Battery change in Prius

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I never got great mpg in the Prius rental i had..maybe it was me..or maybe something wrong with the car..think i saw maybe 35mpg mixed..while a bit better then my corolla..although that was a 2010 model or something..maybe different now. Its a big expense..let us know how it goes. Now I could be wrong..but comparing how long they last in a taxi not exactly representational of the avg person..most ppl dont drive their cars 100k a year. Batteries more prone to dying when it sits..not when its constantly being charged.
 
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
I never got great mpg in the Prius rental i had..maybe it was me..or maybe something wrong with the car..think i saw maybe 35mpg mixed..while a bit better then my corolla..although that was a 2010 model or something..maybe different now. Its a big expense..let us know how it goes. Now I could be wrong..but comparing how long they last in a taxi not exactly representational of the avg person..most ppl dont drive their cars 100k a year. Batteries more prone to dying when it sits..not when its constantly being charged.


There are 2 ways to drive a Prius. One, just ignore everything about how it works and drive it. Two, lean to play the game and work with the displays. Learn if you can, how to operate in "stealth mode" and how to bump off the ICE. It makes getting stuck in rush hour traffic a game of how can I beat the system. To get the best out of the Prius it helps to understand a bit about how the system works and how to make it work for you. They Prius will teach you how it operates if you just pay attention. It is kind of interesting how they make it work with a transmission that never shifts gears and has no reverse. The computer power required to run all this is probably many time greater that that required to send 3 men to the moon and back, again.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
You'd still be "one of them" and seen driving a Prius. I'd rather ride a bicycle than be humiliated by driving a Prius


Nick1994- You mean as opposed to "one of them" seen driving a 1997 Toyota Camry? (Yes, I see the "sold". That doesn't change the fact that you had one recently). I'd rather ride a bicycle than be humiliated by driving a Camry.

(OK, actually I like the V20 Camry-- specifically the '88-91 Alltrac, but just making a point here). Which is that you're being more than a little ridiculous.
 
So when arguments run out, just say that Prius is kind a gay. Makes sense
laugh.gif
 
Originally Posted By: moving2
1. The Prius IC engine doesn't run all the time. And, over 200k miles, that adds up to quite a bit less actual run-time than a non-hybrid vehicle engine.

2. The Prius IC engine only runs within a limited and optimal rev range, also prolonging engine life



Then why are there so many reports, just on BITOG of these engines starting to consume oil well before 100k miles? Just playing devil’s advocate here because many people seem to think that the battery is the only expense on a Prius, which is absurd.
 
There are many Prius being used for Taxi/Private Hire work in the UK.

Thousands in London alone.

The battery failure issue is still not that common.

I seen one last week that has been used as a PH vehicle since new, it is a 2007 but with a personalised reg plate from the company that owned them new.

They were sold on just after 3 yrs or 150k.

If that has done less than 300k i would be surprised.

A small.private hire company in North London has a fleet they have had wrapped bright yellow and they run those 24/7.

I have heard that some companies are getting low mileage batteries out of totalled vehicles and stockpiling them.

But anybody that thinks the Prius battery failure is common then i think they are poorly informed.

They may get less efficient as they age.

But at 213k for an early one i would not worry too much.

There are even some 98/99 Prius in the UK which have been imported from Japan.

They were prone to battery failure as they had sat on the boat for 6weeks and also for months in the Japanese auction system.

But the mk2 and mk3 have been very reliable.

My personal preference would be a 3yr old with Nav/reverse camera and leather.

Perfect urban runaround.

Not exciting but with petrol at around £1.30 for a litre they are a good option.
 
cool thread, minus the bashing, which thankfully is minimal. pretty dang impressive to take a rapid-cycle battery all the way to 200k.

DC voltage is MUCH more dangerous than AC. If your friend is smart, have him bring a buddy with a WOODEN broom stick or 2x4. you can knock him away if he gets zapped during the install.

Hope it goes well--- big step for DIY world.
 
I don't understand the Prius hate. There's overwhelming evidence that, even with the threat of a battery failure, it's an extremely inexpensive car to run.

