Do I Need a New Hybrid Battery in my 2005 Prius?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by WestonP, Jul 5, 2018.

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  1. WestonP

    WestonP Junior Member

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    Hello all! I have been getting some pretty poor MPG's as of late and I have been looking into the tell tale signs of a bad hybrid battery. My battery has gone from about 80% to 20% instantly while I'm driving, which has only happened a couple times that I have noticed. The battery seems to hold a charge overnight, but it loses a few bars. And I am getting around 37-40 MPG in the current summer months when I should be getting upper 40's to mid 50's. I plan on taking the car to Minnesota Hybrid Battery for replacement with a refurbished battery. I've heard a lot of people are pleased with their service, so I am confident that should be a good choice. I am wondering if I should wait until I get the red triangle, or just bite the bullet now and replace the battery before then?
     
    #1 WestonP, Jul 5, 2018
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    good call either way i suppose. maybe a financial decision? be careful with the replacement. make sure they will be around to fulfill the warranty, and don't expect it to last any longer.
    and make sure the warranty is parts and labor. who pays for towing?
     
    #2 bisco, Jul 5, 2018
  3. WestonP

    WestonP Junior Member

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    Its actually a decent deal. So for $850 they'll come to your house to install a refurb battery and the battery comes with a 12 month warranty. Here's the website: MN Hybrid Battery – MN Hybrid Battery Apparently the owner Brad is well known on the forums here, and is very knowledgeable of Prius batteries.
     
    #3 WestonP, Jul 5, 2018
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Ah, brad is excellent.
     
    #4 bisco, Jul 5, 2018
  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    +1 for Brad. But your battery has not failed. You could try getting the battery reconditioned.
     
    #5 JC91006, Jul 5, 2018
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  6. WestonP

    WestonP Junior Member

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    I feel as though reconditioning will only delay the inevitable? I could be wrong since I know little about how reconditioning a battery works. This is something I would do myself correct? I found this kit from this website: Online Store – Hybrid Automotive
     
    #6 WestonP, Jul 5, 2018
  7. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    A refurbished battery is often a reconditioned battery
     
    #7 JC91006, Jul 5, 2018
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  8. WestonP

    WestonP Junior Member

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    Intersting... Ok, I'm willing to give it a shot if it's not too hard. I'll do some forum searching on what I need to do it.
     
    #8 WestonP, Jul 5, 2018
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  9. WestonP

    WestonP Junior Member

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    Upon doing some quick research it seems that reconditioning the battery takes several days, and is somewhat dangerous. I also currently live at home and can't use my parents garage for several days straight. It also appears that buying the discharger and reconditioning kit would be only a few hundred bucks cheaper than paying Brad to do it. We'll see though, probably better to wait until the battery fails completely like you said.
     
    #9 WestonP, Jul 5, 2018
  10. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Maybe you can ask if Brad can recondition your battery? I think his powerful equipment should be able to recondition that battery in a day or 2
     
    #10 JC91006, Jul 5, 2018
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  11. WestonP

    WestonP Junior Member

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    I actually called him and got a hold of him yesterday. Seems like a really honest and genuine person! He told me that if I wanted to have him take out my battery and recondition it that it would take a couple weeks, which is quite inconvenient. He recommended I get a wireless OBD II scanning tool and an Iphone app to test the state of the battery. I told him about my MPG's and battery issues and he said they were very early signs of a bad battery. Again, he seemed very knowledgeable and honest. Once my battery fails, I'm taking to Brad without a doubt.
     
    #11 WestonP, Jul 6, 2018
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  12. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Brad is a great guy. He comes on here and offers really good advice to the members that need help.
     
    #12 JC91006, Jul 6, 2018
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  13. Montgomery

    Montgomery Senior Member

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    You have 2005 Prius with the original battery in it? If so, yes, replace it.............and please buy a new one. You won't have "used battery" issues and your resale with be better should you decide to sell.
     
    #13 Montgomery, Jul 6, 2018
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  14. WestonP

    WestonP Junior Member

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    I would like to get a new battery, but the car is not really worth it to me. The exterior has a lot of rust since its a Minnesota car, and its got dents and dings all over. Just wouldn't be worth spending $2000+ on something that's going to rot away in 5-10 years.
     
    #14 WestonP, Jul 7, 2018
  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    trust brads advice for what kind of results you can expect from his work. any rebuilt battery will have a shorter life than new, but some are better done than others.
     
    #15 bisco, Jul 7, 2018
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  16. strawbrad

    strawbrad http://minnesotahybridbatteries.com

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    Wow,
    A thread mostly about me! And all positive comments, thanks guy's.

    I remember talking to Weston a few day's ago and recommending holding off on replacement until the battery fails.

    Oh, I have enough toys to run through batteries quickly. Despite that it still takes a week to do a seven day self discharge test. ;)

    This is the conventional wisdom that is very common on PC. Go with a new battery. It's easy to recommend spending some one else's money.

    And that is why customers go with my service. These cars are getting old and are not going to last forever. At 13+ years old and 150K to 200K they are not all cream puffs that look like they just came off the showroom floor. I often tell my customers that what they are really buying with a rebuilt battery is time. $850 to avoid car payments for 2 to 3 years or sometimes more is a good value to many people.
     
    #16 strawbrad, Jul 9, 2018
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  17. Kimberly19

    Kimberly19 Member

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    This is where I am currently -2005 Prius, 174K miles, getting the hybrid battery fail code 3 X since February (clearing it and still driving it.) MPG still good, 47-49 mpg on a tank, but lately it feels like a 'transmission' slip is happening. Hard to explain, but when i take my foot off the gas, it feels like the car downshifts into a low gear, but it's not in B mode. Love my car and the body is in excellent shape. Waiting on the new Prime's to be released in July. Blue book value is $1500-$3000, but with a failing battery, I'm sure less than that. Are we allowed to post for sale cars in the forums? thinking ahead. Hope the car keeps going through summer.
     
    #17 Kimberly19, May 16, 2019
  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    there is a 'for sale' forum
     
    #18 bisco, May 16, 2019
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