Hi All I can really use your help. My son bought a used 2015 Prius 3. Unfortunately he got scammed and ripped off. The guy he bought it from the odometer read 72k, but we found out the car’s real odometer was over 277,000. The guy that sold it to my son apparently swapped out the instrument panel. And of course he disappeared and the phone number doesn’t appear to work. And to make matters worse, he just got a code that the battery is going bad. So I have 2 question 1. Can the car still run without the battery and just solely run off the gas engine? 2. If not, where can I get a cheap replacement battery? At this point my son is already out 10k. Because of the high mileage I would prefer not to invest anymore money into the car. My concern is even if we get a new battery, how much longer is the engine going to last? If the car can run just on the engine I assume he can get around 30 mpg which is fine. However if the car won’t operate without a working battery then I want to look for a cheap replacement. Below is the massage that popped up on my son’s dashboard. My brother has a diagnostic tool and the code said the battery is going bad. Is the car still drivable? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
Here is the message that popped up on the dashboard. My brother ran his diagnostic tool and it says the battery is going bad. Can he still drive the car in this condition?
You id the car as a 2015 Prius 3 (hatchback), Prius c in your profile and post in the Prius v forum. The dashboard looks like a hatchback. The Prius c is a different engine and perhaps most reliable. A Prius hatchback or a v have issues. No you can’t drive on the engine alone. You can’t even start the engine because the high voltage motor generator is used to spin the engine. There are “reconditioned” used hv batteries but they get close in price to new. To add insult to injury, this generation has oil burning, head gasket problems and brake by wire master cylinder problems.
If you get a new hybrid battery and take good care of the car it'll easily go another 100K miles or more.
There are two Prius in the family Prius C and Prius 3. Both are 2015. The problem is with the Prius 3. I’m also aware of head gasket problem but not the brake. At this point I’m trying to salvage a bad situation for my son with as little cost as possible. So it seems like driving without the battery is a no go and it has to be replaced. I heard there there are aftermarket batteries that are cheaper and just as reliable. Can anyone confirm that? thanks
Getting another 100k on a 277k car without spending several thousand each on an engine/hg or master cylinder is unlikely. Reconditioned used batteries are not reliable. The aftermarket nickel metal hydride and lithiums were also short term solutions and thus not reliable for most; with the lithium dangerous for some. I would confirm the diagnostic codes indicating a bad battery and have a dealer run a vin check to determine if engine work or master cylinder replacements were done. There are other issues that can turn on the warning. You certainly don’t want something else to be the real issue after spending $1.5k-$2.5k on a battery. I would drive the car hard for a couple of weeks to hopefully flush out other scammer tricks like head gasket sealer which can temporarily hide a hg problem. Most of the time a weak hybrid battery will hold for weeks or months. Sometimes it will improve if the car was sitting for months. Finally speedometer adjustment is fraud. For $10k I would get law enforcement involved. They can find previous owners.
I believe $10K put someone into felony territory. I've heard that rollbacks usually cause the odometer to stop functioning - meaning it will no longer roll forward. Don't know if that's true or not. Below is link to file the proper paperwork with DMV. They should have the last owner's name on file, but the criminal probably never actually registered it. Just purchased the car as a mechanic's special - spit polished it and flipped it. Report DMV Violations - California DMV
I think this is the case and I may be hard to fine the guy who sold it to him but we do plan on filing a police report. I’m really not sure if it’s worth fixing the battery and just write it off as a loss. If we do replace it we are still looking at an engine that has 277,000+. How much longer with the motor, transmission and the generator will last? The gasket also has a very small leak, not dripping but more of a weep.
The head gasket or timing chain cover? As suggested above, I would drive this car hard for a few weeks before putting any money into a battery. The engine may already have excessive oil burning, a covered up hg leak and or a failing brake booster - all common gen3 flaws.
Also keep an eye on coolant/engine temperatures, run the heaters. Good chance a head gasket sealer product was dumped into the cooling system - gumming up the cooling system. sorry for the bad news.... Spend the $20 on a carfax report, there may be clues in there of the cars actual history. If you find the original legal owner; you may be able to call them and ask about the background of the car. He/she may have the actual ID of the perpetrator, if they filed the correct change of ownership documentation, to keep violations, tickets, and tolls from bouncing back on them.
there are companies around that will put in a reconditioned battery for a decent price. should be easy to find in your area. but they won't be like a new oem, and aftermarket new batteries are close to the oem price, and you need to find an installer. how is the car running now?
I don't know if this apples to apples or not but I just sold my 2008 Gen2. It had 333,000 miles and ran great. At that mileage it was eating a little oil in between changes but nothing major. I had replaced the battery at 200k with a company called GreenTec auto. The last major thing that had been done was the inverter cooling pump getting replaced but a few different mechanics told me afterwards that as long as I took care of it would easily go another 100k.
it's hard to say, prices are all over the place. did you call several dealers? i wouldn't be surprised if san fran prices are higher than some other areas
I can't comment on the price quoted for a battery, although reading your story my recommendation would be to ask Gasket Masters to take a look over your Prius before you go straight into replacing the hybrid battery. They have two shops in the bay area and have extensive knowledge of Prii of all years. My thoughts are due mostly to your findings in your Original Post above and not knowing any more about the scan tool your brother used or what your brother found with his scanner. Toyota Prius Repair Shop Manteca, CA | Gasket Masters Inc There is also another hybrid shop in the bay area that has a good reputation as well called Earthling Automotive. They might be helpful at answering your question about the hybrid battery quote you already have. Earthling Automotive - Electric Car Repair in San Francisco
Would you drive to LA to save $1200? I might. When my hv battery failed, a mobile service from 3.5 hours away drove here and installed a new oem battery in 20 minutes. For less than $2400. Prices have come down since then at a wholesale level.
