MAIN BATTERY DEAD

You broke the code.

A simple Toyota or Honda is the most reliable vehicle on the road. The Prius is a simple Toyota (no magic about the ICE) with the addition of incredibly complex software, all tied to a battery. The battery WILL wear out. The software won't; if it works, it works. And it works.

Ergo, the batter is the Prius's weakest point.

 

the battery is the prius' weak point solely as far as the media is concerned. not as far as the real world is concerned... and the numbers back that up. where do you get this idea anyway, can you back it up? rather than just stating it as fact and expecting someone to believe it?

and again, someone can easily FUBAR their clutch by driving like an idiot. the prius won't LET you FUBAR the battery.

all i know is that your 160k mile clutch example means pretty much nothing in this argument where there are prius on the road with as many miles and factory batteries. the question is, how many 92 civic si owners NO LONGER have the factory part? that's the relevant number.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Apr 17 2007, 04:36 AM) [snapback]424545[/snapback]</div>

When I talk to people about my Prius, they generally ask how much it'll cost to replace the battery. When I give them the round $3K figure (and mention that the price would probably be lower than that) they dismiss the Prius as they figure that's too costly a repair down the road..........and conveniently ignoring the fact that they'll be paying just about the same for a transmission.

I remember when they had to replace the auto transmission in my last car. It cost $2700 and more than a month in the shop.

 

have you ever replaced a battery?? in a cellphone, laptop, or even a flashlight??

well, the mechanics are the same.

1) remove cover, retaining mechanism, etc.

2) remove and replace battery.

3) reinstall cover or retaining mechanism.

done.

is a traction battery replacement more complicated than this... well, as a matter of fact, no, not really. sure some reprogramming when firing up the new battery, some safety precautions involved as well.

my dad had a TOYOTA pickup where the tranny went out. didnt have excessive amounts of mileage on it, around 110,000 miles. took it to a tranny shop. had a job done on it. now this was a few years ago, so price was cheaper than the battery cost, but after the $1500 rebate, price was close, but his was $1600.

well, didnt really work, plus it sprung a leak. took it back twice, both times, it took 3-5 days. problem never really solved. he finally dumped a few cans of some sort of tranny leak stuff, and sold it fast and cheap.

so ya, its all opinions now... but if given a choice, i would also much rather have to replace a battery then a tranny. especially considering a traction battery repair frequently only requires replacement of a few bad cells making it much cheaper

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tom_06 @ Apr 16 2007, 06:49 PM) [snapback]424258[/snapback]</div>

Hi Tom_06,

You have found the price for a 2004-2007 Prius battery. This battery is smaller and more modularly constructed than the first generation Prius battery. Tried to locate price for that battery on the Hoy Fox sight, and it was not there. The first generation Prius battery has more cells, as its a higher voltage battery, and so it does cost more.

 

Hi All,

My Ford Tempo tranny went at 85K miles and it cost $2500 to repair in 1993. I can't imagine what that repair would cost today. If I get 100K miles out of my Prius Battery I will be jumping for joy. I will take it down to to the Toyota Dealer, and dump it on their parts desk, and walk out with a new one. Half an hour later I will be on the road again. Although, it may take a few days to a week for the new battery to get to the dealer's parts desk. Mayber they will even have a Lithium replacment by 2014? Who knows?

A standard automatic transmission is a miracle of modern fluid / mechanical engineering. Mechanical stackup of tolerances are critical in these "simple mechanical" devices to proper function. People tend to underestimate the mechanical engineer's job, because we grew up learning all the biomechanics of everyday life. And these automatic tranny's have been common since the 1950's. Designing mechanisms that work would not take four years of college and a couple of years in an engineering position if it was easy. And the level of mechanical engineers on the team that is designing your typical automatic transmission, as it must function through a wide range of temperatures, loads, driving conditions and parts ware is right up there with your average surgeon's diploma wall.

