Prius Battery Help

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by Stormv2002, Apr 2, 2018.

  1. Stormv2002

    Stormv2002 New Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2002 Prius
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    N/A
    2001 Prius Hybrid Battery Rebuild

    I have a 2001 Prius. Every warning light that can be on IS! Had the codes checked at an "authorized" and "certified" hybrid shop.Codes found there and at two other places were P3006 and an additional "P" code that I am not sure of. The shop reported that I have two options: 1) Have the battery rebuilt to fix the bad cells by the shop or 2) Buy a remanufactured battery. Additionally, the auxiliary battery also needs to be replaced and there may be a further issue with the ECM, per the shop.
    1. Quote for remanufactured hybrid battery w/18mon part warranty ($2200) + labor ($273.60 = 2.88hrs @ $95/hr) and the aux battery ($225) + labor ($55.10 = 2.37@ $95/hr) = Grand Total (inc. haz mat charge and tax) = $2927.15
    2. Quote for hybrid battery rebuild w/out warranty (parts? & labor ($1500.00 = 15.79 hrs @ $95/hr) and the aux battery ($225) + labor ($55.10 = 2.37@ $95/hr) = Grand Tota(inc. haz mat charge and tax) = $1814.99
    So, here are my questions: Given the age of the car and the mileage (16 yrs, 140,000 miles), the cheaper option seems like the best choice.

    1) Has anyone had their hybrid battery rebuilt AND,

    2) Do the numbers for the rebuild in terms of labor time/cost make sense?

    3) Are there other places I should look to price out a remanufactured battery? I live in MA, so if anyone from MA, RI or NH can add their thoughts, that would be great as well. I am new to driving a hybrid. I only plan to drive the car for another 2-3 years and then buy a newer car; thus, I don't want to sink big bucks into my current car.


    Thanks for any help you can lend!
     
    #1 Stormv2002, Apr 2, 2018
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 2, 2018
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    putting any money into a 17 year old car is a risky proposition.

    the only thing i can tell you about rebuilt/repaired/remanufactured batteries is that they have a high failure rate.
    so even with a warranty, they are only as good as the company standing behind it.
    additionally, you may have to pay for labor to install warranted batteries, and there will be downtime.

    on top of all this, other expensive issues may crop up in the next 2-3 years.
     
  3. Brian in Tucson

    Brian in Tucson Active Member

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    Have you gotten a quote from the local Boston Toyota dealers for the OEM replacement battery? This topic has been discussed a lot already, but the numbers you are tossing around are not that far off from the price for a brand new HV battery.

    That much labor to replace the 12 battery is criminal. I could do a switch in about 1/2 hour. Not a big job! I'm not impressed with those battery prices or warranties. RockAuto sells a remanufactured HV (A-1 CARDONE 5H4001 {#G951047020} Reman. Hybrid Drive Battery) that runs under $1500 including the 5% plus shipping. You pay the shipping one way, I believe they pay the shipping for the core. Best part is that it has a 3 year warranty. And no sales tax. You might talk to your hybrid mechanic about this and see how much mark up he has to have.

    As Bisco noted. every old car can be a crap shoot. A lot of the choice depends on the individual car. How's the chassis. You live in a part of the country where road salt corrosion can be a problem. Putting good money into a rust bucket is not wise.

    But if the car is otherwise wonderful, it would be worth it. They are really nice little cars, imho. Most likely, the part that will give up within the next 50k miles is Inverter coolant pump. I drive older cars like my Prius because I can save 1 to 3 thousand bucks a year and save on insurance.
     
    #3 Brian in Tucson, Apr 2, 2018
    Last edited: Apr 2, 2018
    Raytheeagle, Prodigyplace and bisco like this.
  4. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    IF.....you are going to try and fix it at all, THAT should be done first.

    It might not be the only problem but it should ensure that the computers are operating properly and give you better resolution on what else needs to be done.

    And the cost is pretty minimal even if you have the dealer do it.

    The answers to your other questions can, no doubt, be found in some of the hundreds of other threads about HV batteries going bad that are already on here just for the searching.