Hi everyone,

I left my car (2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid with over 190k miles) idle for a little over two (2) weeks and when I started it I got the dreaded "Check Hybrid System" warning.

As instructed in the Owner's manual, I took the car to the dealer and received the attached diagnosis. Long story short, they told me the traction battery is dead and needs to be replaced. The replacement cost the dealer quoted is around $4k (including labor and a 1 yr /12,000 miles warranty).

I would have had the dealer replace the system but I decided not to because of the significant discrepancy between the original manufacturer warranty (8 yr/1000,000 miles) and the replacement battery warranty (1 yr/12,000 miles). That tells me there is a high likelihood that Toyota is selling sub-par batteries through their dealers or that they don't have enough confidence in the replacement batteries.

My disappointment led me to search for a more reliable option. I spoke with reps at greentecauto who quoted $3k for a battery with a 3 yr/ unlimited miles warranty. I also spoke with a rep at The hybrid shop and got a quote of almost $4k with a 2 yr warranty.

I would like to find out if anyone in this forum has replaced a 2007 Toyota Camry hybrid (or similar) traction battery with either greentecauto or The hybrid shop and their experience thus far.

Any recommendations/suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

 

1 yr/12K mi is their standard warranty across they board for all replacement parts. This was true for the batteries. Toyota now gives 3 year warranties on dealer installed packs. They started this in January of 2016.

When you buy a new battery from Toyota, you are getting a new battery with internals indistinguishable from those installed in new vehicles. Period. No exceptions.

You should expect life comparable to the original. As of 2013, Prius battery failure rates were 1 in 333 after four years.

They offer "reman" batteries in some markets, but they are CLEARLY identified as such, and the cases are painted black.

If you're willing to drop that kind of money, there is no question. Get the new Toyota pack.

Dorman sells a 3 year warranty recondition for about $1700 through Napa and other auto parts stores. However, you are responsible for installation - each time. They only cover replacement of the pack.

 

If Toyota started offering a 3 year warranties since January 2016, why did the dealer say it was for 1 year?

The local auto parts stores (Auto Zone and Advanced Auto Parts) are quoting me $2200 for the Dorman battery.

 

It's possible the dealer doesn't know any better. I've found a lot that don't.

Show him this:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...20Warranty.pdf

Ask them to match RockAuto's $1700 price for a Dorman.

 

Thanks for the info....I was looking at one of your posts and saw you mentioned hybrid automotive Do you think it will work for my car?

 

It depends. Given the # of miles on your pack and how hard Camrys are on them, you likely have one or more failed modules. The HA reconditioning system is EXCELLENT for preventative maintenance prior to a failure and extending life, but you will need to replace the bad module(s) before you can have any hope of fixing it.

The HA system is EXCELLENT for reconditioning and balancing a battery AFTER you have replaced any failed modules, and with continued occasional use, you can expect an extended life depending on how deteriorated your battery is.

If you can afford to keep the car offline for 2 weeks and are willing to invest a lot of time into it, you can recondition and repair your own battery for the cost of the prolong system, about $50 worth of materials and the cost of replacement modules.

You must be mechanically inclined, patient and willing to follow directions faithfully.

Or you can just have Toyota drop in a new battery with a 3 year warranty, and you'll likely never have to deal with it again. If the car takes a crap in the short term, you can probably find a cheap Camry Hybrid with a bad battery, buy it, swap batteries, junk yard your car/failed battery and continue enjoying your "new" battery.

 

It's been a while, but the last time I researched all of this, battery costs were as follows from RockAuto and Toyota:

Cardone Re-man $1600 (+core)
Dorman Re-man $2000 (+core)
Toyota new $2500 (+core)

Looking at the prices quoted above, it looks like the prices may have either gone up a little or it just depends on the source. Those prices are assuming you pull and install the battery yourself. Problems have been had with other Camry owners installing the Dorman. The orange paint needs to be removed from the bottom of the pack to get a good ground for the car to start. I have not heard anything on the Cardone. It seems like that 9 times out of 10 wherever you find the Cardone, they are usually "sold out" or it's on back order.

I'm not sure about up in NJ? But, if you need to get back on the road quickly, get on craigslist and search for "camry hybrid", "prius" etc... and there should be several mobile repair guys in your area willing to travel to fix your car on site while your at home, work or wherever. They usually will offer to either repair and re-balance the pack for $x cost and then offer to replace bad cells for additional cost. This is usually between $500 to $800 depending on the guy (mechanic). This way you're back on the road the same day. If they have to travel from a different part of the state, there may be mileage or travel charges as well. Also, most of them will install a Cardone, Dorman or Toyota pack for prices quoted above plus a $300 to $400 installation charge (typical for FL).

Again, it has been a few years since I "delved into this". There used to be a place up in Melbourne, FL about an hour to the North of us. It is called Mellors Automotive. The hybrid specialist there was "Josh". He does all the stuff mentioned above as well. Also, they used to have various battery packs in stock and ready to go. It might be worth a call if you have lots of questions. They also specialize in rebuilding and balancing the packs. It seems like to get a Prius back on the road was around $400 to $600. Camry a little more.

 

With all respect to great posts, a fiscal notice.
You can buy entire car of that year, fully functional, with a few less miles, for what Toyota wants for battery replacement. For about $4500.
I'd have called local/close by junk yards and look for battery from a TCH with front end collision. Then have it swapped the way Litespeed describes. Car is not worth extensive repair costs plus chance of something to go wrong again. Has to be done as cost efficient as possible.

 

Thank you both for the advice. Ukrkoz, do you have any recommendations for the website/location to look for? Most of the prices I've seen are over $6K.

 

Has anyone had any experience with Hometown Hybrids? They claim to sell "new" hybrid batteries for $2700 (installed).