cali400h

How much does a replacement hybrid battery cost for a 2006 RX 400h?

Weighit

I've read new from the dealer around 4-6grand, but there are many smaller compainies now that can remove it and rebuild it for many thousands less.

smassey321

https://greentecauto.com/product-tag/lexus-rx-400h

ukrkoz

That's dandy. How much is shipping cost? Ebay is full of low cost hybrid batteries. Plus $1900 shipping cost.

mswtoyota

$1876.79 (after $985.05 core) from Rockauto: https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...+battery,19714
I would probably try chancing it with a good used cell first: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...+cell&_sacat=0

DallasJhwk

I see that a refurbished battery pack for a 2008 RX400h goes for $2k and a new one goes for $3k from Greentec but how much do they charge to install it?

2008RX400h

I know this is an old thread, but it's worth continuing.

I've been following the price of RX400h HV batteries on http://parts.lexus.com, e.g., (link below)

https://parts.lexus.com/p/Lexus_2008...951048031.html (this link current as of 7.2.2023)

For quite some time, up until perhaps the past year, the offered price was MSRP: $6,062.66. In recent times these batteries have been shown for sale on parts.lexus.com at right around $4800, and occasionally (usually around major holidays, such as last week, and also for a period just before Memorial Day) for less, i.e., $3,986.72. Some dealers will discount THAT price further, if you look around. Just last week I picked up a new HV battery for my 2008 RX400h, p/n G951048031, for $3,348.84 (plus sales tax, w/ pickup at the dealer). Being as I'm willing / able to install the battery myself, this is quite a value.

I highlighted the recent sale banner which is atop their home page of https://parts.lexus.com/, below. They offer sales like this relatively often, it seems.

maximabella

How much do folks typically charge for install? I have looked at the refurb websites where you can add installation...but it doesn't say what installation costs

2008RX400h

"Installation" takes different forms, depending on the approach taken to replace the "battery".

I'll reflect on my own situation (see my post above, from 7/2/2023).

I bought the Lexus HV replacement battery for my 2008 RX400h, p/n G951048031. What I received was simply the batteries (there are three) and the clamshell housing that contained them within (kind of like the picture attached, which actually shows a COMPLETE assembly with fans, etc.).



What DOES NOT COME with p/n G951048031 are the OTHER, necessary parts that reside in the clamshell housing, i.e., the

- HV battery computer,
- the HV relay assembly,
- the service plug grip assy w/ integral wires,
- the three cooling fans,
- the batteries' vent tube assembly, and
- perhaps a few other wires and retaining clips

So, speaking to the question above from maximabella, the "installation" process included the following in this case:

- open the clamshell assemblies, i.e., that from my vehicle AND that which I purchased (p/n G951048031),
- transfer the items in the above list from my vehicle's clamshell housing to the new clamshell housing, to effect a complete, operational assembly (this took me and my nephew about 1.5hrs, or 3 manhours).
- Alternatively, we could have transferred simply the batteries from p/n G951048031 to the vehicle's clamshell housing, after removing the old batteries from it. I imagine this could be done in less time, perhaps without even removing the assembly from the vehicle (which would be a big help... the complete ~150lb battery assembly is awkward to remove / re-install.

SO, in my case the extra steps above added about 3 manhours to my task. HOWEVER, it was our first time; an experienced person could probably do it much quicker.

NOW, consider that steps above, which required 3 manhours, are IN ADDITION to the time required to remove / replace the seats / carpet / etc., which is necessary in order to access, remove and replace the HV battery clamshell assembly; I estimate this remove / replace step took me 3 manhours. An experienced person could do it more quickly. So I figure I've got 6 manhours in the job. If I had to do it again, I maybe could do it in 4.

What would a dealer charge for this services above? I asked. After I purchased the battery (p/n G951048031), I asked the parts mgr at the dealer (from whom I bought the battery) how much they would charge to install it for me. Answer: $1600. Hourly rate: About $200/hr. So they must have figured around 8brs to complete. That sounds a little generous, but dealer repairs are often generous. It took me and my nephew 6 manhours and it was our first battery job.

There are a lot of cottage businesses that service these batteries (just Google it). For them, my guess is they replace the batteries inside the clamshell and perhaps some associated parts, i.e., temp sensors, voltage sensor wiring, maybe buss bars depending on the extent of their service, and bolt the clamshell back together and give it to the customer, e.g., see "Hybrid Battery Rebuild" here:



In the video, they reuse the items in my list above; they're just swapping out the original batteries for different ones. Thus, they don't have the extra overhead of transferring parts from one clamshell to another (like I did or my dealer would have had to do if I had paid them $1600). So, "install" in this latter case (speaking to maximabella's question) means "remove the clamshell and contents from the vehicle" and then "re-install the clamshell in the vehicle". I might guess this remove - re-install procedure might add another 2-3hrs onto their base cost for servicing the battery... which might cost a customer $400-600 by my estimate.

I hope this helps. Ask questions if I've left something unclear.

2008RX400h

I'm following-up on my prior post (above) regarding an RX400h replacement battery.

As I noted in my prior post, I replaced the original HV battery in my RX400h (2008 model, just under 200k on the odo).

WOW, am I pleased. I got my hybrid back!!!

Before the replacement, my RX400h was pretty-much a "start-stop" hybrid... the engine would turn off at stoplights (and stay off), but almost the instant I hit the throttle the engine would start. I could barely coax the vehicle to run "battery-only" in any circumstance (e.g., like I was able to do in prior years).

