The dealership will keep the most beneficial position. I just had my Hybrid (NiMH) battery replaced. The new warranty is 3yrs/36,0000 miles.
My original warranty was 8yrs/80,000 miles. If my battery failed at 79,000 miles, the dealership would only honor the last 1,000 miles remaining on the original warranty.
My battery failed at 93,000 so it was outside the warranty period. The cost was $2,700. The battery cost is approximately $2,600 (this includes shipping and tax) They wanted to charge $300 for the installation but, you could knock off $200, if you do some prep work (remove the rear seat back, some trim and most of the main plate bolts. Once the above is done, it takes about 10 minutes to remove the old battery and install the new one. They told me they had to update and install new software too. [labor was $100 per hr] NOTE: They will not provide a warranty if you do the installation.
I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND A HYBRID CAR UNLESS YOU ARE DOING IT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND ARE ABLE TO SPARE THE ADDITIONAL COSTS: Approx. $11,250 OVER SEVEN YEARS. This amount is based on fuel costs @ $3.50 and 12,000 miles annual driving. ---2004 Honda Civic 2004-2011

 

To avoid confusion: The below amount ($11,250) is based on 2004 Honda Civics (standard vs hybrid)
The fuel savings is based on a seven year period.
The original cost difference is approx. $9,000
A replacement Hybrid battery is approximately $2,900

The battery costs have dropped considerably over the past two years and hopefully they will continue to drop.
NiMH (Nickle Metal Hydride) batteries are being replaced with lithium ion batteries, on new models.
The 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid has 120 D cell NiMN batteries in series. This is why you'll see high voltage warning in the cover plate.

 

So when you say that NiMH batteries are being replaced with lithium ion, do you mean on new cars or if you buy a new battery? I'm getting the battery in my 2005 HCH replaced next week. Will the new battery be lithium ion?

 

The $9000 difference you claim between the standard and hybrid model Civic isn't realistic.

When I purchased my 2003 Civic Hybrid in November 2002 I compared the difference between the hybrid and the closest model Civic (in terms of features, minus the IMA system) which was the LX model, and if I recall correctly the difference was closer to $4,000.

Comparing a base model 2012 Civic DX with a manual transmission ($15,805) with the 2012 hybrid ($24,050, with a LOT more standard features not even counting the IMA system) the difference is only about $8200.

The 2012 LX model with an automatic transmission is a lot closer in terms of standard features and has a base price of $18,655, for a difference of $5,395.

Also it's kind of silly to assume that every Civic hybrid will need a new IMA battery over it's lifetime. My 2003 HCH has close to 250,000 miles and still has the original (albeit imperfect) IMA battery.

When I purchased my HCH in November 2002 gas was $1.25/gal. I drive an average 30,000 miles per year. I long ago recouped the price difference between models in fuel savings and have no doubt put a significant dent in the purchase price itself...

 

Hi Mark, I see you are also from CNY. Would you PM me if you have any info on repairing our cars locally. I have just gotten a P1449 on my 2001 HIH and am considering my options. I haven't had a lot of luck with one local dealer in the past, and am skeptical that they really know what they are doing.

 

Details for a "proposed" settlement for HCH model years 2003-2009 is available at www.hchsettlement.com. One key element is that the IMA battery warranty for those model years will be extended by one year or twelve thousand miles. Some who have paid for a replacement IMA battery may be reimbursed if the replacement was during the extended warranty period.

There are a number of potential benefits (cash payments, rebates, reimbursements, etc) but a claim would need to be submitted to participate.

 

I just bought a 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid this morning at a dealership with 120K miles on it. It drove perfectly fine as I test drove it, however as i brought the car back home (hour long drive), 30 mins in the Check engine light as well as the IMA light came on and so before going home I stopped by a honda dealership right next to my house and they told me that they were 90% its the battery and they would charge $110 bucks just to look at it. If its the Battery, that would result in a 2000-3000 replacement cost. I am full time commuter student (used all my savings on the car) and cant afford to spend more than $ 500 more on it. Should i go back and return the car, or is there any way to get out of this? Will my car drive normally (less mpg’s is ok) with these lights on for a while?

 

I would return it if laws permit. Buy yourself a plan Civic or something like that! . H

 

For all of you contemplating a battery replacement, Hybrid Battery Repair now offers their BetterBattery.

It's a rebuilt frame with all new cells (the stealership seems to be using NOS... batteries already several years old). The new cells are also rated better for # of cycles than the stock battery, have higher capacity (8Ah instead of 6.5 Ah) so they are used more lightly. A 15C discharge is only 12.2C with the BB. And of course they were made less than a year ago :-P.

On top of this, they charge $2000 for the battery (plus whatever to install it, but that's not hard). Honda charges $2600-2700.

My HCH1 battery is recalibrating probably once a week and I'm only getting about 40% before it drops to 0 on the gauge... but this is the route I'll be going when I do replace it.

Sam

 

1. Manual Transmission
2. Only on really hot days

Battery completely failed at 92xxx miles. I bought the car at 86xxx miles, so really my driving didn't affect the battery much if at all. Getting a factory refurbished for the replacement. I've had WAY too many issues with third party batteries for other things and don't want to take the risk with such an expensive battery. I don't believe marketing hype.