So this morning I am sitting in parking and check hybrid battery/VSC system starts flashing! I drove home safely and got the codes read at autozone (car has 160K miles).



P0A80-Replace Hybrid battery Pack

P0A7F-Hybrid Battery Pack Deterioration



I searched almost all day, looked at after market options, called dealer and also checked price of G9510-33010 battery pack online at Toyota dealers. This is what I have



1. Green bean seems to have lifetime warranty (?) now and seems to have a a lot of google reviews which are good. Cost $1750 installed.



2. My local dealer wants $3700 for battery and additional $600 for installation with total about $4.5K.



3. I can but OEM battery pack for $2850. I am not sure if local auto shops can install it though?



So I have a few questions-



1. Any experience with after market? I came across a video of installation and the guy says he has over 110K miles on it no problems. Any experience here?



2. If I but the battery where do I get it installed? Anyone has done it as DIY? I am pretty handy and try to do all work on car myself.



3. Any suggestions outside of what I have above?



Thanks

 

I've been through that and it sucked. If I had it to do over, I would have done it differently. It is a fairly straight forward DIY for the pack swap, but it is a little heavy, so be prepared for that.

I pulled my pack, removed and recharged all the individual modules multiple times until they were back up to snuff, cleaned all the bus bar mess and put it back together. Not too difficult. But very time consuming. If I had it to do over, I would have found a newer salvaged Prius pack and done the same to those modules and used what few good ones I had left. All of my modules were really toasted and I'd just about guarantee you, yours are the same.

My other option was to buy new modules or another pack and just install it myself. I would try to find a local hybrid repair guy and see if they can cut you a deal on a new pack or new modules. They will probably have better prices than the dealer IMO.

SKeith is the man on this subject and if I had sought his advice early on, it would have saved me some headache in the long run. That being said, I was able to charge all of my modules back up to about 2/3's capacity. That was almost 2 years and over 14,000 miles ago and she is still going strong though. So fingers crossed. I know I'm on borrowed time, but so far, so good.

 

Thanks. I found a local shop and I am getting it towed on Wednesday. I hope there are only some bad ones which can be replaced.

 

Since you are at the mercy of others, I can promise you, your hope is misplaced.

There are online instructions, very easy to follow, on how to replace a Camry pack.

You buying a brand new and installing it yourself is the #1 value option.

GreenBean is #2

Whatever you're planning on doing with this local shop is likely a very distant #3.

 

Yes I am sure I can replace battery pack and I'd do it if it comes to that. As I have AAA I just want to see what he has to say? Is there any grid charger you recommend for Camry hybrid? Thanks

 

I recommend Hybrid Automotive grid chargers when appropriate. I have never personally seen a Gen3 Prius or Camry that can benefit from a grid charger. There may be exceptions in cooler climates.

Most Gen3 Toyota hybrids (2010+ Prius, Camry, Avalon, all Lexus sedans) destroy their batteries, particularly in climates where heat is even slightly a factor. Upper 1/4 to 1/3 of the US is probably okay provided the car lived its life there.

 

Thanks. I can buy a used battery very cheap but this will need to be charged first. That's why I asked. The battery has been out for 3 months not sure if it is still good or not. I just wanted to try something before I buy a new one.

 

It's not good.