The Westchester Toyota dealer just charged me $350 to replace the 12v battery in my 2010 Prius (40000 miles). I view it as highway robbery. Is that common?
welcome! highway robbery, or $350. for a battery? yes. you can buy batteries as low as $150. or so, depending on what sales are available at the time, but dealers are usually around $200. and they soak you for the 15 minute install. it pays to ask first.
Ouch!!!!!! (Try BatteryMart.com) http://www.batterymart.com/p-9a51p-agm-prius-auxiliary-battery.html?Category_Code=toyota-prius-smartkey-system-battery - hope this helps - Wil Sorry, I should have read more carefully. I think I'd return it, tell them where to stick it, and get the one from BatteryMart.com - BTW - Welcome to PriusChat!
That's the price to have the convenience of driving to an specialized place and have it done for you while you relax in their customer service lounge with climate controlled environment and some free coffee. Convenience has its price.............
Highway robbery? Certainly. Common? Yes, it is in the high normal range for dealerships. The battery is surprisingly expensive, and dealership markups are significant. While the average price is lower, comparison shopping is usually needed to get it done at a dealership for under $300. You must DIY to get it under $250.
The price of the OEM battery (and batteries in general) has jumped of late. A year back, at local Canadian dealerships the battery at the parts counter was around $310, but just recently when I checked it was $371. Ended up getting a mail order Optima for $329, much higher Cold Cranking Amp rating, will see how it goes.
Well batteries have jumped all over. But yeah, there was CBC Marketplace episode on just that, cost comparing various items. It's not crazy, but when the dollars were at par it was even more frustrating. I was doin' ok up until about 18 months back, when the tap got turned off, and it was "hey, I wanted to retire anyway" time. Just hanging in there now.
Probably a price ratchet: not dropping when your currency climbed to about par (last par was 2.5 years ago), but ticking up every time the exchange rate falls, now CAD$1.327 per US$1. I believe the rate is somewhat connected to oil prices. Did Alberta share any of their oil wealth when they had it?
I read in some business news: milder winters meant batteries lasting longer, meant less recycled lead, leading to higher battery prices. I think the central region and east coast didn't get that memo though, lol.
