I have no idea how much hybrid battery replacement costs. For those of you who do, would it be economically feasible on a 2008 Prius with 147k miles that is otherwise in good mechanical shape?
Prius battery replacement, is it financially viable?
- Thread starter Elkins45
- Start date
Chris Fix makes it look like a shadetree mechanic's job:
^ It is, you can do this with a $12 socket set from Harbor freight. No rusty fasteners. The whole pack is like 80 lbs so you can just heft it out of the trunk area and tear it down.
The big question is if you're going to play "whack a mole" with individual $30 modules or get a "matched set". I had success with whack-a-mole, doing one module at 237k and running that combo to 302k when I sold it running fine.
If you have a cheap OBD scanner it will give a code for "replace HV battery" but if you delve into it deeper you can get individual (paired) module voltages. Torque Pro has extra PIDs for the Prius as does "Dr. Prius" an android app that interfaces with a cheapo ELM327. And there's the $20 "ebay techstream" for laptop owners.
The big question is if you're going to play "whack a mole" with individual $30 modules or get a "matched set". I had success with whack-a-mole, doing one module at 237k and running that combo to 302k when I sold it running fine.
If you have a cheap OBD scanner it will give a code for "replace HV battery" but if you delve into it deeper you can get individual (paired) module voltages. Torque Pro has extra PIDs for the Prius as does "Dr. Prius" an android app that interfaces with a cheapo ELM327. And there's the $20 "ebay techstream" for laptop owners.
2004 Prius RTOD; battery failure
Thought I would just add this record of my 2004 Prius item in case someone searched the forum. Purchased this vehicle from my parents in 2016 when they downsized their life; had 65K miles on it, always garaged kept, not really driven in snow . Repaired the coolant valve for the thermos bottle...
bobistheoilguy.com
Only if it is done DIY and if the abs actuator was already replaced.
That question also always comes up when a flashlight quits working.
Yeah. A guy in Boulder Colorado has been doing it for years. He's allowed many to continue on being driven when Toyota or others quoted either some crazy price $30k etc or when customers were told it's totalled
Hermann
Site Donor 2023
A lot of the remanufactured packs can be had for $2K installed in Hybrid's a plenty California.
If the vehicle still suits your needs and is in good condition, fix it. If you were already on the fence or thinking about another vehicle now would be the time.
Recently put a complete reman pack in a camry hybrid for $3700. Book time 2 hours.
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Surprised that one isn’t warranty. Must be salvaged or very high mileage.
Reman HV packs are the equivalent of buying 4 matching used tires, but the exact quantity of tread remaining is unknown.
You’re basically buying a warranty.
I would let The Critic do it, due to risk of electrocution.
Some dealers won’t even sell you a pack nowadays unless you are ASE L3 certified.
No doubt. I ran into a driver the other day who did DIY. It was < $1000 vs the old quote for a new factory battery of $3000. I used to hear stories of partial rebuilds, replacing some bad cells.
The best way to look at it is - the battery is as good as its weakest link. Replacing individual cells is like replacing bald tires on a car with used tires with unknown tread depth remaining.
Had a friend that replaced the battery in his 2006 Prius.
He got a battery with a 1 year warranty for like $1,000 (with core return) and did it himself.
His daughter is still driving it 2 years later with no issues.
Guy that sold him the battery told him that the batteries vary from all new, replacement cells ($2,500 for the one with a 4 year warranty) to their midlevel with a 2 year warranty ($1,500) that has "hand picked" cells that test like new, to the cheap $1000 one that has "good" cells, just not sure how good.
Edit: THIS IS WHO HE USED. They are local to us, so he did not have to pay any shipping charges.
They have several locations throughout the US, so may be one near you. They also offer installation if you don't want to DIY (but was not hard according to my friend)
He got a battery with a 1 year warranty for like $1,000 (with core return) and did it himself.
His daughter is still driving it 2 years later with no issues.
Guy that sold him the battery told him that the batteries vary from all new, replacement cells ($2,500 for the one with a 4 year warranty) to their midlevel with a 2 year warranty ($1,500) that has "hand picked" cells that test like new, to the cheap $1000 one that has "good" cells, just not sure how good.
Edit: THIS IS WHO HE USED. They are local to us, so he did not have to pay any shipping charges.
They have several locations throughout the US, so may be one near you. They also offer installation if you don't want to DIY (but was not hard according to my friend)
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Tell them to eat a bag of d...s and your money's as green as the next guys.
I don't need a parts store second guessing if I can do a job.
Randy Marsh: "I thought this was America."
