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Toyota Increases Warranty on Replacement Prius Hybrid Battery. Now 3 years, Unlimited miles

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by ericbecky, Jan 6, 2016.

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  1. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    okay, uncle!:p
     
    #41 bisco, Jul 8, 2017
  2. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    I am away from the shop this week but will check on this next week..

    I agree that when an individual purchases a hybrid battery across the counter from the parts department, the warranty is 12 months/12,000 miles.

    I would want to see written proof of the warranty decreasing.
     
    #42 ericbecky, Jul 10, 2017
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    agree, but would like to see the official toyota 3 year warranty for a dealer installed battery. short of that, it would be nice if their customer service reps could confirm.
     
    #43 bisco, Jul 10, 2017
  4. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    As I picked up 2 Prius packs this afternoon I verbally confirmed with my dealer in Wisconsin that there has not been any warranty change for this region.

    Theoretically this may not apply to other regions. (The Southeast Region, for example, has been known to do things a bit differently than other regions sometimes.)

    I would hand the dealer the Internal Memo
    Policy 4.11
    Service Part Battery Warranty Coverage
    01/16
    Page 1 of 6

    And then ask them to show written proof of a newer update that supercedes this one. No written proof? Then the Internal Memo stands as is.

    The document is attached to this post as a an image file. (credit to mark010101)
     

    Attached Files:

    #44 ericbecky, Jul 10, 2017
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2017
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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    what a sad way to do business.
     
    #45 bisco, Jul 10, 2017
  6. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    .
     
    #46 dolj, Jul 11, 2017
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2017
  7. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Better read it again. That memo addresses multiple batteries of which one is the traction pack.
    .
     
    #47 hill, Jul 11, 2017
  8. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    I had a laugh, how did I miss the big orange paragraph. LOL. More haste less speed, I guess.
     
    #48 dolj, Jul 11, 2017
  9. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    1 year or 3 year warranty, here's the thing. How many of those replacement packs realistically are going to die in < 3yrs anyway. Maybe ½ of ½% may lose a few % of new capacity ? They are pretty robust - so it's almost a moot point.
    ;)
    .
     
    #49 hill, Jul 11, 2017
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2017
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  10. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Hill,
    I agree that fussing over the 1 year 3 year for a NEW Toyota battery is kind of a moot point. It is not going to fail in that time.

    I let my customers know that when they go through me, the warranty is 12 months /12,000 miles. And I joke that if they pay me the additional money to match the dealer's pricing I'd be happy to extend the warranty to 3 years. :) So far no takers. Oh... And no failures within 3 years.
     
    #50 ericbecky, Jul 11, 2017
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  11. bisco

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    it's definitely comfort food for some people. otoh, strange how reluctant toyota is in being forthcoming.
     
    #51 bisco, Jul 11, 2017
  12. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    I have said this all along (but not too loudly) that I can't find any "official" extended 3 yr battery warranty listed anywhere on the Toyota USA website that consumers can point to. What can be found is Toyota's standard boiler plate warranty for 1 year on all factory parts.

    However, I think this is all a moot point. I have never, ever heard of one of their batteries failing so early. If it did, I think a goodwill replacement would be issued IF it was installed by a dealer.

    FWIW
     
    #52 fotomoto, Jul 11, 2017
  13. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    I agree the orig OEM replacement batts are almost 100% trouble free.
    However, I am confused if Toyota has more than one type of replacement battery now (refurb vs. new).
    So if the dealer fails to confirm 3-yr warranty, it leads to confusion about what the customer is getting.
     
    #53 wjtracy, Jul 11, 2017
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  14. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    I would get the part number from the dealer if I was unsure.
    Plus I would ask if it is made up of NEW cells. Not used/refurbished.

    The Cells are what is important.
    I would not care if it has used case or used bolts, etc
     
    #54 ericbecky, Jul 11, 2017
  15. DaisyD

    DaisyD Junior Member

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    I'm curious as to Phil's screenshot of the battery at the discounted price of $2071 (20% off from the $2588), how do/would we get that discounted price? All the 6 dealerships I have called in the bay area are all charging at the regular $2588 for the battery plus extra for installation. For the majority the best price they are giving me is $3500-$3700 (out the door)...BUT some places are saying 3 years warranty (Capitol Toyota and Sunnyvale Toyota) and the others like Fremont Toyota, Piercey Toyota, and 2 others are saying only 1 year warranty. They all claimed that these are new Toyota battery and that they don't do remanufactured ones. The dealerships that quoted the 1 year warranty said that this 1 year warranty comes directly from Toyota Corp. So, after reading this post, I guess the conclusion is that the 3 years warranty is not across the board? It's only with certain dealership?

    I finally got one dealership to go down to $3100 out the door price for everything (new battery, installation, tax)...but they still said 1 year warranty after I told them about other places doing 3 years. So should I show them the memo from 2016? And is $3100 a decent price?
     
    #55 DaisyD, Aug 1, 2017
  16. bisco

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    any warranty has to be in writing. if they cannot produce it, it is to be taken with a grain of salt.
     
    #56 bisco, Aug 1, 2017
  17. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Whether it is 1 year or 3 year, as long as it is a battery with NEW cells, you'll be fine.
    Remember, there are some dealers (in California) that have been known to be installing USED cells.
    Maybe that is what you are getting. I'd ask to be sure.

    $3,100 is a decent price out the door from a dealer. Pretty close to what an independent might charge.
    I've seen consumer retail price of the battery of $2,588 at many dealers if you buy it yourself across the counter, in which case it will be a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty.

    $2,071 or so may be closer to what Dealers might charge business customers that they have a standing relationship with, or a wholesale account with. I don't often see that price extended to retail consumers.
     
    #57 ericbecky, Aug 1, 2017
  18. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    DaisyD I assume you are aware of the option to call Toyota USA and ask for goodwill warranty assistance. No guarantees but it is case by case basis, we have no way of knowing if they want to cut you a break due to good customer or whatever.

     
    #58 wjtracy, Aug 1, 2017
  19. DaisyD

    DaisyD Junior Member

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    Thank you, Eric, for your input! Would a Toyota dealership dare to defraud customers by charging them for NEW parts and end up using USED parts? I mean, they can get sued if customers find out? I will ask them to put everything in writing and make sure the part number is correct. However, is there are way for us to find out if they are installing new cells or parts?

    Wjtracy, I did try to call Toyota Corp, plead my case of being a loyal customer with everything I've learned here on PC...they only offered me a very small amount. I'm still trying to get them to increase the amount, but nothing yet. My Prius is 2004 w 134k miles, another PC member here has a 2005 with 160k (or something like that) but got them to give him the whole new battery free of charge...he only paid installation. I didn't get so lucky, not sure how they make their decisions. I'll update on final outcome once everything is done. Thanks.
     
    #59 DaisyD, Aug 2, 2017
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  20. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    they flip a coin when you call...
     
    #60 bisco, Aug 2, 2017
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