Hybrid battery replacement experience refurbished/ or New
07-08-15, 12:11 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
Hybrid battery replacement experience refurbished/ or New
I have learned more about hybrids within the last year then I’d thought I’d ever know. This was forced upon me as my check hybrid light started coming on w the code POA80, my 07 was over 120K at the time. I had no intentions of getting rid of the car, there’s nothing else I really want right now, so I contacted different companies to fix my hybrid problem and I’d like to share this info for others that may be at this point with their car. I’ll try to make this informative without rambling too much.
Lexus/Toyota - $7800
I took my car to Lexus of Annapolis. Toyota's description of the code was something like “interior hybrid battery disintegration” and recommend to replace the entire batt. Annapolis quoted $7850.00. I tried to work out something with Lexus but they sternly told me there’s nothing they could do as the car was out of warranty. I called and wrote to Toyota as well. It was looking promising as they had a full history of the 6 Toyota's I had owned all the way back to my first car (Celica GT). But in the end they did nothing.
Summary – If you visit a dealership often for all maintenance I believe they will assist as stories here show. However If you’re like me and do your own oil changes, brakes, etc.. you’re on your own. (I have no regrets)
High voltage solutions- $2100 w 1yr warranty
Not registered with BBB. Location FL.
Calls go directly to Voicemail. I got a call back 2-3 days later. Was told they rebuild batteries doing a complete drain and a slow recharge and that they replace the nickel. They deliver the battery to you and install for one price. My quote was $2100.00 I scheduled a install and the guy never showed. 2 months later they contacted me said they were in MD and had my battery. Told him I wasn’t interested and the high pressure sale started. He dropped the price multiple times and told me this was a new batterys he got from Toyota, something about he came into 9 of them. It was too good to pass up, I agreed. When the guy arrived I looked at the battery which was clearly used (dirty and dinged up with scared and taped up wires). I say “that’s not new” the driver replied “do you want it or not”? lol he didnt even try, he had obviously been here before. That concluded my experience w HVS.
Falcon hybrid Solutions /Prius rebuilders – 1800 uesd /2300 used w better cells/4050 new. +200 S/H warranty varies
Not registered with the BBB. Location NJ
This place was a nightmare. I ordered the mid range batt, total was approx. $2850. They advertise a full battery with controller and upright mounting brackets. They showed a quantity of 6 in stock and claim that it ships in 24 hours. I waited over a month to get the battery calling several times and leaving messages. When i did get someone, I Was told it'll be next on the table. It came 36 days later and it looked like junk. The battery I removed looked 10X better. The batt was not as advertised. No controller, no uprights and the battery frame was damaged. No customer support. Poor communication. Sent the battery back due to these problems and they charged me a $670 restocking fee. I’ll be handling this case with Visa or through the courts at this point.
I searched the web further and found complaints i didnt see before about Falcons batteries and Abe’s business practices, being slow to give refunds and charging customers another $200 in shipping when they have a problem, even if the battery is still under warranty. Again, a freakin Nightmare
GreenTec Auto $2750 New batt 4 year warranty w shipping free
A rating w BBB. Location – multiple – I used the one in MD
I searched the internet for almost a year and didn’t see these guys when google searching GS hybrid battery. Had I found them first, I would’ve never dealt with Falcon. The cost was the best I've found $2750 for a new batt.Controler and brackets all in tact. The customer service and warranty is top notch. I chose to install myself and then swung by to deliver my core. They ran diagnostics and made a few tweaks to my install and took it for a test drive. All done at no charge. Car drives better then NEW. Very Very powerful.Averging 31MPG I use to get 28 before the codes. Shop was clean and had plenty of new cells on hand from Toyota. They made it clear that they want me happy and to call or swing by should I have any issues. It’s been 3 weeks thus far and all is good.
FYI- The owner of Greentec in CA mentioned that Mark with Falcon attempted to unload his old inventory on him. If that’s true, that could mean that Falcon Hybrid won’t be around to honor any of their warranty's in the future.
Lexus/Toyota - $7800
I took my car to Lexus of Annapolis. Toyota's description of the code was something like “interior hybrid battery disintegration” and recommend to replace the entire batt. Annapolis quoted $7850.00. I tried to work out something with Lexus but they sternly told me there’s nothing they could do as the car was out of warranty. I called and wrote to Toyota as well. It was looking promising as they had a full history of the 6 Toyota's I had owned all the way back to my first car (Celica GT). But in the end they did nothing.
