My 2010 Prius has been driving great, but recently the MPG keeps going down, from 45 MPG to now 43 MPG. I want to replace the battery but I'm not sure if it's worth it. Greenbean gave me an estimate of $1864 with the lifetime warranty, but the car already has 154,000 miles on it. I would like to keep driving the car. Should I just go ahead and change it out? I originally bought the car for $5,400, but with these repairs, I'm looking at basically buying the car for $8,000 plus future repairs.
I would save your money until there was something wrong with the battery. Do you have codes about what the car thinks is wrong?
Green bean only sells used refurbished batteries, I would not change out a working battery and replace it with a failed battery that’s been refurbished
No, there's no codes, but when I checked the expectancy a few months ago it said ~39% Even when the battery doesn't provide optimal MPG anymore?
43mpg is only a slight decrease. Is that worth $1800 for a used battery? for that price, I C would buy a new one that will last another 10 years. That lifetime warranty is useless when the car starts breaking down every year
how do you know the battery is the cause? many parts and systems affect mpg. have you cleaned the egr circuit? how many more years/miles would you like to keep her?
That MPG is normal and can be improved by simply adding way more tire pressure. Also all the basic maintenance things we do here on Priuschat will help too. It sounds like you're willing to invest in an upgrade... If you want to do that the most measurable way is upgrading to a lithium pack. The last of them at the $2100 price are going to be available this coming week and then the price goes way up. It's relatively easy to install too. And if you buy with my affiliate link I'll provide you as much long term support for your Prius as you need: https://projectlithium.com/?ref=9qLPw
$2000 worth of NEW battery might get you 10% improved mileage IF that is really the problem. Driving style can give you that. No more 75 mph on I-10. No more sitting in a parking lot with the car on running the ac. Even if you are driving smart and new cells give you 10% mpg, you may save just $400 over the next 50,000 miles at $4 a gallon. You might need the $2k for a brake booster or head gasket first.
No… I’m not really car smart and I don’t have the necessary tools to do so. I think recently, even when I drive 35-40 MPH within the first line of ECO, the battery doesn’t kick in and keeps charging. I also have an updated Dr. Prius reading if it’s any help.
Try a can of Seafoam gas additive at your next fill up. Walmart has it, too. My gen 3 (Calif) has EGR issues that affect mileage and that boosts it up for awhile.