Does HV battery replacement require other parts besides the battery?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by 06 Amateur, Jun 24, 2021.

  1. 06 Amateur

    06 Amateur Junior Member

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    This may be a stupid question, so forgive my ignorance.

    My local Toyota dealer quoted $2050 parts and $850 labor to replace the HV battery on my 2006. However, this same dealership's website - under "parts" - lists the new battery on sale for $1659 plus the core charge, which I understand gets refunded after I bring the old dead battery back to Toyota.

    What am I missing here? Are there other parts besides the battery itself required for the replacement?

    Is anything stopping me from buying this battery at this advertised price and taking it to my mechanic, who will install it for a quarter of Toyota's labor price (he's fine with my acquiring the part elsewhere)? Less warranty I suppose, but ....

    $1659 seems not that much higher than many remanufactured batteries out there.
     
    #1 06 Amateur, Jun 24, 2021
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    What you're missing here is that you're dealing with a Toyota Stealership...

    The $1659 price is the correct price for a brand new Toyota OEM hybrid battery with all parts you need included. The $2050 charge is the exact same part with a small amount of petty theft added on by the stealership.

    But the real crime here that's bordering on felony theft is the $850 labor charge for a job that only take 2 hours to do, despite the lie of Toyota's book hour that rates it as much higher.

    And if I was filing a lawsuit against this stealership the $425 an hour rate for my attorney would be a great price, but I'd never pay an corrupt stealership that much an hour.
     
    #2 PriusCamper, Jun 25, 2021
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  3. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    Don't forget that labor is going to include retrieving the new battery, uncrating it, removing the trim panels in the hatch area (Toyota is not going to do the 'superfast, destroy everything in sight to do it as fast as possible' job that can be watched on youtube), remove the hv battery, disassemble the electronics portion from the old battery so they can install it on the new one, then reinstall everything and test it. Then, inspect and properly package the core per the instructions included with the new battery for return to Toyota.

    I'm not saying it's totally cool, but way different from you or me doing a swap using a completely pre-built battery assembly.
     
    #3 TMR-JWAP, Jun 25, 2021
  4. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    But first time I did all that for somebody it only took me 2 1/4 hours... I'm sure I can get that down under 2 hours with no damage and with core return identical to how new pack arrived. It just doesn't make sense why Toyota has so many hours on the books for this job?
     
    #4 PriusCamper, Jun 25, 2021
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  5. 06 Amateur

    06 Amateur Junior Member

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    Haha, thanks PriusCamper for the explanation there ....

    I did call and ask the "stealership" the reason for the $400 price difference, and was basically just told that that's just how it is - they don't honor the online price if you walk up to the Parts Counter, it's only online ....

    I found another local dealership who quoted $1900 parts and $600 labor over the phone, and whose internet site lists the battery on sale for only $1500.

    Only frustrating thing is, the mechanic did not return my call today. I was waiting for him to give me an OK before I buy this battery. Now it's after 6 pm Friday, and I guess I won't hear from him until Monday. I am really antsy to buy this battery while I see such a low price ... what if they raise the price over the weekend? But it's a big piece of spending, and I didn't want to charge it to my card until I had the mechanic's green light....
     
    #5 06 Amateur, Jun 25, 2021
  6. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Lol... Too bad you don't live near me... I only charge $40 an hour so you'd be looking at $80 labor. :)
     
    #6 PriusCamper, Jun 25, 2021
  7. 06 Amateur

    06 Amateur Junior Member

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    Just an update in case anyone cares ... I finally got a call back from the mechanic, who has had the new battery since Tuesday. As TMR said above, the battery comes by itself (not really an "assembly" as the description had said) and all the electronics have to be disassembled from the old battery and reinstalled on the new one.

    So, I will be paying more than expected. The mechanic said he now understands why Toyota charges so much. He hasn't replaced many Prius batteries, and I think mine is the first Gen 2 he's done. I suspect the other Prius batteries he's replaced were remanufactured ones ... I guess those don't involve hassling with removing and reinstalling the electronics?

