gs11gk

Hello Everyone,

I have a 2007 GS450h with 80k miles. The car was bought just less than three years ago as a certified Lexus from the local dealership. About 10 days ago I got the dreaded 'Check Hybrid System' light and have since been told the hybrid battery needs to be replaced. I'm quite disappointed as the car has just 80k miles- and its only been 15k miles since certified.

After getting the standard quote of about $8,000 to replace, I have since appealed to Lexus corporate. They are willing to pay half of the parts apparently there is nobody else to appeal to. I was surprised by this as I have seen several people here reporting batteries with higher miles getting replaced at no charge. After driving Lexus for most of my adult life, this just rubs me very wrong. I could buy a lot of gas for $4,000 dollars.

Anyway, what are my options to fix this battery? I have seen some mention of replacing individual cells. I'm guessing the dealer won't do this- so who should I talk too to find out if I can have that done?

The car has been driving fine and I've not noticed any degradation in performance. The light came on as I was driving in a rain storm; I was hoping the sensor just got wet (I read someone reporting such an experience).

Thanks for any help you can provide. I loved this car....

rl9010

Correction you STILL love your car. Otherwise you wouldn't come on to this forum and ask for advice.

You have probably been doing your research but there are options to repair/ replace the hybrid battery. Replacing a bad cell is probably the most cost effective way to get up and running. Lexus will simply opt to install a new battery instead of test individual cells. Since the Prius has been around now for quite sometime I would suggest to dive into a prius forum and discover what they are using when they encounter errors. I believe there are companies out there that will perform hybrid battery repairs.

However, since you do not see any degradation in performance, just be mindful that the error popped up. I would continue to drive the car normally until the degradation performance is noticeable. Some have seen the error have it go away and not return. Others have seen it as a warning sign that things are going bad.

Have you been going to a dealer for service? Typically if you are a loyal customer to the service dept, they will go above and beyond to keep you happy. I think corporate offering half of the repair is decent. The rest has to be negotiated with the dealership you are going for service.

Your year and mileage puts you right at the end of the hybrid power train warranty. 8 years or 100,000 miles whichever comes first. I apologize if you don't find this helpful. The hybrid forum does not get a lot of traffic due to the limited number of units running around. A google search of "Hybrid battery repair" should put you in the proper direction.

gs11gk

Dear rl9010,

Thank you for the reply. I did do a bunch of research on repairing the hybrid battery and didn't come up with much in my local area, Austin. I opted to have the dealership (Lexus of Austin) replace the battery.

The dealership was very good to me in this situation. Even though the battery was out of warranty, they were able to get me some additional relief from Lexus corporate and even waived the labor charge. Objectively, the situation was more than fair and they really impressed me. I have bought a couple cars from my dealership and have had all the work on those cars done with them. It definitely helps to build a relationship.

Your correction was spot on. I do love my car and was temporarily depressed with the prospect of considering something else. Lexus earned some loyalty from me today.

rl9010

Glad to hear everything worked out! Sounds like you have built a relationship with the service people. I always go to the same service adviser and he treats me more than fairly. Nothing else drives like the 450h...it would be hard to replace.

samsonn25

For future reference

http://www.ebay.com/itm/292108632731...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT is in Texas.

DoctorPrius.com is in VA.