Hi. My sister recently lost her '04 HCH CVT due to the flooding in southern Indiana last week. It was completely submerged for at least a day or two.

I inquired about the salvage price to buy it back from insurance as a possible project car. They said around $2300. I have no problem rebuilding the engine and otherwise fixing it up, but I am wondering if it would be worth it. Are the batteries in a sealed compartment? I am reading they are $1000-3000 to replace. If not, would a rebuilt CVT be worth anything on the market? That is the only thing people seem to have problems with besides the battery packs.


Also-I have found very little technical data on the web. I was jsut going to buy the Helms service manual. Is there perhaps another more technically-oriented forum than this one?

Thx
e

 

I would say that there's a more technically oriented forum in the sense that the member base are active, very technical and pretty familiar with the details of the architecture. I'll PM you the site.

However, I would discourage any attempts at performing electrical work on the HCH unless your are not only well versed and confident but also well equipped with the resources to make the repairs. The shop manuals/DVD literature are also an unavoidable expenditure. Neglecting or overlooking this detail can not only be fatal but also a monumental waste of time & money.

I suggest you take a page from the OEM book and consider the car permanently lost and only good for the "crusher"... as no amount of repairs short of a complete and expensive retrofit is going to make it trouble free for whomever ends up with it.


Cheers;

MSantos

 

May I have that link also?

 

+10.

Dunk a car in water and it may look fine when it is first pulled out, but sooner or later some parts are going to corrode as a consequence of having been immersed. Plus such cars are notoriously prone to severe mold problems. About the only parts on such a car which are not damaged by immersion are the plastic bits - so it is OK to scavenge the bumper covers, trim, and lights (not the wires/bulb harness, just the plastic casings). I wouldn't touch the power components of a drowned hybrid with a 10 foot pole, and I mean that literally.

 

If you are thinking about parting out the car, and have the ability to rebuild the CVT, I'm sure you would be able to find a buyer. The CVT is a VERY complicated transmission, and also very prone to failure. The dealer charges a TON of money for a new one ($4,300 installed), and he would not even consider rebuilding it.

If you have the abilities to rebuild the engine and transmission, then I am sure you would be able to rebuild the battery pack and sell it as well. From what I have read, you would simply have to remove the cells (cut the welds between them), test each one, replace the ones that are bad and weld then back together. Given the amount of time it would take to rebuild the CVT and the Battery pack, I don't think it would be a money making activity, but would probably be a fun/challenging project that would pay for itself.

You could also probably clean and resell the EGR valve. It fails a lot on these cars and retails for around $160. The aluminum wheels would probably also have a good after market value.