I get that maybe some people just aren't interested in them because they don't like them, but there's no need to rationalize it.
 
Originally Posted By: Mykl
I don't understand the Prius hate. There's overwhelming evidence that, even with the threat of a battery failure, it's an extremely inexpensive car to run.

I get that maybe some people just aren't interested in them because they don't like them, but there's no need to rationalize it.


A guy here listed the things he has to maintain. They seemed pretty hassle free even with the batteries.

Ill admit the older ones are nothing to look at, but that can be fixed with a Gadsden flag on the rear bumper.. Lol. The new ones are pretty sharp though with the gun metal grey wheels and the HID lights.
 
What I don't understand is why any comment or remark that doesn't praise something has to be labeled as "hate"? That goes for pretty much any topic, domestic vs import, dino vs synthetic, etc.

I'm still on the fence for the Prius and how it would suit my needs and how the battery is holding up in Canadian winters. I will be coming up for vehicle upgrade soon and since I'm getting a motorcycle I could live with a CVT and a boring ride, hopefully.
But just because I have some legitimate questions and concerns that, to me, taxi duty or fleets do not answer, doesn't mean I'm a hater.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Originally Posted By: moving2
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Everybody's gonna be on here talking about how rare this is and it isn't common for Prius batteries to die "so soon" but the fact is batteries don't last forever and not everyone has $2,000+ sitting around to replace one. I'd rather drive an econobox and get a little worse mpg.


Originally Posted By: tig1
The car is a mid 2000 model with 213K


Nick1994- a not-so-great econobox that might need a $1-1.5k tranny (not necessarily you, but most people drive autos) or a $2k engine at around 213k mi, perhaps? Yeah, I'll take the Prius any day. Especially considering gas at $4-4.50.

Ok well let's just say a Corolla is gonna need major engine work at 250k miles. We'll call it $2,000
What about a Prius? Why wouldn't it need engine work at 250k miles too? It's also got a dead battery at about that point too. $2,000 repair in Corolla, $4,000 repair Prius.


Why is it only $2k for Corolla vs $4k for Prius? I'd think it'd be $4k for the Corolla also, once you figure that the slushbox it has is in no better shape. And that the Prius has a transmission which ought to never wear out.
 
I don't believe some of you understand. The $2000 figure is the cost of the battery by itself. My friend is doing the work himself. If he had to have it done the price would be much higher. My other friends daughter had the battery fail in her Prius and it was going to cost her $5000 +. Her car had 150K on it so she sold the car for what it was worth(not much) and bought something else. Point is, if you have a battery failure in a Prius, there is no savings.
 
Originally Posted By: tig1
I don't believe some of you understand. The $2000 figure is the cost of the battery by itself. My friend is doing the work himself. If he had to have it done the price would be much higher. My other friends daughter had the battery fail in her Prius and it was going to cost her $5000 +. Her car had 150K on it so she sold the car for what it was worth(not much) and bought something else. Point is, if you have a battery failure in a Prius, there is no savings.


I was googling it yesterday, and the labor to replace is is under 2 hours according to Toyota.

The $5000+ claim seems pretty questionable. Where was it from? The threads I was reading yesterday for a new battery and installation at a Toyota dealer were significantly less than $5000. Most were in the $2800 - $3200 range for a gen 2 battery installed at the dealer.

At first, I thought you were posting this to genuinely offer an interesting view at how the replacement goes. It seems to me now that you're posting this thread as an effort to bash the Prius.

I was hoping for some useful real-world info form a member here, not another Prius thread with an agenda. Too bad, I guess. Missed opportunity, as I see it.
 
Originally Posted By: tig1
I don't believe some of you understand. The $2000 figure is the cost of the battery by itself. My friend is doing the work himself. If he had to have it done the price would be much higher. My other friends daughter had the battery fail in her Prius and it was going to cost her $5000 +. Her car had 150K on it so she sold the car for what it was worth(not much) and bought something else. Point is, if you have a battery failure in a Prius, there is no savings.


Bet it's cause she doesn't run Mobil 1...

I think the point you were trying to make with this thread backfired.
 