Summary – If you visit a dealership often for all maintenance I believe they will assist as stories here show. However If you’re like me and do your own oil changes, brakes, etc.. you’re on your own. (I have no regrets)
High voltage solutions- $2100 w 1yr warranty
Not registered with BBB. Location FL.
Calls go directly to Voicemail. I got a call back 2-3 days later. Was told they rebuild batteries doing a complete drain and a slow recharge and that they replace the nickel. They deliver the battery to you and install for one price. My quote was $2100.00 I scheduled a install and the guy never showed. 2 months later they contacted me said they were in MD and had my battery. Told him I wasn’t interested and the high pressure sale started. He dropped the price multiple times and told me this was a new batterys he got from Toyota, something about he came into 9 of them. It was too good to pass up, I agreed. When the guy arrived I looked at the battery which was clearly used (dirty and dinged up with scared and taped up wires). I say “that’s not new” the driver replied “do you want it or not”? lol he didnt even try, he had obviously been here before. That concluded my experience w HVS.
Falcon hybrid Solutions /Prius rebuilders – 1800 uesd /2300 used w better cells/4050 new. +200 S/H warranty varies
Not registered with the BBB. Location NJ
This place was a nightmare. I ordered the mid range batt, total was approx. $2850. They advertise a full battery with controller and upright mounting brackets. They showed a quantity of 6 in stock and claim that it ships in 24 hours. I waited over a month to get the battery calling several times and leaving messages. When i did get someone, I Was told it'll be next on the table. It came 36 days later and it looked like junk. The battery I removed looked 10X better. The batt was not as advertised. No controller, no uprights and the battery frame was damaged. No customer support. Poor communication. Sent the battery back due to these problems and they charged me a $670 restocking fee. I’ll be handling this case with Visa or through the courts at this point.
I searched the web further and found complaints i didnt see before about Falcons batteries and Abe’s business practices, being slow to give refunds and charging customers another $200 in shipping when they have a problem, even if the battery is still under warranty. Again, a freakin Nightmare
GreenTec Auto $2750 New batt 4 year warranty w shipping free
A rating w BBB. Location – multiple – I used the one in MD
I searched the internet for almost a year and didn’t see these guys when google searching GS hybrid battery. Had I found them first, I would’ve never dealt with Falcon. The cost was the best I've found $2750 for a new batt.Controler and brackets all in tact. The customer service and warranty is top notch. I chose to install myself and then swung by to deliver my core. They ran diagnostics and made a few tweaks to my install and took it for a test drive. All done at no charge. Car drives better then NEW. Very Very powerful.Averging 31MPG I use to get 28 before the codes. Shop was clean and had plenty of new cells on hand from Toyota. They made it clear that they want me happy and to call or swing by should I have any issues. It’s been 3 weeks thus far and all is good.
FYI- The owner of Greentec in CA mentioned that Mark with Falcon attempted to unload his old inventory on him. If that’s true, that could mean that Falcon Hybrid won’t be around to honor any of their warranty's in the future.
Last edited by L8Apex; 07-08-15 at 12:26 PM.
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07-08-15, 12:13 PM
#2
Pole Position
Thread Starter
Saved for 1yr update
Well Its been a year and so far everything is working great. I now have about 180K on the car as I'm now driving about 80 miles a day.Gas mileage is were it should be and the acceleration is great.
Not sure Ill be keeping her much longer though. Lexus has even made me a pretty tempting offer on my last visit.
Well Its been a year and so far everything is working great. I now have about 180K on the car as I'm now driving about 80 miles a day.Gas mileage is were it should be and the acceleration is great.
Not sure Ill be keeping her much longer though. Lexus has even made me a pretty tempting offer on my last visit.
Last edited by L8Apex; 07-19-16 at 04:54 AM.
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tempestv8 (03-22-18)
07-04-16, 08:22 AM
#3
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: CA
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Thanks for the reviews. My GS450H is being checked right now by Lexus and I should know by Tuesday what the issue is. But at least I know I can get something from Greentec rather than paying 8K for a battery with only a 1 year warranty from Lexus.
