Hi guys, asking for some advice! I just bought a 2010 4d hatchback IV with 89,000 miles one week ago from a small dealership. I drove it about 200 miles and on my way home my "Check hybrid battery" light came on. I took it to Toyota and they told me I need a new battery. I contacted my dealer and told him what happened. He felt horrible and gave me two options - he will either take back the car and give me my $9,000 back, or he will buy and install a refurbished battery with no extra cost to me. Keep in mind that he is not a certified hybrid mechanic, and the battery his is installing for me will only have a 6 month warranty. The people at the Toyota dealership advised me just to give him the car back, bringing up the point that if the battery had already gone out at only 89k miles, it is likely that the car was not well maintained and could have some underlying problems. I still feel like I would be getting a good deal if I kept the Prius ($9,000, 89k miles, new battery), but I also don't know enough about prius'. What do you guys recommend- give in the car back and start the car hunt again, or keep the car with the refurbished battery?
I'd take my money back. "Refurb" battery would last at best 3 years or so, maybe 3 months, who knows? $9k is too much to pay for a 2010 unless everything is perfect. There will be needed EGR maintenance coming up pretty soon that isn't cheap. And the 2010 is known to start using oil at some point, That's my opinion anyway.
I have the exact same vehicle: 2010 IV. Mine has 101,000 miles. If you are not familiar with hybrids, there is a lot to learn, some counter intuitive. For example, you might think that it is good that a 10 year old vehicle has only 89,000 miles but it is actually not good for the hybrid battery to just sit. The battery stays healthier by being driven regularly. So, your Prius may have suffered from under use. I think you payed somewhat of a premium for the low miles which actually has turned out to be a detriment. Therefore, I would return it unless the dealer would put in a brand new Toyota OEM battery (which he probably won't). He will put in a "refurbished" battery and sell it to someone else who is not experienced with hybrids. As bettergolf said above, refurbished batteries don't last a long time.
I'm really impressed at the dealer's positive reaction. Most would not be helpful like that. He deserve a 5 star review.
$9k for a problem vehicle is too much. If he's offering a do-over, I would. If you want to keep the car, you have $1.6k to $3k of expenses to put into it today, and another few thousand dollars coming up most likely.
You could purchase the Prolong Hybrid Battery reconditioner, hook it up and see if revives the battery. It's old, but that would probably bring it back to life....
Why? The dealer is offering a full buy back. It doesn't make sense to spend more money in the hopes everything is ok. Better to walk away from this car given the investment already, learn from the experience and try again.
Return the car quickly before the dealer changes his mind. And be thankful that you bought from an honest dealer.
As a a Prius owner myself dealing with a 2010 prius that can't pass smog because of a stored "permanent" code despite the car driving around fine, I'd get my money back and RUN! Don't buy a prius is my advice to everyone I see. It's like having two cars problems wrapped up into one!
I would take give this 2010 prius to them and take that $9K. For $9K, you can get 2016 prius with less miles ok. What kind of Hybrid Battery Error code the Deal took you? For 89K miles, it should get manufacture warranty on most Hybrid Battery.
it has nothing to do with how well the car was maintained. i would demand a new toyota battery, not refurbished. but keep in mind the egr problem. a blown head gasket will cost way more than a battery
You hang round this forum enough and you see many reports of the check engine light coming on shortly after purchase from small independent car lots (its incorrect to call them a dealership). It's difficult to believe that they aren't just resetting the CEL prior to purchase. OP, please circle back and tell us how things turned out. While I wish you the best, I'm a pessimist because I'd be surprised if the dealer just handed you $9K and said, "Have a nice day." They are going to go hard to put you in one of their other cars, probably a total loser car since you are not in the best bargaining position given they already have your money. Or they will push hard to have you keep the current car with a "repair." Did I mention I'm a pessimist? Please heed the advice of the folks who have replied above. This may be your first post, but I can tell you that the people who have replied to you have been around for years and know what they are talking about. Mostly they are trying to tell you to run from this dumpster fire as fast as you can.
OP, as far as I know, you live in a CARB state, which gives you a hybrid battery warranty of 10 years/150k miles. It's important to note that both years and miles have to be under those figures. Don't look at 2010's anymore. If you had a 2011 or newer, then you'd be getting a new factory hybrid battery. Take advantage of your generous warranty, which the majority of the rest of the nation doesn't qualify for. (Prius that are shipped into Washington from a non CARB state don't qualify)
I bought a 2011 Prius 4 with all options with 58,000 for $9,300 2.5 years ago in New Jersey when gas was a lot more expensive than it is now. I don't know where you live but that's too much money even if there was nothing wrong with your car.
