2007 self install with a new Toyota Hybrid Battery

A few weeks ago my 2007 Prius had problems with the hybrid battery. The triangle of death and other warning lights plus the P0A80 code. The car had 178k miles on it and it has been a great car. The good thing is that I had another car to drive so I was not in a hurry to fix it plus I travel frequently so it took a little time to fix it.

I did some research on buying used, reconditioned, and a new battery. Buying a 8-10 year old used battery down here in the south didn't make sense to me. I checked a couple of people that recondition batteries as well as Dorman. Those options seem to be hit or miss, at best.

So I called around to several Toyota dealers. I got the same price quote from several dealers, $2588. I looked at the thread here about buying new batteries from dealers and prices around the country that they were selling for. So when I called the closest dealer they also quoted me the $2588 price but I asked if they would price match World Toyota which is about 30 miles away. The price listed for them was $2070.94. After a moment delay they agreed to price match that price. I could not place the order on the phone. I had to go in person to pay and it would be at the dealer the next day. It took a couple of days for me to get to the dealer but when i did they not only price matched they also knocked a little more off of the price for me. I had done some business with them before and I think that helped. All of this was with the parts manager who was a very nice guy.

It was Friday July 1st before I got there to order it and they said it would be in the next morning. So on July 2nd I went to pick it up. I had also talked to the service department about getting it installed but due the the holiday weekend it would be Tuesday July 5th before I could bring it in and it would be installed on the 6th.

So even thought they quoted me a good price to install it I didn't want to wait, so I decided to install it myself over the weekend. It was very hot and I had to work outside on it.



The battery in the shipping container in the back of my Highlander bringing it home. Shipping container must be kept and used when taking the core back to the dealer.



Taking the old battery out. I looked at a couple of You Tube videos and followed them in removing the trim and battery. Fairly simple.







The new battery in the shipping container.





New and old batteries side by side.



The electronics on the old battery which had to be moved to the new battery along with some other wires and parts. Actually Toyota included new wiring that attached to the battery.



This is one side showing the wire that has to be installed on the new battery. Also some on the other side as well. That is the old battery and you can see some corrosion on it.



The new battery and I was starting to install the electronics on it. I did take addition pictures as I went to be able to look at while doing the install.



Old battery label.



New Battery label.



Old battery on left with no electronics and new battery on the right with them.



The new battery going in.

I did get the new battery in and hooked up only to find it not working right. I had worked outside in the heat for several hours and had to leave it for the next day. I got up and checked the orange plug and the 12 volt connection and they seemed fine but the car did not start and I got an odd code. I made a couple of phone calls to Prius battery folks. Tampa Hybrid and Eric here on Prius Chat. Both guys were very nice and helpful. After getting their opinions I dove back in and took the electrical end cover off to check my connections. I founf my bone-headed move. One connector which was under the wiring was not fully seated. So I made sure they were all tight and put it back together.

I was successful in installing the new Toyota battery. It ran great. I boxed the old battery up in the shipping container and took it back to the dealer in my Prius to get my core deposit back.

The installation was more involved than I expected and if I had not been in a time crunch I would have paid the dealer the $399 they wanted to install it. It would have been worth it as it took 3-4 hours of work in hot weather outside.

Tampa Hybrid and Eric in Wisconsin both install new Toyota batteries for a very reasonable price. If I had been closer I would have gotten either one of them to do it. They both seem to be great helpful guys.

I feel very lucky getting a great price on a new Toyota battery. Not really much more than a Dorman would have cost me. I would suggest asking for a discount when talking to dealers about getting a new battery. You might also get lucky. Plus honestly if you can afford to get them to also install it, I would suggest that too.

Good luck,
Glenn

 

I forgot to mention that it took me about 5 hours or so total to do this installation. I am not fast and it was hot. If I had an indoor place to work with a workbench I might have been able to do it a little quicker.

Glenn

 

LOL, Not really. I know one thing. It is pretty fast and easy to takes things apart but harder to put them back together. I think I only lost 2 screws that I replaced.

Glenn