Really?!?

The ECUs are telling you about the traction battery issue. That part's probably right.

Replacing the ECUs is a case of "shoot the messenger."

... though, while working on the battery, it's never a bad idea to take a hard look at the condition of the battery ECU.

 

There really is no such thing as a "reconditioned" battery.
They replace the worst cells and give you back all of the other old ones that still have a little life left in them.
I think that is a good option ONLY if you intend to get rid of the car soon.

And many/most/all dealership shops will "shotgun" all the parts at it that you are willing to pay for.
They actually have no way of knowing that the ECUs are really bad.......until both batteries have been fixed or replaced.

 

it's a 17 year old car with a quarter million miles. not 'really' a surprise.

 

You guys are pretty rough for something that is a very common and typical repair for a Gen 2.
99% of the time, with those symptoms, fix the battery module issue (whether by individual replacement or full replacement), possible HV battery ecu replacement if it has pin corrosion (ecus on ebay <100 bucks) and the car will be rolling again.

Or roll on through Columbia, SC and I'll get it right for you for < 1/10th dealer price you mentioned.

 

just because you don't agree with it doesn't mean it doesn't exist....

How to Recondition NiMH Batteries In 3 Easy Steps &ndash; Battery Reconditioning Lab.

Not to mention the batteries I have in my families Gen 2s....

How do you think a Submarine main battery lasts as long as it does? Luck? or because it has a reconditioning regimen? We can always tell the Navy that reconditioning doesn't really exist...

 

They likely don't. A mechanic suggesting to replace the ECUs just because they did their job of telling you about the battery is a shoot-the-messenger style of repair.

 

I always advise replacing the 12 volt battery first.

It powers the ECUs giving you all the other errors. If it is low, you get fake errors.

 

I think about things like this sometimes, lol. I mostly agree with you on this, but it sure seems dependent on what's waiting at the end of the ride!!! Years ago in my younger days, I took 7 days of leave and drove from Charleston, SC to California straight through, to visit a previous girlfriend. Same thing on the way back. It was worth every second of that drive, lol. Mountain Dew, Vivarin and No-Doze helped make it happen. I found that just chewing the vivarin with no drink tasted bad enough it would keep you awake for a couple hours!!

And I'll never forget how Texas about killed me. I remember reaching the east border and the mile marker said something like 850 miles. Dang that was depressing thinking I had to drive that far to get to the other side of the state. Was finally winding down with 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 miles to go a GD sign appears that said Interstate 10 two miles ahead. WHAT IN THE WORLD? I think it was like another 200 miles on I-10 to get out of Texas. That just about mentally crushed me, lol.

 

Facts are facts.
ALL of the most common batteries are chemical based.
The chemical reactions are complex and end up with some unwanted side reactions that "use up" the chemicals and turn them into unwanted compounds.
There is NO WAY to reverse that process by the application of anything externally........and almost no way to do it internally either.
Simple facts.

As for your submarine story.......those are not the same batteries that are used in cars.
The batteries that are used in Telco's offices aren't either.
They are made to more exacting spec's, are better taken care of and sometimes last OVER 30 years.

That happens without any "reconditioning" because the real Engineers responsible for them know that it doesn't work.

 

If it does not have all "brand new" cells, it will still contain "old" cells, some of which might be worse off than the ones you are taking out.

You need to know exactly what you will be getting.

 

Also likely the least expensive thing to try first. Which would move it to the top of MY list!

 

I didn't realize you were a qualified Battery Charge Electrician? What subs did you serve on?

 

Though I'm no battery expert - I tend to agree with what you say here SS2.

Seems like an awful lot of hybrid owners have bought into (literally) the fancy chargers/dischargers that claim to "remove dendrites" and the like. I'm guessing the most they really accomplish is wringing a little more life out of an aging battery - or - maybe they didn't need to do anything at all?

 

None.
But I DID work for AT&T for about 25 years, where we had battery CELLS about the size of a household refrigerator.........so I do know a little bit about "custom" batteries.

 

I haven't been to a central office in about 40 years - do they still use lead-acid batteries in glass cases?