Originally Posted By: JOD
Neither is any car.
Simply put, a conventional car has fewer potential areas of failure.
Originally Posted By: JOD
The battery will need to be replaced at some point.
So will a combustion engine or a transmission. Everything wears out in time. Do you have any evidence to suggest that a battery is more likely to fail by 200K than an engine or a transmission? I'm not saying they never fail, nor am I suggesting that one shouldn't be prepared to pay for an expensive repair--but the Prius seems more reliable than most other cars, and the added complexity of the battery is mitigated by a great reduction in the complexity of the transmission, which is the most common expensive failure point in most cars.
Yes, I am suggesting that the battery is far more likely to fail by 200k. Take a look at the Priuschat maint/troubleshooting section in the last 6 months or so. There definitely appears to be an uptick in the number of battery failures well before 200k. My conversations with my friend in the local Toyota dealer's part dept tells me that battery failures at not uncommon.
Also, the mileage reached by taxicabs is not always a good indicator. These vehicles are generally in urban areas, not in hilly terrain. They are constantly running, they are not subject to a ton of duty cycles over a long period of "father time" like most consumer vehicles are.
Lastly, I would not say the transmission is bulletproof on the Prii. My hybrid independent has this article about them:
http://lusciousgarage.com/blog/gen_2_prius_2004_2009_transmission_failure_p0aa6_p0a92_p0a7a/
Also:
http://www.lusciousgarage.com/blog/comments/prius_battery_rebuild_yes_or_no/
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Originally Posted By: The Critic
This is definitely not a car for a paycheck-to-paycheck individual once the car is out of hybrid warranty.
Because you'd be seen in a "poor person's car" and it would rock your self image?
I am not sure what you are trying to get at?
Hybrids are not good cars for people on a budget. Period. Sure, they are generally average to above average in reliability, but there is a very high risk of expensive failures. The risk is real, even if problems are not extremely common.
Originally Posted By: Oldwolf
The batteries and hybrid system have an 8yr/100k warranty. In CA it is 10yr/150k.
Anyway, the batteries now are repairable on a cell by cell basis. So if you do have a problem, which would be rare, and it was not under warranty, it wouldn't cost much to fix the bad cell or two.
I have a Prius Hatchback now that I will keep, and I plan to buy a Priuc C too in the next few months.
They only hold 3.5 qts of oil with a 10k OCI. So oil costs are not to much to worry about imo.
The OP is not eligible for the 10/150k warranty, only the 8/100k in his state.
Also, they hold about 4.3 qt of 0w-20 on a 10k interval. That's how much the 3rd gen holds. 2nd gen holds a bit less, the last one I did took about 3.9 qt, but requires 5W30 at a 5k interval.
The argument that the batteries are repairable by replacing individual cells is misleading. Yes, it is usually one or two cells that fail. However, there are two shortfalls to this: 1) If you replace several cells and not rebalance the entire pack, the life of the remaining cells can/will be seriously shortened. No one knows how long this repair will last. 2) Repairing cells and rebalancing the battery pack is a task that serious backyard hybrid enthusiasts do. This is not something that repair shops will do. Therefore, to give potential owners the false hope that many traction battery problems can be repaired for a small cost is misleading.
Originally Posted By: Oldwolf
My non Hybrid Ford is on its second transmission at $3800 a pop. I wouldn't worry too much about what is going to happen at 150k with the battery in the Prius. Repairs costs of batteries will just continue to drop as time goes on. Anyway, don't forget about the great warranty they have.
The OP is in TX. He does not get the 10/150k warranty, only the 8/100k I believe.
Of course repair costs will continue to drop, and they already have with the introduction of these lower-cost battery rebuilders. However, I have a feeling that they have dropped as much as they will.
Also, that hybrid system warranty has a lot of holes. For instance on the 2nd gens, the inverter water pump was a common, moderately expensive failure item that was not covered under the hybrid system warranty. Then of course Toyota did the right thing and issued a SSC for them.
Originally Posted By: Big O Dave
I have at least five customers who have over 200,000 miles on their Prii. None has needed a main battery replacement. They are all still getting pretty good fuel economy, as well. One, a 2005 with 211,000 miles on it, averages 49.5 traveling up the mountain where I live and back down to the Valley.
I'm impressed.
Well, their days are numbered. 200k is around where they seem to last. Just had a co-worker's family member experience a traction battery failure on their 2005 at about 220k. You should become an authorized dealer for Reinvolt or Battery Boy and you can see this as a potential profit opportunity.
Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
Originally Posted By: johnsmellsalot
How do you know when you need a battery?
when it won't start
When it doesn't start, you need a new $200 12v battery. A traction battery failure will cause a bunch of DTCs and Techstream scan tool to confirm the failure.
