Hi Everyone, I have a 2006 toyota Prius. My Wife & I first got the original toyota battery replaced at Phil's auto Clinic in Hemet, Ca. A few months later we took the car to The Toyota Dealership in Ontario, California to have a few things fixed on the car. My wife & I weren't there but an hour; when the technician came back to us & said my wife & I need to take the car back to Phil's Auto Clinic because a few of the cells on the battery were bad & toyota could not fix it, unless the hybrid battery was working properly. We were asked by toyota when did we have the battery replaced, this was 6 months ago. The dealer told us that the battery was still under warranty by toyota. So I asked them if they could fix it. Toyota said "NO". The original toyota battery was removed & replaced by a generic battery; that was no longer under warranty. We went back to Phil's auto clinic, & told them what the dealer said. With dumbfounded faces, they replied back, "you asked us to fix the battery & that's what we did". I asked Phil's Auto Clinic back for my original battery, they said they did not have the battery anymore. We aren't really sure what to do now. Any suggestions?
Wow, almost the exact same occurrence was posted here just yesterday. See this thread: Didn't know the hybrid battery was under warranty | PriusChat
For the love of GOD (if you are religious), PLEASE read the Warranty manual and Owners manual. Sadly, the HV Battery would have most likely been replaced for FREE, b/c the warranty on it is 10year/150,000miles; assuming it was originally purchased and continually registered in California. That being said, since you seem to plan to keep your car, see if your dealer will beat these Toyota dealer's on-line price. San Bernardino Toyota (San Bernardino, CA) $2,070.94 2007 Toyota Prius Parts - Toyota of San Bernardino Online Parts Store North Hollywood Toyota (Hollywood, CA) $2,122.71 2007 Toyota Prius Parts - Discounted Toyota and Scion Parts and Accessories Camelback Toyota's (Phoenix, AZ) on-line price for an HV Battery: $2,174.48. 2007 Toyota Prius Parts - Camelback Toyota Parts - Genuine OEM Parts - Free Shipping
MOre details are needed. What exactly needs to be fixed now ?? If it is HV battery related, your battery shop should be responsible. If it is NOT HV battery related.......then your Toyota shop should be grenaded. At the very least, I think that he should be talking to the service Manager or the dealership owner to get the story straight. This whole story sounds a bit fishy to me. Nobody would really PAY to have an expensive part like that replaced when it could be free under warranty.......right ?? Maybe the Toyota dealer has screwed them from the beginning ???
The story is a tragic comedy. All the details are in the first post. For whatever reason, the original HV Battery was "repaired" by Phil w/ a likely Reinvolt. Hybrid Repair "... original toyota (HV) battery replaced at Phil's auto Clinic ..." They then went to a Toyota dealer for whatever reason. The Toyota tech ran diagnosis with TechStream, to report some "bad" cells, or maybe cells "going bad." "... technician came back to us & said my wife & I need to take the car back to Phil's Auto Clinic because a few of the cells on the battery were bad & toyota could not fix it, unless the hybrid battery was working properly." Now comes the tragic and comedic part. "The dealer told us that the (original HV) battery was still under warranty by toyota. So I asked them if they could fix it. Toyota said "NO". The original toyota battery was removed & replaced by a generic battery; that was no longer under warranty. We went back to Phil's auto clinic, & told them what the dealer said. With dumbfounded faces, they replied back, "you asked us to fix the battery & that's what we did". I asked Phil's Auto Clinic back for my original battery, they said they did not have the battery anymore." Phil is probably well aware of the HV Battery warranty for the Prius: 10year/150,000miles. Hell, their website even shows a Gen1 Prius shop car. I am of the opinion he knew, but just kept silent to give the customer what they wanted, HV Battery repaired, so he could add to his bottom line at this customer's expense. Customers can always file a complaint with the State BAR (Bureau of Automotive Repair). Likely nothing will happen as a repair was performed, as requested by customer. Albeit unnecessarily, as this repair would have been covered by Toyota. And Phil will claim ignorance on Toyota's warranty. If it is an HV Battery issue, their refurbished/rebuilt (likely Reinvolt) battery might still be under some warranty. They will just have to pay another installation fee, rewarding a crooked mechanic (in my opinion), as all the refurbished/rebuilt HV Battery warranties I have seen cover the replacement pack, but not labor. Something tells me Toyota would not accept a rebuilt pack, that does not look like the original, as a core; which might be their case.
Well at least give us miles on the odometer before we jump to conclusions. Then I don't expect Toyota to give relief in these cases of owner error, but worth asking. Not the dealer but Toyota USA need to rule on it. I don't know if there is any small claims court recourse on the repair shop. if it was a good shop they'd tell the owner it was under warranty.
Hmm, if only OP was in the market for a new 2nd car. They could leverage it. Come to agreement on a price for a new Toyota car. Then tell the sales manager before any paperwork is signed that the current deal is contingent on a new HV batter installed for $500, otherwise we will leave and get a new Honda car. Someone will cave: dealer or Toyota Customer Care.
Have owned 3 prius. After buying a 2006 and 2007 Prius in California moving to Nevada and Toyota not honoring the Warranty for the Hybrid Battery because it is not registered in California. I am no longer a happy customer. Love our Toyotas but if I buy a car and am specifically told it has a 150,000 mile warranty on something, it should be warranted to 150,000 not drop down because I moved to another state. This warranty is to many a deciding factor in purchase. We bought a V in 2012 and the warranty is 8 year 100,000 miles on the Hybrid Battery. Do I need to watch which state I move to? What other changes do I need to be concerned about? If I bought my 2006 or 2007 Prius in Nevada but moved to California would the warranty go up? I have loved doing business with Toyota but am so disappointed. I need to sell my 2007 before the mileage reaches 100,000 miles and think I will be looking elsewhere for a new vehicle. I probably need to sell it to a Californian. So disappointed in Toyota.
It is all disclosed in the warranty booklet Toyota supplied with the car. They just can't force you to read it.
The warranty is based upon compliance with California Air Resources Board regs. If the car moves to a state that does not observe CA regs then there is no business reason for Toyota to assume that longer liability. As previously discussed, this can be found if you read the warranty text. Yes, you need to move to another state that is progressive enough to have adopted CA ARB regulations if you care about the warranty duration. No, if the car was bought in a non-CA ARB regs observing state, the hybrid warranty is limited to 8 years/100K miles. I understand that you are not thrilled about the application of this policy. Can you find another auto manufacturer whose hybrid vehicle warranty interpretation is more generous? If you do, let us know about your findings.
Between the lines: OP doesn't just "happen" to be at a Toyota dealership. His car is having problems and OP suspects the battery repair he had done at "Phil's" six months ago is failing. Summary: Toyota refuses to get involved in a crap repair from 'Phils.' Who wudda thunk ? OP: Do you have a warranty from Phil's ? Or on the replacement battery ? Because at this point you either pursue a warranty of the repair you had done if that is available, or you pay for a good repair this time.
I'm thinking Phil gets a pretty good core trade-in value on OEM Toyota HV Battery Packs by the 3rd party refurbish factory.
