05’ Prius HV Battery Dead- 158K mile. exposed to salted roads- worth replacing?

When my '06 Prius battery went down shortly after I bought it I was able to get the bad cells replaced for $500. So far so good after about 2 years. That was through the non-Prius dealer I bought it from who had "a guy", but I understand that Prius dealerships will also recondition them for about half the price of a new one. You could at least ask.
It's such a hard decision to make. I suppose you could look for other cars you like, then you would have some actual comparisons to choose from.
Good luck.

 

A new battery shouldn't cost $3k - In Georgia they are currently under $2k. Is your current battery pack all original? If not you'd get charged the additional $1300 core charge which, to my understanding, is only refundable if you return an original battery pack. You could also consider a 2K1Toaster battery pack which is $1600.

Did that mechanic recommend replacing the muffler due to rust? Careful letting anyone change out exhaust components. Read some of the recent catalytic converter threads. If the mechanic estimates the brakes will last another 6 months to a year, he might be basing that assessment on a regular ICE vehicle. Maybe get the car checked by a hybrid mechanic if possible.

I doubt you would be able to purchase a reliable car for under $3k. If it was me and the car checks out without any other major issues, I'd buy a new Toyota battery. Worst case scenario, something else major goes wrong and you choose to give up on the Prius - you could then sell the new battery and original Cat for over $2k.

However, if the car has extensive rust and the brake actuator or other major component is showing signs of failure, then cut your losses and sell.

Hadit, I've never heard of a Toyota dealership reconditioning hybrid batteries. I believe they only sell batteries with brand new modules unless things have changed.

 

16-17 years is a great run for any battery!

if the engine is in good shape I wouldn’t hesitate to put in a new hybrid battery. Beware of “rebuilt” battery’s as they are only a temporary fix, most of the time it ends of being a game of wack-a-mole.

Breaks are very cheap on the Prius. Pads are less than $50 and roters are around 100. I replaced my muffler on my 2004 for $100 and 1.5 years later it’s still good.


Like others said, shop around for better prices on a new battery packs. Sometimes Toyota stealerships, oops dealerships will price match.

 

ask your mech if he will install the $1,600. battery

 

My experience is when a mechanic says your X components will need to be replaced in six months, without anything else but ‘rust’, he is just trolling for business. With the price of used cars skyrocketing especially Prius’s these days, and your catalytic converter worth $1000 or more as scrap, I’d opt for a new battery. Can cost you a couple hundred with some expertise and elbow grease to $1000 for someone to install a rebuild to $2000 for a dealer installed Toyota OEM. For a seventeen year old car, that’s peanuts. Then again you could make the dealer or a buyer very happy by relinquishing ownership of your Prius to them.

 

Get that car up on a lift and have a trusted mechanic examine the underside for rust damage. Given the age of the car and the environment where it operates it would be no surprise to find the car is in very bad shape. Unless you were very careful to rust proof it periodically and wash the salt off, which you didn't mention, and which few people do enough of to make a difference.

 

Rust proof it?

 

Undercoatings of various kinds mostly. If something rusts then rust converter application or scrape and paint. This isn't something I have ever had to deal with personally, since rust isn't an issue in SoCal.

 

Rust converter then paint if properly applied is a good thing but a PiTA to use in the places underneath. Undercoating fell out of favor in the snow/salt belt long ago when it was discovered that many people who bought it had worse rust due to the hydrophilicity of some of the formulations. Also the advent of Zincrometal did away with most of the need. Much of the rust one sees on cars is due to misapplied primer at the factory. GM is notorious for this and has had to recall cars to 'fix' them which never really works. I see a lot of GMC SUVs with this problem.

 

Bad idea. Don't spend $1500 on some third party reconditioned pack... you'll almost certainly regret it. Also, make sure they don't use the rust excuse to relieve you of your catalytic converter set!! If they do switch it out, make sure you claim the original.

 

... especially since the brand new kit of modules from newpriusbatteries.com cost $1,600 comes with a 2-year warranty and includes delivery to any of the contiguous US states on the continent. It makes absolutely no sense to buy an old second-hand battery for $1,500.

 

There are two types of refurbished battery packs, one replaces failed cells with unfailed cells from other used packs and the other one replaces all of the cells with new cells.

In my experience the one with new cells is a couple of hundred dollars more than the patchwork swapped used cell alternative.
Installed the new cells in a swapped pack is about $2,000 or less. And this is installed not DIY.

 

Where do these guys buy the new oem cells? BTW, I just looked up the price at a local dealer (assuming you live in CT) for a new oem pack - $1755. So as long as you've got an original pack currently installed, that would be your best option. Tons of youtube videos on how to install. Otherwise I'd guess you'd easily find someone to install for $200 or less.

 

The cells are out there OEM from Panasonic I believe but it is easier for me to have someone else do it.
I’ve used these guys on a 2007 Camry with rebuilt (new cells) hybrid battery previously with very good results
They sell one for the Gen 2 Prius for $1750 with exchange installed at one of their nationwide shops. Four year warranty.
The company has an interesting history that you can read on their website, as they are second generation mechanics out of California who transitioned to hybrids.

2004-2009 Toyota Prius Gen 2 Hybrid Battery, Unlimited Mileage Warranty | Greentec Auto

 

They definitely do not use brand new oem cells. Looks like they're using cylindrical cells - likely similar to the 2KToaster cells, but quality might be inferior - maybe 2KToaster will chime in on any differences. Again, if the OP still has his original pack, just purchase a brand new genuine Toyota oem pack and self install or pay someone to install - the price will be roughly the same.