Background: I have a 2001 toyota prius with 130k miles on it. 4 days back the triangle of death showed up on the dash board. The car would run fine for 3-4 miles, then brake light (on the dashboard) would turn on. Sometimes the car would run fine with the brake lights, other times it would really slow down. Turning the car off and then on again gives me another 3-4 miles before the same story repeats again. This triangle of death used to appear earlier too(6-7 month back), stay for few hours and then magically disappear, but this time I m not so lucky. I took it to meineke, the mechanic says his scanner showed the following code : P3006, 3019, 6019. He says all but 2 cells in the hybrid battery has gone bad and will have to replace the whole battery. He has quoted : $2700 (battery: 8yr warranty) + $1000 labor. Can someone please answer the following questions : 1. Is his diagnostic correct ? Could this issue be due to something else ? 2. Is the price quote reasonable ? 3. Are there anyother cheaper options available to replace the battery ? 4. I bought the car this in 2009 with 75k miles on it at $6000. I have'nt had any major repair on the car yet. Is it advisable to invest $4000 bucks on this car. I read somewhere that inverter is also a costly repair on prius. What else are known costly repairs on a 2001 prius ? I m trying to decide whether to buy a second hand non-hybrid car or invest more money on this hybrid car. 5. By running the car in this condition, is it causing more internal damage or is it ok as long as it is running ? 6. Does any know a mechanic in/around Cincinnati who will replace hybrid battery cheaper ? Thanks alot for your help. Nand
**UPDATE** Mechanic had also said that 12V aux battery is showing the right voltage and is not the source of error.
Meineke? I doubt they are experienced/qualified to work on Gen1's. 1) It's rare that "all but 2 cells would go bad" all at once. But it's likely you may need a new battery. NOBODY gives an 8 year warranty on replacement batteries, so he is either lying or misinformed. (Officially Toyota gives 1 year warranty but new dealer batteries *should* last up to 8 years). 1a) Are they positive the battery is you only problem? Gen1's are often mis-diagnosed and if they are not experienced you may have further expenses. 2) $2700 is not a bad price for a new dealer battery, but $1000 labor is excessive. $400 is more than reasonable.Heck, for $1000 labor I'll come to Cinciantti and install it for you. 3) You could get a rebuilt battery from AdoptAPart, ReInvolt, but YMMV. 4) Transaxle (transmission) and Inverter could fail. I suggest you replace the inverter coolant pump if you want to keep the car. 5) If the battery is bad engough the car will not drive properly and you may get stranded, but it shouldn't make repairs more expensive.
Call these folks and ask if they have any recommendations: Auto Careers Development Center - Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Repair Training There is another place fairly near but they only handle NHW20s: Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicle PHEV Good luck! Bob Wilson
That is an awesome find Bob. PriusN, Please call this place and let us know what they say. This may be your ticket.
All credit goes to good Prius Friend Hobbit who turned me on to them several years ago: Their web site has a list of trained hybrid mechanics/technicians/shops and I noticed there is an independent hybrid shop in Cinncinati listed with a working web page. Webinar training, I took one several years ago and though it was previously recorded, I found the quality and scope to be worth the cost. Bob Wilson
