I have a relative in the Houston area with a 2005 Prius who was recently told by a local Toyota dealer she needs a new battery pack and the associated computer. She got a quote of $4500, and this is not feasible for her. She has about 126k miles on the car, bought it used, is not at all mechanically/technically inclined, and I'm assuming the car has the original battery pack. I'm hoping to steer her toward a mechanic qualified to troubleshoot this for her, and help her find a cheaper repair solution. This is her primary transportation. Also, does anyone have any insight into what might cause the battery controller computer to fail - and if so, what's the possibility of getting a replacement under warranty considering the mileage/age of her vehicle? Thanks in advance.
Please do tell your friend that there is no reason to pay $4500 for an hv battery repair. Further, replacing the battery computer and battery pack at the same time is virtually unheard of. At least one other person from down that way did a junkyard swap not too long ago, cost in the hundreds. The main thing is to get an HV battery from a fresh wreck. One that has been sitting for a few years will need to be reconditioned. Try sending a pm to mona_tony, who posted in this thread: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-technical-discussion/76095-hv-battery-failure-poll.html
Not a techie, so I can't answer the technical computer question. However, I can tell you from numerous other threads on this forum that there are much cheaper salvage batteries available, and maybe even electronic computer parts. Also, if she wants a 2nd opinion, Fred Haas Toyota (in Spring, TX, i.e., north houston) has a very good service dept. In my experience honest and very competent. Fair or lowest pricing whenever I've comparison shopped. Other priuschatters have also commented favorably on them. I'm not aware of any independent Prius mechanics in Houston that would have the expertise/hybrid certification for this type of diagnosis/job.
P.S. I had a friend who just recently returned from Houston with a salvage rebuild. The airbag light was on, because the weight sensor on the passenger seat was unplugged and the calibration was lost. Mike Calvert Toyota of Houston had quoted $500 to replace the airbag computer, when it should have been maybe $100 to plug the thing in and do the zero point calibration. Don't bother looking for "hybrid certification" as it doesn't exist in the ASE certification world.