This is why a very experienced transportation technician, with at least a $150K facity is needed to R and R these things on a professional (reliable) basis.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Apr 17 2007, 07:36 AM) [snapback]424545[/snapback]</div>

Please tell me what you know about the possible repair of the battery--what is this "system" we're talking about. I need help ASAP! Thanks, jpl

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(donee @ Apr 17 2007, 06:28 PM) [snapback]424956[/snapback]</div>

I'm afraid you're right about the older battery--I'm trying to decide whether it's worth it to spend 3700 on a new battery(minus a 1500 rebate from Toyota) or trade it in for a new one--they're not offering much for the old one--less than 5000--what do you think? Thanks, John L

I'm still the guy with the dead hv battery--HAS ANYONE HEARD OF A COMPANY IS SOUTHER CALIFORNIA THAT IS PRODUCING NEW HV BATTERIES FOR THE PRIUS OR IS CONVERTING PRIUS'S INTO ALL ELECTRIC MODE? Someone told me they had read something about it--if you know anything about this, PLEASE REPLY ASAP!
Thanks, John L.

 

Half an hour?

Not quite.

Exaggerating like that to try to make your point look better only ends up making the whole thing look worse.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(aaf709 @ Apr 17 2007, 09:43 AM) [snapback]424607[/snapback]</div>

When people ask me how much it will cost to replace the battery my answer is": Its very unlikely I will ever have to. There are Prii with 250k miles in Vancouver with the original battery."

The problem is the question assumes that the battery will have to be replaced. As we know, this is as meaningful as asking any car owner: "how much will it cost to replace the engine?".

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cc9150 @ Apr 17 2007, 10:46 PM) [snapback]425032[/snapback]</div>

no, you just made your own look worse... DH can r&r a hybrid battery from a prius in 20 minutes.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(donee @ Apr 17 2007, 07:28 PM) [snapback]424956[/snapback]</div>

Sorry, I thought I was replying to someone who needed a battery for a 2004 or 2005 and had quoted a $3700 replacement price. I realize there are several other people in this thread (including the OP) who have Classics. I have not seen a listing for the price of that battery new.

- Tom

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Apr 17 2007, 09:05 PM) [snapback]425083[/snapback]</div>

Yeh. But to be fair, he knows what he's doing. It would probably take me 5 times that. Probably most of the time spent reading about what to do.

Dave M.

 

dave, i was just pointing out the value of knowing what you're talking about.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dmckinstry @ Apr 18 2007, 08:18 AM) [snapback]425246[/snapback]</div>

 

Everyone is always asking how far can you drive on battery power when you run out of gas, I wonder how long you could drive using the ICE when the battery dies?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RBW111 @ Apr 18 2007, 02:07 PM) [snapback]425444[/snapback]</div>

0 miles. Unless the battery died with the engine running, then you better not try gliding or stopping.

- Tom

 

I think I will also jump for joy if I can actually get 150,000 out of my prius let alone any car. I have had transmission failure at 55k on a dodge neon (3200 to replace), 90k on a plymouth acclaim (1600 for a rebuilt) and at 36k on dodge intrepid (3200 to repace) ..

Hey I know there chryslers but that can happen to any conventional transmission in any car. With the battery warentee I dont care if it dies. I will have a new one put in for free.. that is how you should look at it if you own the second generation.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lauejp @ Apr 17 2007, 05:58 PM) [snapback]424986[/snapback]</div>

I'm feeling compelled to reply, even though I don't have any sources for a replacement battery for you.

If the car is in good to excellent condition otherwise, then I would take the offer of the $1500 rebate from Toyota and fix the car. My reasoning is that you will get many more miles of good fuel economy if you fix it.

I would not trade it for $5k because I saw an ad for a 2002 for $14k in the paper just this week. I don't know how much yours is worth, but you should be able to determine from KBB.com or edmunds.com and then subtract the cost of the repair to get a reasonable value for your car as it sits now. Of course, you won't get this much if you trade it in to the dealership; their goal is to make as much profit in the deal as they can.

 

Also, if your car has the California HOV stickers, that seems to substantially increase its resale value.