07-13-16, 07:37 PM
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Yup, we are lucky to have Greentec plus a lot of little independent shops. I was fortunate enough to have Lexus Corporate foot half parts bill so I ended up just getting a new battery at Lexus. Came out to under 3400 with some additional discounts I got.
02-07-19, 06:31 PM
#6
Driver School Candidate
Several weeks ago my HS stalled in the middle of the road and frigid temps with the message "Check Hybrid System". it was the second time it happened in a matter of 12 months. We towed it to the Toyota dealer and said we needed a new battery, they quoted $5900 for new. We tried with Lexus and tried to argue that the first time had happened before the warranty expired, litterary within days. they gave us all sorts of excuses and rejected our case, by offering us new battery for $7k!
the toyota is offering a refurbished for $3107, now I found this green bean people with not much info except for this forum and maybe if I google more , I may find a little more reviews.
Frustrated about this whole thing, our options are, get new battery for $5900, refurb for $3100 both at toyota or green bean for $2350 + their warranty or try to sell the car as is for maybe several $
the car is a 2010 with about 120k mi in very good condition. looking to hear more experiences with refurb batteries and service from 3rd parties.
After this, Im loosing my faith on hybrid cars. I also own an ES350 07, and love it.
the toyota is offering a refurbished for $3107, now I found this green bean people with not much info except for this forum and maybe if I google more , I may find a little more reviews.
Frustrated about this whole thing, our options are, get new battery for $5900, refurb for $3100 both at toyota or green bean for $2350 + their warranty or try to sell the car as is for maybe several $
the car is a 2010 with about 120k mi in very good condition. looking to hear more experiences with refurb batteries and service from 3rd parties.
After this, Im loosing my faith on hybrid cars. I also own an ES350 07, and love it.
02-08-19, 06:04 AM
#7
Instructor
OK, let's do some research on new batteries...
A bit of context - a Prius (non-plugin, non li-ion) pack consists of 28 6-cell modules. gs450h (3rd gen) = 40 modules.4th gen GS, rx4**h, ls***h, is***h are using different riveted down modules, to my knowledge EDIT - All RX & the 4th gen LS, the rest are either li-ion or standard 6-cell from what I've seen. Several other variations exist as well.
Amayama pricing of a prius xw30 (incidentally also for ct200h and a couple of other vehicles) pack:
https://www.amayama.com/en/part/toyota/g951076010
Amayama pricing of a gs450h pack:
https://www.amayama.com/en/part/toyota/g951030030
(I don't know if core charge is there)
Somewhat recent info on prius battery costs in the EU:
https://priuschat.com/threads/how-mu.../#post-2474684
Same thread, Canada pricing:
https://priuschat.com/threads/how-mu.../#post-2474758
...and then I see $7k quoted here... ehh no.
A bit of context - a Prius (non-plugin, non li-ion) pack consists of 28 6-cell modules. gs450h (3rd gen) = 40 modules.
Amayama pricing of a prius xw30 (incidentally also for ct200h and a couple of other vehicles) pack:
https://www.amayama.com/en/part/toyota/g951076010
Amayama pricing of a gs450h pack:
https://www.amayama.com/en/part/toyota/g951030030
(I don't know if core charge is there)
Somewhat recent info on prius battery costs in the EU:
https://priuschat.com/threads/how-mu.../#post-2474684
Same thread, Canada pricing:
https://priuschat.com/threads/how-mu.../#post-2474758
...and then I see $7k quoted here... ehh no.
Last edited by Lwerewolf; 12-18-19 at 07:36 AM.
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02-12-19, 03:35 PM
#8
Driver School Candidate
Lwerewolf, the 7k was what lexus quoted us.
Unfortunately, I just got a reply from Amayama that they dont sell batteries and that their online listing should have been updated not to.
I am very tempted to go with Green Bean which lists the battery for $2.3k w/install onsite. they also claim a full/not prorated 5yr warranty.
Unfortunately, I just got a reply from Amayama that they dont sell batteries and that their online listing should have been updated not to.
I am very tempted to go with Green Bean which lists the battery for $2.3k w/install onsite. they also claim a full/not prorated 5yr warranty.
02-12-19, 04:59 PM
#9
Instructor
One more option:
http://www.newpriusbatteries.com/
gs450h pack was $2k without install, I asked last summer.