    (On another note, I learned that our stupid Ohio law makes the $108 sales tax on the core charge nonrefundable. What a rip off!)
     
    #7 06 Amateur, Jul 12, 2021
  8. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Actually the battery IS an assembly and comes with all bus bars and voltage sensing harness already attached. You only have to connect the electronics in the box that bolts next to the pack. It's a very easy job and as I said before takes 2 hours from start to finish. If I were you I'd find a mechanic who's experienced and tells you its easy. It's a red flag when a mechanic says a handful of extra nuts and bolts is going to be a hassle. It's not!
     
    #8 PriusCamper, Jul 12, 2021
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  9. gatorglenn

    gatorglenn Member

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    $1659 is a great price for the battery. I did mine a few year ago and paid $2000. I installed it myself and it wasn’t a simple job. But I was working outside in early July and it was hot. There is a bit of transferring stuff from the old battery once it is out to the new one.
     
    #9 gatorglenn, Jul 12, 2021
  10. 06 Amateur

    06 Amateur Junior Member

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    The mechanic said he had to transfer all the new modules into the old [whatever contains them]. Does that sound right?

    (My username says "Amateur", but that's a misnomer ... I am better described as "ignoramus"!)

    Anyway, two grand and almost a month later, my car is running again! When I first started her up the battery display showed 4 (of 8) bars, and as I drove awhile it went up to 6 bars. I hope she goes up to full charge with more driving on this brand new battery.

    Thank you everyone for your replies.
     
    #10 06 Amateur, Jul 14, 2021
  11. M in KC

    M in KC Active Member

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    The only extra part that mother Toyota includes with a new HV battery is a screen for the inlet to the HV cooling fan to prevent generally pet hair and other light debris from becoming an insulating blanket for the HV battery. Otherwise it's just swapping your old electronics onto the new battery.

    Your new battery will likely never go to full charge or if it does will not remain there for any length of time as this is how the system is designed. You can force charge the HV battery to full, but again the electronics will allow it fall and then maintain a SOC of around 80%. I'm sure the theory of operation is that you will always want some "head-space" in the battery's reserve capacity for the regenerative process etc.
     
    #11 M in KC, Jul 14, 2021
  12. mr_guy_mann

    mr_guy_mann Senior Member

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    As stated, the battery "gauge" almost never goes full by design unless you do alot of downhill braking at once. Normal steady driving should keep it at 6-7 bars. It will drop lower on extended accel (uphills), or if you have lots of stop and go, esp with the A/C on.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #12 mr_guy_mann, Jul 14, 2021
  13. 06 Amateur

    06 Amateur Junior Member

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    Another issue has arisen ... I don't know whether it's related to the recent battery and wheel bearing replacements or not.

    The car is unusually loud when accelerating. The hum/growl when hitting the gas seems (subjectively) 50-100% louder than it used to be. As soon as I take my foot off the gas, it stops. I don't hear it when coasting. But it sounds similarly loud when running in Park.

    A search of the forums seems to point to an exhaust issue? But I just wonder if it could be related to the HV battery replacement.

    The first couple weeks with the new battery, the battery's charge stayed mostly at 6 (of 8) bars, with short periods at 5 or 7 bars. Now it is spending more time at 5 bars, and has dropped to 4 for short periods. (My commute hasn't changed). That worries me.

    Any thoughts?

    There's another thread here about selling one's Prius "before it becomes a money pit". I'm afraid my car is rapidly attaining "money pit" status here....

    Sigh. I hope keeping my car wasn't a mistake ....
     
    #13 06 Amateur, Jul 29, 2021
  14. N88GUM

    N88GUM Junior Member

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    Doubt it's battery related.
    I recently had a genuine battery replaced too..mpg has shot up and car drives great. No regrets. Battery level will fluctuate as it's controlled by ECU and according to driving style and journeys.. Don't worry about it not achieving full charge in normal driving.
     
    #14 N88GUM, Jul 31, 2021
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