Beware Dorman Hybrid Battery Replacements use 1st gen cells!!!

I think you are p155ing in the wind, quite honestly. You are not telling us anything new of which we are not already intimately aware here on PC. I think Dorman use whatever modules they have available in their pool of used modules, so could be any generation. They don't seem to care to use new modules that are less than 5 years old.

Dorman makes no secret of what they do, but trying to get people coming into the battery replacement dilemma to not use a rebuilt battery is equally frustrating. For some reason, a lot of people just resist taking this advice. I think people see words like remanufactured and rebuilt and think that there is some magic rejuvenation of the modules, when in fact, all they are doing is recycling old (but not yet completely failed) modules.

You got 3 years out of a Dorman second-hand battery, so you really should see yourself as fortunate to have got such a good run.

You are incorrect in your assertion that a Gen 1.5 module has 25% less capacity (in your discussion with Dorman). When new they are rated at the same 6.5 Ah capacity, just like the newer generations. The manufacturing process of the newer gen modules is better so they have lower IR, as an example of one improvement.

You need to chalk it all up to experience and move on.

You could replace all the modules with a newpriusbattries.com set of new replacement modules ($1600 delivered) or shop around Toyota dealers for a good price ($1650 - $1785 plus taxes) and do your own rebuild. It sounds like you have the ability to D|Y.

 

I'm curious as to why you thought it pertinent to tear the battery apart yourself. I don't think I would give you any refund either. Like was said earlier - consider yourself lucky it didn't fail earlier. Those second hand batteries - people never listen.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vice.com/amp/en_us/article/xw7b3z/warranty-void-if-removed-stickers-sony-microsoft-nintendo-ftc-letters

FTC Staff Warns Companies that It Is Illegal to Condition Warranty Coverage on the Use of Specified Parts or Services | Federal Trade Commission

 

Do gen 1 cells even have a way to attach a temp sensor on the bottom? That would be another issue if they moved them to the top. While it might not seem like a big deal, the intake air coming in from the top would cause the readings to be low, which in turn would mean the computer wouldn’t reduce current when the actual cell temperature gets too high.

 

The whole bus bar assembly needs to be replaced with nickel plated ones.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

To those who are not experienced in self hybrid battery maintenance and repairs, this may be a good source to go to:
http://newpriusbatteries.com/

After reading and admiring those in here who can do and maintain their batteries, I salute you. Your knowledge is off the hook. If you are going to buy a used battery, I suggest reading in here those who have and have had success. They are like the old Heathkit crowd back in the day. Some liked to build their own radios, others went to Sears and bought it new. You got 3 years on a Dorman. From what I have read, thats really good!

 

I am a Prius dealer and rebuild Gen 2 packs. Just opened up a Dorman pack that has Gen 1 cells in it.
Alerted the customer. He bought the pack used.
This is not the first time I have had to deal with defective Dorman packs. They have a one year warranty for a reason.
BTW, we rebuild with cells from cars from Maine, mostly. We know the cells are not usually exposed to heat and tend to past longer.
We warranty fully for one year and pro-rate after that. A Gen 2 rebuild is $650. The most a customer would spend after that is $350, after three years, if the battery needs a rebuild.
The only recalls are usually from packs that were in the deep South.
I have learned the hard way to ask where the car has lived before we dig in and warranty. If we have to deal with one, we usually swap out with a pack from a Maine car.
One of the benefits of living in Maine.

 

The Gen1 module thing is a bit overblown. Does it give the initial impression of being BS? Yes. Is it really? Not necessarily.
The photos in this thread clearly show the metallic (Gen1.5) sides on the modules. They're most likely industrial battery modules. As mentioned earlier in the thread, Gen 1, 1.5, 2, 3 and 4 nmih modules all have 6500 mah ratings. Not all Gen 1 modules were manufactured before Dec 31, 2003. If I were to go to a dealer today and purchase a replacement HV battery for a 2003 Prius, what modules would be in the case? Pretty sure I have at least a hundred or so Gen 1 modules with 2012 and later date codes. Nowhere in the posts does it show a module serial number. Although I don't, I guarantee I could build a Gen 2 HV battery using Gen 1 modules that would be better than 90% of the rebuilds available today.

On another note....every Dorman battery I've disassembled has already had nickel plated busbars. They also solder the main cable/lug junction crimp. The one in this thread looks to me like it does also.

It looks to me like the real problem with this HV battery is a significant amount of water damage. Dorman didn't dip the battery in a mud puddle before selling it, so what caused the water damage? Leaks in the car body. I've pulled batteries out of cars and had a quart of water pour out the bottom of the battery and the ventilation ducts. Take the cover off and water is pooled in the top of the modules in the recesses. Why should a company warranty that? I also firmly believe anything that's been disassembled from it's installed condition should lose it's warranty. There's too many fools in the world who think they know what they're doing, and don't even realize when they've wrecked something. Then they want someone else to take responsibility for it.

Let's say I built a Gen 2 battery using Gen 4 modules and all factory new wire harnesses, etc. Then, that customer later decides they want to believe the hype about nickel plated busbars and they go online and purchase a handful of them. They then disassembly the battery, remove the brand new factory harness, swap out the busbars and reinstall the wire harness onto the battery. A few days later they start having problems because they didn't actually torque the fasteners correctly, or they bent the sensing wires and cracked a tab or any number of any stupid things that could happen. Who in their right mind would think I should be obligated to honor a warranty on that battery? What method (other than seals) does a company like Dorman have to provide them with reasonable assurance that a person didn't go dicking around with the internals of the battery and cause their own problem?

 

Hopefully living in Canada with colder weather than Maine would reassure me that my 2008 battery has probability of lasting longer than 156K miles.