repair myself, by trying to determine if there were any bad modules. I took the battery out of the car, dismantled to the point that I could check the module voltages, unfortunately, I did not find any that were low. All voltages were between 7.82 and 7.86 volts. I did not do any load testing. I just cleaned all the corrosion on the bus bars, and cleaned the cooling fan, that had some lint restricting airflow and put it all back together. The warning lights were gone, and the car drove well for about 300 miles, now the warning lights have come back, red triangle etc. And here I am trying to figure out what to do next.
     
    #13 skinnedknuckles, Mar 27, 2018
  14. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Do you have a way to read any additional codes, like Techstream?

    If you have a way to determine those codes, it will help understand what the issue is.

    While the P0A80 displayed, that just tells you there is an issue with the hybrid battery, not where to really look.
     
    #14 Raytheeagle, Mar 27, 2018
  15. IMkenNY

    IMkenNY Im just being nosy

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    The prius C is new enough that you should have no problem locating inexpensive quality used batteries at a fraction of the cost to new or remanufactured batteries.
    I'm seeing 2015 batteries in the $750 range at a salvage yard search engine: http://www.car-parts.com
     
    #15 IMkenNY, Mar 28, 2018
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  16. zen_

    zen_ Junior Member

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    Based on my experience with Cardone reman parts in the past, there is no way I would ever buy an expensive hybrid battery from them expecting it to go well.
     
    #16 zen_, Mar 28, 2018
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  17. skinnedknuckles

    skinnedknuckles Junior Member

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    Thank you IMkenNY, used the link you posted and found a battery for $647.00 plus 150.00 core charge, plus 47.82 tax, so $844.82 and comes with a 101 day warranty. They said it was from a 2015 model that was hit in the front, with only 9,000 miles, so I'm hoping it will be good. I'll be picking it up tomorrow and I'll let everyone know how things turn out. Thanks to everyone that responded, great website and great people here.
     
    #17 skinnedknuckles, Mar 28, 2018
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  18. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    If you are getting a battery from a junked car, I am curious why there is a core charge. What do they plan to do with the core? Repair it and sell saying it is from a junked car? :eek:

    If possible the encoded date of the pack and modules should be checked. This may be a "repaired" battery instead of one from a low mileage wreck. If they replace a module its production date would likely be radically different.
     
    #18 Prodigyplace, Mar 28, 2018
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  19. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    All the junkyards Ive dealt with have a core fee.
    They can sell the cores to recyclers.

    I suppose the unscrupulous ones could sell your bad core to a different customer.

    I've seen recently wrecked Prius have their existing battery get filled with bad cells between the time of the crash and the time it gets moved to a junkyard.

    Scammers are creative. That is for sure.
     
    #19 ericbecky, Mar 28, 2018
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  20. priusCpilot

    priusCpilot Active Member

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    Hot climates really kill them faster. Do some searching here. Wrote about the steps I took to keep things cool.

    Ill be buying a prolong system as well in a few years once I have a garage again after my construction.
     
    #20 priusCpilot, Mar 28, 2018
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