Hey Scottie,
Hoping you can help me. I have 2008 prius with Hybrid battery issue "the triangle of death" ( that's what they call it). Do you think it's worth replacing or repairing the hybrid battery? Also, what do you think about the Toyota Sequoia, any specific year I should look at and or stay away from?
Thanks!
JM.
Unless you have the cash I wouldn’t fix it. Sequoias are great if you don’t mind well built, heavy, gas devouring SUV.
Depend on if you want to keep the car or not. The original battery lasts 12 years and you can assume you will get the same life out of the new one( not the rebuilt one though). I’m not sure about this, but I heard that the price of hybrid battery went sky high during the pandemic. What’s the quote you have?
FWIW, I had 270K miles on my 2004 Prius, when I got the dreaded triangle of death. The scan code indicated the hybrid battery needed to be repaired or replaced. I was about to replace it with a brand new one from the dealer. It was $1900 bucks for self installation. BUT, by the time I was ready to buy, the price for the battery skyrocketed to $3500+. This was at the beginning of the pandemic.
So I went with a refurbished GreenBean Battery as they have a lifetime warranty for $1500, installation included. (We'll see how good that warranty claim is!). This was back last March. So far so good!
[BTW, make sure to get it scanned to make sure it is the battery. I got the triangle of death before, but it ended up being the inverter water pump.]
So, is it worth it to replace the battery? In my case, I think it was. I had it since it was brand new. The car has been amazing for the past 16+ years and 295K+ miles.
I like to think about it this way. And I've said this too with my 1999 Honda Accord since the beginning.
I spent more money maintaining my BMW X5 2007 from 160K-200K miles since taking it over in 2016, than I have with my Toyota Prius in the last 295K+ miles in the past 16+ years.
Heck, if I add the cost of maintaining my 1999 Honda Accord + my 2004 Toyota Prius TOGETHER versus my BMW X5 2007, the BMW was still more costly to maintain my short period of ownership.
From this perspective, it made it easier for me to rationalize the cost of changing the battery.
One other thing. It's kinda funny. A second generation Prius is about $1500 or less with a BAD battery. But a working battery, and a decent condition Prius still might fetch $3500-$8000. There is a market for the Prius.