After creating the Hybrid Battery Rebuild Guide a few years ago we are proud to say we have helped hundreds of people save thousands of dollars rebuilding their cars by themselves. We have noticed that people starting out often have some of the same questions that applied to many people who are having problems with their Prius battery. Here are some questions and answers to some of our most insightful and common questions from customers before they purchase the guide. (OK there 6 questions)
Q. I am considering rebuilding my 2003 Toyota Prius traction battery, is this something that I should wait till it fails, or is it something that I could do preventive maintenance on it this spring. It has 155,000 miles on it.
A. I wouldn’t recommend waiting until it fails because rebuilding the battery doesn’t usually take more the 8 hours to complete for complete beginners. At least that is the time frame that we usually hear from our customers. We usually tell our customers to set aside a Saturday to get the job done. As for preventive maintenance to keep it going till it fails completely. You may have more time, and money into trying something like that, then it takes to rebuild it. So I would really recommend if you are going to do anything, just rebuild it to get it out of the way in one shot.
Also, waiting until it fails will harm your MPG, among other perks of owning a Prius!
Q. I am wanting to know exactly what I have to obtain in materials to accomplish this,
and the cost of them today.
A. You will need to purchase two Generation II battery packs. The cost of the last battery packs that I purchased cost me $200 dollars each and I purchased them from one of the suppliers listed once you get the Hybrid Battery Rebuild Guide. About $210.00 each is the going rate lately for these battery packs. However, I dig a little bit for the deals as well. You will also need a few tools that are present in most basic tool kits. You will not need any specialty knowledge or have to be mechanically inclined at all!
Q. I understand that a 2003 Toyota Prius requires 38 cells, can they come out of a newer Toyota Prius?
A. We go over the technique of how you use the newer cells out of the newer battery packs in our guide. However, I will tell you that you need to purchase two Gen. II battery packs to fulfill the quantity necessary in the 2001-2003 battery packs
Q. Does this mean that I will have to get 2 of the newer batteries to accomplish this?
A. . While it can be done with Generation I battery packs the smart money is on using the better Generation II battery packs. Yes, you to complete the rebuild.
Q. What’s the shelf life of the cells, in other words unless used in the rebuild, will
the cells be useless to me in the future?
A. The newer cells that come in 04′ through 09′ battery packs are made differently, they are made better. They have a much longer life all around then the cells (modules) that come in the Gen.I battery packs. Depending how long you have them, I would say it would be safe to keep them around for a latter issue should you have one.
Q. What’s the recycle of the old batteries, or do I save them for use in the future?
A. This is covered in the guide but I do understand wanting to know all of this before jumping into a project like this. We explain in the guide that your old cells, and new extra cells are valuable to other people as they use them for Golf carts, and other such things like that. We usually list them on ebay, and sell them for around $100 dollars when we are done rebuilding the battery back.