NOW... the vehicle is much better off-the-line, e.g., the battery (only) will drive the vehicle on light-throttle application and motor the vehicle for some distance, e.g., many city blocks, at speeds up to 35MPH. I can now drive around the neighborhoods on battery-only, and even on some of the main streets I can, after accelerating using the ICE (e.g., to 35-40MPH), release-and-depress the throttle to shut off the engine and cruise on battery-only. The vehicle would NOT do this earlier this year, with the original battery.

As I mentioned in the prior thread, I used a Lexus OE replacement (mfg by Panasonic) battery. There are other replacements out there, and one that caught my eye was a Lithium (LiFePO4 I believe) battery offered by the DrPrius / NexPower Energy guy (see https://projectlithium.com/). While the idea of a Lithium replacement sounds VERY interesting to me, I declined. My wife drives this car; we take this car on extended trips, cross-country, for months at a time; I didn't want to chance a problem; better to stay with the tried and true. HOWEVER, had I used this RX as a local-only, daily driver used exclusively by me, heck yeah, I would have opted for the Lithium replacement.

I would encourage anyone who wants to renew their love for their RX400h to consider a battery replacement when the time is due.

I would love to hear about someone's use of the Lithium replacement option.

joedaddy1

iTrader: (1)

^^^ what’s your MPG now/before?

I have the same “issue” my car is basically start-stop car level. I could have sworn car wasn’t like this before. 190k on 2006 battery.

2008 model has the updated NAV screen so i would maybe replace the battery, but my 2006 has the old screen so still on the fence

2008RX400h

That's a very good question.

I mistakenly did not log the gas mileage, or any other statistics, before the replacement. I know I should have documented the improvements using hard data.

I'm quite certain the mileage is a LOT better in urban / suburban environments now because I'm so often able to run on the battery, whereas I was unable to do so prior.

Another improvement I've noticed is the regenerative braking now works much more effectively. With the old battery, the regen might operate for a while, e.g., when slowing from high speed, but then it might disengage b/f coming to a stop, and/or it would operate at reduced capacity (as I determined by watching the "kW" gauge on the dashboard, i.e., the gauge would only go about half-way into the "charging" zone instead of pegging it). I'm not seeing any of that behavior anymore. Now when I tap the brake pedal the regen pegs the kW meter in the "charging" zone for as long as possible (depending of course on vehicle speed and battery SoC).

Another atypical behavior with the old battery was the battery management system would charge the into the light-green area quite often (which rarely happened in the past). At first I thought this was some attempt of the BMS to top-equalize the battery (and, maybe, it indeed was). But recently this behavior happened routinely and, coupled with the other atypical behaviors I mentioned (stop/start engine behavior; inability to motor the vehicle for any distance; poor regen braking performance) convinced me it was time for a new battery.

These behaviors became most evident in the spring of this year.

The cost of one replacement HV battery (see my post from July2) in the lifetime of the vehicle did not seem like a high price to pay. Well, it helps I bought the battery at quite a low price and the installation was on my own time. Too, it helps that the vehicle is in exceptional condition and is "a keeper" that I'm willing to spend money maintaining; it's formerly a single-owner, Arizona, stored-inside, dealer-maintained vehicle (the original owner was very financially capable, shall we say). It's now residing in Illinois, but I'll never drive it in the salt.

maximabella

This is so great ! What did you pay for your replacement? I checked out the link on the lithium. Sounds super interesting! I would definitely try one!! Come back and tell us what your gas mileage is!

2008RX400h

For new Lexus HV battery for my 2008 RX400h, p/n G951048031, I paid $3,348.84 + sales tax. In an earlier post in this thread (July2) I discussed the details. I expect http://parts.lexus.com will have another sale in effect during the Labor Day weekend, FWIW.

The Lithium battery for the Lexus RX from DrPrius / NexPower Energy (see https://projectlithium.com/) has had my eye for a while, but they always seem to be "sold out" of the 2nd Gen RX battery and I'm not sure why. Maybe someone can read between the lines. Before buying a battery from them, one might research the Prius groups to see what successes / failures Prius owners may have had with their Lithium batteries.

See their videos, two of which I've linked (below):


.

2008RX400h

Gas mileage... well, if you trust the RX400h's on-board gas mileage calculator, my mileage has improved. I've never seen numbers like this (see picture) for higher-speed driving prior to replacing the battery.

Here's the driving scenario for the picture below. I filled up with regular (not premium) gas in Dixon, IL and reset the mileage, then drove to Bartlett, IL, some 88 miles distant, much it it at 55-65 MPH on State / US highways and county blacktops, but with occasional crossroads with 4-way stops-and-starts (in the rural path) and stoplights (in the suburban path). Speeds in the suburban areas were 30-45MPH. The traffic was never stop and go; it moved at typical speeds for the environment. Use Google to map a route from Dixon to Bartlett, IL, and avoid the Interstate.

So I snapped this picture when I got to Bartlett, showing mileage of 29+ MPG. I wasn't playing games while driving, e.g., I wasn't trying to make the mileage look better.

Now I won't state that I actually got 29.4 MPG, but I will say that the mileage indication has been much higher after replacing the battery, and the few spot-checks I've done in that time (i.e., where I log the fuel consumed and the mileage driven) seemed to jibe with the mileage indication given.



Mileage indication after rural / suburban 88mi trip, regular gasoline, new HV battery, 202,000mi on the odometer.