"Info (and pre-release)" thread:
https://priuschat.com/threads/prius-...-cells.181277/
"main" thread:
https://priuschat.com/threads/prius-...-cells.187261/
If you are considering these, give both threads (and more, if you're curious) a good read and make your own decision.
CEBA also cells batteries but... I wouldn't go for them, read up on the quality. There's speculation that these are high-quality QC'd CEBA batteries.
At any rate, **** situation.
There's also the option of attempting to DIY rehydrate the pack. Very few people have done it, I don't recommend it unless you want a project. Lots of downtime guaranteed.
One more thing from that thread:
https://priuschat.com/threads/prius-...3#post-2843777
Apparently the price in Europe is even lower now (prius, but still - US prius pack is ~4k$ I think... EDIT I'm wrong - ~2k apparently). Any clue as to why US prices might be so high? Import taxes or something?
Wait what, are you saying that a Toyota dealer is offering a refurb?!
http://www.newpriusbatteries.com/
gs450h pack was $2k without install, I asked last summer.
"Info (and pre-release)" thread:
https://priuschat.com/threads/prius-...-cells.181277/
"main" thread:
https://priuschat.com/threads/prius-...-cells.187261/
If you are considering these, give both threads (and more, if you're curious) a good read and make your own decision.
CEBA also cells batteries but... I wouldn't go for them, read up on the quality. There's speculation that these are high-quality QC'd CEBA batteries.
At any rate, **** situation.
There's also the option of attempting to DIY rehydrate the pack. Very few people have done it, I don't recommend it unless you want a project. Lots of downtime guaranteed.
One more thing from that thread:
https://priuschat.com/threads/prius-...3#post-2843777
Apparently the price in Europe is even lower now (prius, but still - US prius pack is ~4k$ I think... EDIT I'm wrong - ~2k apparently). Any clue as to why US prices might be so high? Import taxes or something?
the toyota is offering a refurbished for $3107
Last edited by Lwerewolf; 02-13-19 at 05:50 PM.
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06-25-19, 12:20 PM
#12
Would love to hear what direction you took and the outcome..
12-17-19, 07:17 PM
#13
Driver School Candidate
it's been quite a while. After a lot of back and forth with a toyota dealer about how to go about fixing my issue, we spoke with one of the main guys/engineers at Green Bean as we were considering buying one of his refurb batteries. Given that the codes pointed to a dead hybrid system and toyota also recommended replacing the aux. battery, he recommended to buy just the auxiliary battery and let the car run to charge the hybrid battery. While it still was over $500, the car has been working as good as before. We also replaced the throttle body as recommended by toyota. No electrical problems since then.
Yesterday, I took it to the dealer to get the transaxle recall done. One big difference is that now, the driving range with a full tank is 500+mi, before it was 400+, is that what you guys are seeing?
would the transaxle have anything to do with the hybrid system stahling? I'd like to know because in my recall notice, Lexus is offering a refund is I had incurred any expenses related to it.
Yesterday, I took it to the dealer to get the transaxle recall done. One big difference is that now, the driving range with a full tank is 500+mi, before it was 400+, is that what you guys are seeing?
would the transaxle have anything to do with the hybrid system stahling? I'd like to know because in my recall notice, Lexus is offering a refund is I had incurred any expenses related to it.
12-18-19, 07:37 AM
#14
Instructor
Just out of curiosity:
1) What was wrong with the throttle body?
2) Did you get an OEM aux battery? $500 is WAY too steep, and the OEM ones are just AGMs with a custom form factor - either Panasonic or GS Yuasa. You might need a smaller vent tube connector (6mm vs the 8mm stock on the GS), but that's about it... well, the thermal sensor too - hot glue.
Transaxle recall - what? The gear ratio/oil pressure thing? I very rarely see that mentioned, and I thought that it was a TSB, not a full blown recall.
No clue about the driving range.
1) What was wrong with the throttle body?
2) Did you get an OEM aux battery? $500 is WAY too steep, and the OEM ones are just AGMs with a custom form factor - either Panasonic or GS Yuasa. You might need a smaller vent tube connector (6mm vs the 8mm stock on the GS), but that's about it... well, the thermal sensor too - hot glue.
Transaxle recall - what? The gear ratio/oil pressure thing? I very rarely see that mentioned, and I thought that it was a TSB, not a full blown recall.
No clue about the driving range.