I looked into this recently and to summarize here is what I found:
- It should be good for 10 years or so, easily. You can look up Toyota’s Web pages for details on this subject.
- Some say 140,000 miles. Some say 150,000. I say drive until you need the replacement.
- When it fails, Toyota dealers replace all of the battery, that is foolish, period! In addition, it’s very costly, $3,000 or $4,000. That sucks
- If it fails, you can usually run the car, but the economy is gone and you’ll probably have warning lights to ignore. Been there, done that! If there were another, different, engine fault then you wouldn’t know.
- It’s not the whole battery that fails, it’s just one or maybe two cells. That is where we come in. We only replace what you need to restore the battery to its original working condition. In addition, we build our own batteries for even greater savings.
- There are lots of independent repairers out there that can find that cell and replace it for a fraction of the cost of a full battery. Please pick one that holds a repair license and has a reputable reputation. Paul is the best in the business if you reside in Florida.
Question….Can I fix it myself? – It is possible to fix it yourself, but you’d need a cell, usually an entire battery from a scrapyard is the only way to get this. And you’d have to be very good at mending things, or very, very, lucky. On top of that you will need a laptop with the right cable to read the computer system of your Prius to get the right diagnosis codes.
Question…What if it is not the battery? Sometimes it’s not the cells, but the control circuitry that goes with it. Big problem. At this point Paul will tell you how to fix the problem at the cheapest cost possible
Conclusion….if you own a Prius and you have warning lights the best start is to have Paul give you a full diagnosis report on your car. This cost nothing. In most cases it it most likely a bad cell that requires replacing. This is a 4-5 hour job that can take place right at your home. No need to bring the car to us. We have a fully mobile system that will do the repairs right at your location. Please call us at (727) 565-5685.