Reconditioned Battery/5 year warranty/1500 dollars

1) no. same crappy tech. be very careful about unsubstantiated claims, and never use a mobile service until you have visited their hq and observed their operation.
there are different levels of reconditioning, and labor costs money. but there's nothing like virgin cells.

2) if it's texas hybrid batteries, yes, they of have access to oem new batteries.

 

From the Green Bean website:
"2003-2013 Prius"
Why those years??? Why not 2004-2015? Very strange.

Short of a new Toyota battery for a gen two, I'm convinced the next best thing is probably the insides of an "as new as possible" gen three installed in a gen two battery case with all new wires. That way all the cells are matched. That's less than new, but still not cheap. My wife's battery came from a totaled 2015 with a carfax report and a one year warranty. I bought it ready to go and installed it myself. It's not hard to do unless you have a physical disability.

And +1 to @bisco's remark about Texas Hybrid. They have a very good reputation.

 

Remember, too, that the warranty is only good while the company lasts and only good if the company stands behind it. Look at all of the horror stories about the "too good to be true" guys on Craigslist. It became impossible to reach them when warranty replacement was needed. Some of those same people have popped up offering the same deals under new names and folded their original companies.

Stick with well established people you can research and see. It is well worth the extra money it might cost.

 

This is about like putting a warranty on a used light bulb worth a grain of salt.

 

Spend the extra $1000, and get this done over in Dallas by Texas Hybrid Batteries.

I drove to Dallas last June to have my HV Battery replaced, and I cannot speak highly enough of Matt. FWIW I had Matt open the battery case (I had not met him before and therefore I wanted to be extra sure), and I was able to verify that the cells were made in February 2016. Yes, they are legit, and buying new is the only way to ensure a long term repair.

Chris

 

Green Bean's warranty has a lot of fine print....
It is a 5 year PRORATED warranty.
Much different than a full replacement warranty.

In fact after 1.5 years you only receive a 50% credit towards replacement. (~$775)

After 3 years it drops to a 25% credit. (~$388)
After 4 years, down to 10%. (~$155)

Compare that to other 3 year warranties that offer full replacement.

Also it is A non-transferable warranty. It does not follow to another owner nor another car.

Also, does it seem weird/unusual for such a new company to have so many likes and follows?
Over 3,600 for such a new company?
Can some of them be fake?

I compare this to Luscious Garage, an incredible, longstanding hybrid garage has under 1,000 likes.

 

nickel plated buss bars though...

 

Is this car an "extra" car for your family? Do you use it for work or out-of-town travel? Can you afford to be stranded and have it out of commission for an extended period for a warrantee replacement? Another member here has had his "rebuilt" battery replaced several times under warrantee. Each time, the replacement is covered for "free". But the car leaves him stranded. He then has it towed to the shop (time/money/hassle). Replacement battery is ordered/shipped -- meanwhile, the car sits at the shop. So he has to pay for a rental. All in all, it's out of commission for about 5 business days.

 

IDK about buying a rebuilt from a company that might vanish in a month..
realistically I don't see spending thousands on a gen 2 for any reason, they are always going to be money pits as they age..
what are the odds of a battery you rebuild yourself for under $100 failing again? if it does just redo it again..
Im on my 3rd year after rebuilding mine for $50 (one bad and one weak mod)..
gas has been cheap for a loooong time now and I see more older Prii sitting on lots turning into bricks..
my local dealer has over 20 brand new 2015's sitting on the far end of the lot at huge discounts, no one wants them.

 

I recommend a new toyota battery. Even with a five year warranty on a rebuilt one does it include labor? Plus the hassles of having a car break down?

Texas hybrid batteries is good and there is also one down in Tampa that installs new and rebuilt batteries for a good price. Check both of them out. I would have used one of them but waited to late and could not drive the distance. So I got a good deal on a battery from a local Toyota dealer and installed it myself.

Good luck,
Glenn

 

What dealer is that?

Glenn

 

I assume you mean @TampaPrius.com aka Home - Tampa Hybrids Inc.. That's where I got the 2015 battery for my wife's '07.

 

I have similar reservations about using GBB. Not a single review is under 5 stars and all of them seem very similar...all talk about the price the other dealership gives and what a steal this company offers and exactly how it went down. Also, 6 months with no actual physical location to visit just guys meeting you in parking lots installing new batteries seems too shady to be worth the allure of a lower price.

I do however have a question of my own as I am new here for a similar reason. My 06 just lit up the other day and the code of death for battery failure was the diagnosis. My trustworthy mechanic who I've seen for 12 years said he would do it out the door for $2k with a 3 year warranty. I do believe the replacement is used and not new but unsure. My question is, is it worth it to spend $2k on an 06 with 170k miles on it? Meaning, will I be in this same boat again in 3 years spending another $2k if I want to keep the car long term? What do other people here do when this inevitable time comes in every long term prius owners life?

 

Yes I think that is them. Nice guy. I talked to him on the phone. I would have gone there but I had no way reasonably to get the car there.

Glenn

 

Welcome! That sounds like a used or reconditioned price to me.

I think just about every choice has been taken by various people. I went with a used battery put into a 118k mile '07. It was the entire insides of a 2015 battery transplanted to a Gen 2 case, ECU, etc. -- so all the cells match. That's the big gotchya with reconditioned batteries; if only some cells are changed, they will be in different condition and the old ones that didn't get replaced may soon fail too. It's like in a large office with florescent lights. Once the first one goes, some businesses just change them all and get it over with. Just my humble opinion. Some keep changing them one or two at a time.

If the rest of the car is really nice, well maintained, and you plan to keep it and drive the wheels off it, then a new battery from Toyota might be a good idea. If the car does go belly up, maybe you can sell the battery used and get back part of your money.

 

I had not heard of Green Bean Battery before reading this thread. They might be ok but they sound like just about every other battery rebuilder out there. The warranty is pro-rated. Plus I cannot tell but I'm guessing that labor might not be included on replacements?

Plus I cannot find out any information on where the business is physically located. I know they come to you to replace the battery but they still have an office somewhere.

I still think the best solution is to buy a new toyota battery. Ask dealers nearby to price match the porices in the battery thread on this site. Check several dealers. That is what I did and ended up with a great deal. My original Toyota battery lasted 10 years and 172k miles. I'm hoping the car lasts a few more years. I expect the battery to last a long time.

Glenn

 

Some of the marketplace is changing and Toyota now has some competition for legitimately new batteries. Places like Bumblebee in Oregon are having new batteries manufactured for the Prius that look pretty good for $2395. Install it yourself or have someone install it for a decent price and you're back on the road with new instead of a suspect refurb.

 

Well I decided to go for it so I'm all in now with my mechanic that is. I spoke to him today and he confirmed $2k out the door with a 3 year warranty on a refurbished battery and that isn't prorated. so that means at 2 years 11 months and 29 days if it craps the bed I get a whole new battery with labor and all included. He said they have been doing them for years that way and while he can never say for sure he estimated I should get every bit of 100k miles out of it and likely more. So I figure it's a worthy purchase at this point considering the Prius is a bulletproof car. As long as it doesn't have an other major issues I think this will be the best thing for me since I can't go buy a new car. I'll be sure to let everyone know how it pans out!

 

Also the mechanic said brand new Prius batteries were like $8k and that most things out there at this price point are going to be refurbished. The way he explained it sounded like it wasn't some old battery with only some new cells but that all the cells had been replaced and perhaps other things as well?