Is my dealership full of crap?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Noahfecks, Jun 27, 2017.

Tags:
  1. Noahfecks

    Noahfecks Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 27, 2017
    7
    2
    0
    Location:
    CO
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    2008 Prius
    112,000 mi
    Spent most of its life in CO high country. I have owned it for the last 5.5 years, purchased with 60K miles

    I have had limited experience with my nearest dealer but lets say that it has not created a feeling of trust based on past experience.

    Sorry for the long story, trying to give a detailed description. Over the winter I hit a chunk of ice on the interstate that damaged the air splitter and tore much of the plastic splash shielding from under the engine bay. No big deal I pulled off what I could and had the rest cut off at the next oil change. A couple of weeks ago I had a local body shop replace the splash shielding panels. When I got the car back it had lights on the dash: RED triangle constant on, VSC light constant on, yelow check engine light constant on, brake warning light constant on. When I accelerate from a stop or when I am coasting or reducing speed and accelerate I get a hesitation like the VSC system is braking. Never had a light before, this is a sudden onset. The body shop used a code reader to reset the codes and the car ran normally on my 35 mile commute to work. When I started it to make my commute home the lights had resurfaced and I began experiencing the hesitation issue.I drove it home that night and on a 60 mile daily commute for the next two days before I was able to take it back to the body shop who had replaced the splash shielding (the dealer had refused to work on the splash shielding, said it was beyond their capability). I just figured they had loosened a wire or sensor while they were replacing the splash shielding. Body shop took the next few days to try and diagnose the problem but was unable to fix it and recommended that i take it to the dealership. I drove it to work and left early to begrudgingly take it to the dealership. To0day they called and said I need a new hybrid drive battery for $3400.

    I am mechanically handy but am scared of electricity because I honestly dont understand it. I came here first because I have normally been able to search and find the solution to my question, this is a bit more in depth. The dealer said the #9 cell in the pack is bad or going bad, is it worth trying the following few things before I drop the $$$ on a new drive battery?

    Replace the 12V battery? I have not changed it since I have owned it, it may be the original battery.
    Re-flash or reset the ECU?
    Replace the Inverter Cooling Pump? I dont know if this was done by the previous owner on recall

    I have been able to drive at interstate speeds for a sustained period, it does seem like the gas engine was working a little harder but it may just be because I was more conscious of it. Fuel mileage seems normal although it has declined a bit over the last two years (43mpg driving in the mountains at 80)
     
    #1 Noahfecks, Jun 27, 2017
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,656
    8,504
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    From your description before you went to the dealer, it sounds like you have a battery failure. Since you are not too far off on the warranty coverage, you can contact Toyota corporate for a goodwill warranty. They often give a nice discount to loyal Toyota customers. Sometimes they even cover the entire cost, you just pay labor

    All it takes is a phone call or you can even request the dealership make this goodwill request for you
     
    #2 JC91006, Jun 27, 2017
  3. Noahfecks

    Noahfecks Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 27, 2017
    7
    2
    0
    Location:
    CO
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Thanks!

    Part of the bad blood with the dealership is that I took it in at 96K and asked that they check the drive battery. They claimed that it was impossible to check it and know if it was going bad or not. Again I am an electric idiot but they had the ability to check it today?
     
    #3 Noahfecks, Jun 27, 2017
  4. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 14, 2012
    8,184
    4,167
    0
    Location:
    Wellington, New Zealand
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    No.
    Unless you car is showing symptoms that point to any of those things being faulty, you will just be tipping money down a pit.
    Indicative of a battery wearing out. Remember, even the HV battery is a consumable. Mountain driving is also harder on the battery, so you have had a good run out of it.

    $3,400 is not a bad price although maybe you could push them to do better, and if you had another dealer close-ish by you could try getting a second quote. Dealer new battery is your best option, any other options are just second-hand batteries dressed up as new and will give you no end of trouble in your geography – definitely a case of penny wise, pound (£) foolish if you go the second-hand/refurbished route.
    They are correct, unless they are clued up (which they won't get from their dealership training), they won't be able to diagnose the battery health and certainly wouldn't want to give an opinion a customer might rely on. Today they only knew the battery was bad because the car's computer told them so.
     
    #4 dolj, Jun 27, 2017
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2017
    CoastRider likes this.
  5. Kevin_Denver

    Kevin_Denver Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2016
    581
    425
    1
    Location:
    Denver, CO
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Most likely your dealership is correct and you need a new battery. You can confirm by having the OBD codes read at any local auto parts store or having the dealership tell you the codes. Google them and they'll point you to the failure.

    There are threads on here about how to replace bad cells and recondition the battery. This is a multi-day adventure using RC Car battery chargers, but can be done if you're willing to educate yourself thoroughly on batteries and have some basic electrical knowledge.

    Besides the dealer, your other option is a 3rd party reconditioned battery pack for ~$750-1500 installed. These reconditioned packs won't last nearly as long as a new one - there's only so much you can do to extend the life of 8+ year old batteries. Get one with a good warranty - even then there are stories on here of people needing to get them replaced multiple times. Better option generally is a new pack.

    Avoid cheap local guys with little experience and any thoughts of just replacing the bad cells (without a proper reconditioning of each and every module). These fixes fail very quickly in most cases.
     
    #5 Kevin_Denver, Jun 28, 2017
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2017
  6. srellim234

    srellim234 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2015
    1,201
    1,694
    0
    Location:
    Laughlin, Nevada
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Since you're not trusting of your local dealer, what are the possibilities that you could get the car to a larger town and a larger dealer? Or a decent hybrid shop in a bigger town? Denver, Colorado Springs or out of state if need be?
     
    #6 srellim234, Jun 29, 2017
  7. Kevin_Denver

    Kevin_Denver Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2016
    581
    425
    1
    Location:
    Denver, CO
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Don't know what city you live in, but Boulder Hybrids has a good reputation. I haven't needed them yet, but will likely take my car to them upon the first problem I can't fix myself.
     
    #7 Kevin_Denver, Jun 29, 2017
    srellim234 likes this.
  8. 05PreeUs

    05PreeUs Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2016
    1,097
    564
    0
    Location:
    MSP
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    The dealer *should have* checked individual cell voltages with TechStream and provided that information to you, since you specifically asked previously. Would it have condemned or assured the pack condition? Not likely.
     
    #8 05PreeUs, Jul 2, 2017
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)