Originally Posted By: stephen9666
Originally Posted By: tig1
I don't believe some of you understand. The $2000 figure is the cost of the battery by itself. My friend is doing the work himself. If he had to have it done the price would be much higher. My other friends daughter had the battery fail in her Prius and it was going to cost her $5000 +. Her car had 150K on it so she sold the car for what it was worth(not much) and bought something else. Point is, if you have a battery failure in a Prius, there is no savings.


I was googling it yesterday, and the labor to replace is is under 2 hours according to Toyota.

The $5000+ claim seems pretty questionable. Where was it from? The threads I was reading yesterday for a new battery and installation at a Toyota dealer were significantly less than $5000. Most were in the $2800 - $3200 range for a gen 2 battery installed at the dealer.

At first, I thought you were posting this to genuinely offer an interesting view at how the replacement goes. It seems to me now that you're posting this thread as an effort to bash the Prius.

I was hoping for some useful real-world info form a member here, not another Prius thread with an agenda. Too bad, I guess. Missed opportunity, as I see it.


Of course you aren't seeing it right. However I spoke to my friend today and he got the battery out, but it took him several hours to do it. He is a very capable generator tech(he works for Generac as a tech) and electrician. He is presently in the process of finding the bad cells. Like anything used, re-built battery packs are used and will not have the useful life in it that a new one would. He did contact the local Toyota dealer here and the cost for them doing the job would be $3500-$6000 depending on the vehicle and the quality of the battery(new or used). Their labor rate is $125 per hour. When I told my friend what you posted about the time to change the battery(2 hours) he laughed and said you would be welcome to try it for 2 hours. At any rate I will keep posting on his progress.
 
Originally Posted By: tig1

He did contact the local Toyota dealer here and the cost for them doing the job would be $3500-$6000 depending on the vehicle and the quality of the battery(new or used). Their labor rate is $125 per hour. When I told my friend what you posted about the time to change the battery(2 hours) he laughed and said you would be welcome to try it for 2 hours.


Did you watch the videos posted in this thread showing how it's done? It's not too difficult. I'm not saying you should be able to do it in two hours to the second, I'm simply saying the labor quotes to replace them are in that range.

The $3500 to $6000 claim just doesn't seem to add up when you actually google the prices of the batteries from Toyota and the labor and what people pay on Priuschat. $3500 I can see. $6000, I can't see.

Some of this may have to do with the dealers either not knowing about the core charge or trying to pocket it. I've seen a couple posts where people get a big quote, point out the core charge and then have it lowered.
 
My Lexus dealer said about $3000 once I need it. I have no idea where the $3k-6k come from. Toyota should do it under $3k with credit for the old ones.
Most likely he needs to replace or recondition some dead cells which should be cheaper.
 
Originally Posted By: stephen9666
Originally Posted By: tig1

He did contact the local Toyota dealer here and the cost for them doing the job would be $3500-$6000 depending on the vehicle and the quality of the battery(new or used). Their labor rate is $125 per hour. When I told my friend what you posted about the time to change the battery(2 hours) he laughed and said you would be welcome to try it for 2 hours.


Did you watch the videos posted in this thread showing how it's done? It's not too difficult. I'm not saying you should be able to do it in two hours, I'm simply saying the labor quotes to replace them are in that range.

The $3500 to $6000 claim is just complete garbage when you actually google the prices of the batteries and the labor. $3500, yes. $6000, no, unless the dealer is trying to scam you.

It could be that dealers either don't know about the core charge or try to pocket it. I've read a couple threads on Prius Chat about people getting big quotes, pointing out the core charge, then having the quote lowered to an appropriate amount.


Real world repairs and chat room chat are often much differant. We see that here at BITOG.
 
Originally Posted By: CaspianM
My Lexus dealer said about $3000 once I need it. I have no idea where the $3k-6k come from. Toyota should do it under $3k with credit for the old ones.
Most likely he needs to replace or recondition some dead cells which should be cheaper.


If he has dead cells he will replace them with used cells. It's not like the cells are reconditioned, they are simply replaced with other used ones. Useful time on these is anybodies guess.
 
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