Bought a 2007 Camry Hybrid

[S Keith]

Originally Posted by vskid3

Yikes, that doesn't sound good. Temps here are nothing like Phoenix, but July and August get pretty hot. I wonder if the space between the cells actually hurts the cooling unless the fan speed is bumped up. The Sanyo D cells in the Escape hybrid seem to hold up well, but they also have a cooling system better than some EV batteries.

I guess I'll have to get all the loose modules clamped together in the Camry pack and start checking capacity and reconditioning.

I have very strong opinions about the cooling. I would encourage you to read the following and draw your own conclusion regarding how well you can get airflow to go around a cylinder/sphere:

https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/ai...ragsphere.html

Note that turbulent flow has almost no ability to cool compared to attached laminar or near laminar flow.

The cooling system was DESIGNED for the prismatic modules. IMHO, the cooling system has been rendered completely ineffective regardless of fan speed.

The FEH Sanyo cells are the same as in the 2006-2011 Honda Civic Hybrid. The 2009-2011 HCH2 HV battery is the worst ever made with a 30% failure rate after 3-4 years. 2006-2008 was the second worst with 16% failure rate after 5-7 years. Yet the FEH has one of the most reliable batteries ever made.

The cooling system of the Prius "kits" are more like the HCH2 without the benefit of staggered cells.

This guy sounds like a nut, but he makes what sound like good points:

https://priuschat.com/threads/prius-...4#post-2573759

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Cobbling together a working battery from used cells sounds like a way to ensure you'll have to do it again soon. I might consider it if it didn't take much time, otherwise I'd want to do it once and be done for the life of the vehicle.

Me too. After reading this and other threads here and at Priuschat, I've pretty much decided that when my battery craps out I'll just replace it with a new OEM battery and be done with it. It's only ~$300 more than those D-cell replacements, and you don't have to take apart your old battery.

Anyone know if the warranty on a new OEM battery is the same as the original?

[S Keith]

Originally Posted by Vman455

Me too. After reading this and other threads here and at Priuschat, I've pretty much decided that when my battery craps out I'll just replace it with a new OEM battery and be done with it. It's only ~$300 more than those D-cell replacements, and you don't have to take apart your old battery.

Anyone know if the warranty on a new OEM battery is the same as the original?

This question kills me. How can anyone think it's remotely reasonable? 8-10yr/100-150K on a car that is OUT of warranty (older and higher mileage).

Of course not. Since 1/2016, 3 years. Prior to that, it was only 1 year.

A new Toyota battery is NOT drop-in. You have to transfer the electronics bay, relays, top air dam, vent hoses, etc. to the new battery. You have to pull the cover and attach new main leads and safety plug and properly torque those 4 nuts.

It's not much work, but you will have to pay the $1500 core charge unless you properly strip your core, but you'll most certainly want to have the two together, so you don't miss anything.

[vskid3]

Originally Posted by Vman455

Me too. After reading this and other threads here and at Priuschat, I've pretty much decided that when my battery craps out I'll just replace it with a new OEM battery and be done with it. It's only ~$300 more than those D-cell replacements, and you don't have to take apart your old battery.

Where did you see that a new battery is only $2000? I just checked with my local dealer and a battery for my Prius would be about $2700 after returning the core. $2000 would be a little easier to swallow. EDIT: Nevermind, I can't math, it would be about $2k.

I'm considering getting a new battery from the dealer for one of the cars, probably the Camry, and using the old modules to build a decent pack for the other car (same plan as before, but with a new battery that will last). While $700-1500 for a rebuilt battery or a DIY rebuild for both would be much cheaper, I think the peace of mind knowing that at least one of our cars should be good for at least 5-10 years might be worth the extra expense.

[S Keith]

List price of a Gen2 Prius battery is $1,950+applicable tax. There is a $1,500 core charge that you get back when you return your old battery.

All other batteries are MUCH higher. Toyota dropped the price of the Gen2 pack by about $650 at the beginning of 2018 in response to the aftermarket.

Gen3 are around $2600 and Camry is over $3K.

[vskid3]

Originally Posted by S Keith

List price of a Gen2 Prius battery is $1,950+applicable tax. There is a $1,500 core charge that you get back when you return your old battery.

All other batteries are MUCH higher. Toyota dropped the price of the Gen2 pack by about $650 at the beginning of 2018 in response to the aftermarket.

Gen3 are around $2600 and Camry is over $3K.

I just realized that I'm an idiot and for whatever reason thought $3500 minus the core charge (I believe the guy at the parts counter said it was $1350 and I've seen that online a couple places) was $2700. Don't mind me...

That sucks that the Camry battery costs so much more. I will have the think on this...

Do the OEM batteries have new modules? I thought I'd read that they were rebuilds or old stock at one point, but it looks like the current ones are new.

[S Keith]

All Toyota "new" batteries have always contained newly manufactured modules (verifiable by the DDMY code). On a limited basis, in some markets (maybe only CA), they offered "reconditioned" packs under a different part number. I believe that has been discontinued due to poor reception and poor quality.

[vskid3]

Well, I bit the bullet and ordered a battery for the Camry from my local dealer last Friday. It should arrive Wednesday or Thursday, so I should have 2 working cars by the end of the weekend. I'll put the worst of my modules in the core I return. I think I'll leave the Prius' battery alone until temperatures drop a bit, then open it in the car and start doing some charge/discharge cycles to see if I can liven them up a bit and hopefully put off buying another battery for a little longer.

[vskid3]

The new battery has been in the car for a couple months, doing fine so far.

The battery arrived at the dealer the following Tuesday and I installed it over the next two evenings. I definitely removing the old battery and replacing it within a couple days so everything is fresh in your brain. Waiting over a month to do the reverse process left me scratching my head quite a bit as far as what order to do things and how the wiring is supposed to be routed.

I haven't noticed any change in MPGs. The SOC seems to stay at 6 bars almost all the time unless I keep it going in EV. Long hills barely reduce the SOC (if at all) where before it would be drained by the top (my Prius' battery has also been drained by large hills since I bought it). I'm not sure if this is normal behavior for a Camry hybrid, as my only other experience has been with the sad battery.

[S Keith]

Originally Posted by vskid3

The new battery has been in the car for a couple months, doing fine so far.

The battery arrived at the dealer the following Tuesday and I installed it over the next two evenings. I definitely removing the old battery and replacing it within a couple days so everything is fresh in your brain. Waiting over a month to do the reverse process left me scratching my head quite a bit as far as what order to do things and how the wiring is supposed to be routed.

I haven't noticed any change in MPGs. The SOC seems to stay at 6 bars almost all the time unless I keep it going in EV. Long hills barely reduce the SOC (if at all) where before it would be drained by the top (my Prius' battery has also been drained by large hills since I bought it). I'm not sure if this is normal behavior for a Camry hybrid, as my only other experience has been with the sad battery.

Very normal.

Assuming you have need of heavy A/C use during your warmer months, you will notice a draw down in SoC at long lights or extended A/C operation when engine isn't running.

Make sure you keep your A/C operating top notch. Cooling air is pulled from the cabin. Aim the center vents so they "lob" cool air onto the back deck.

Lastly, I recommend you use Hybrid Assistant and set the fan control to 100°F when operating in warmer weather.