After 175.000 miles my Prius is ready for the battery replacement. Anybody has experience with refurbished batteries? I use the Dr. Prius app. After the change what can i expect If i run the life expectancy test? Which result can be acceptable? 60%? 70%? 80%? And the mpg? I did not find
Most everyone here will tell you never buy a refurbushed battery. They are just used batteries after all, but if someone does a proper job on a set it may last a few years....or it may not. It could possibly fail at any time. I had one in a Gen 2 that I sold so now it's been over 3 years and it's still doing fine. The gas mileage should be the same or maybe better than right before the battery went bad. I paid $500 4 years ago for a shop to replace a cell and "realign" the battery pack, but I wouldn't buy one of those $1200 or $1600 ones that they come put it into your car for you. Sorry I don't know anything about Dr Prius.
welcome! depends on the quality of the rebuild, and that depends on the price (sometimes) how much are you looking to spend? why are you changing the battery, did you get the red triangle, and subsequent trouble codes?
Expect a few months to a couple years on average. No test any app can do is worthwhile. It is better than nothing, but it is not a true diagnostic. Don't take it as such.
This is someone who knows rechargeable batteries and has actual diagnostic equipment available. His $1600 kit of new cells form newpriusbatteries is one of the best alternatives to a new pack. The other alternative is to find a low mileage pack from a wrecked car.
Scotty Kilmer always says that reconditioned batteries last 1 to 2 years max. He says you should buy a brand new battery pack directly from Toyota and have it installed if your car still has enough residual value to justify the $6,000 to $8,000 expense.
A refurb will last between almost nothing (stories of death days after installation) to a couple years. A new battery from the dealer installed is usually in the $3k to $4k range in the US nowadays.
Agree. If the refurb pack comprised of cells from a bunch of 2007 prius and even if it was rebalanced, that won't last long. But if the refurb pack came from a bunch of 2015s, probably last more than a few years. You will never knew each condition of all the cells in a pack unless you test them individually with the proper equipment.
Lots of good information in this thread. Too bad that the OP hasn't been back since the day of the original post.
I replaced mine myself on my Gen 2, following Youtube and PriusChat instructions, but otherwise learning as I went. That was in Nov 2020 at 166,000mi. Now it's just past Nov 2023 and I have about 186,000 mi on the car. Using the paid Dr Prius app life test, it still tests in the 80s - good. I'd recommend anyone with a NIMH battery pack prius find a quality battery rebuilder or try doing it yourself if you can learn or understand basic electricity safety. It took me a month, due to the process of charging and discharging the 28 individual modules that make up the total battery pack.
