I Am Thinking Of Importing A Prius...but Am Worried About Different Ba

[hanain]

I am thinking of buying an imported prius...around 99 or 2000 model...but i heard somewhere that there is a difference in the batteries used betwwen the uk spec models and the jap imports, is that true? also is there anything else i should be aware of when purchasing an import. all advice would be appreciated.

[aaz911]

Hi.

I recently imported an estima hybrid.

And the Battery at the back needed replacing.

And in the u.k. Many garages stock these batteries.

Mine cost me around £40-£50.

By the way i myself have a company by the name of Ravat Vehicle Imports.

We specialise in most japanese vehicles especially hybrid models.

And we can guarantee to beat any quote you can get from any uk japanese imports seller you are still interested in purchasing a japanese import or you know anyone, then just give me a call on-

07878750678

or alternatively you can email me:

aaravat@hotmail.co.uk

[propnut]

I am looking at buying one of these cars and from my research there are two batteries. The one in the rear which is 12V and used for starting the petrol engine and then there is the NiMH Battery used for running the electric motor. Now the first one may well be cheap but it seems that the main one can cost a few thousand to replace.

What's more whilst Toyota claim a +- 8 year life span on the main Battery browsing the web it seems that in the US there have been many failures well before that time which have resulted in huge bills to the unfortunate owners.

In my personal hobby which has nothing to do with cars I spend a lot of time with Battery technology and can tell you this.

The old NiCAD batteries had very good power output BUT suffered from what was called memory which resulted in diminishing performance over time.

NiMH batteries overcame the memory problems allowing a much longer lifespan but at the expense of reduced peak power delivery

The next gen batteries are LiPo - these suffer no memory, are a fraction of the weight of NICAD or NiMH and delivery a real power kick.

So personally I am going to wait until Hybird manufacturers move over to these before delving into Hybrid technology. I certainly don't want the saving I make in fuel to be taken back out of my wallet by having to replace a battery.

With respect to fuel consumption the figures I have seen on these cars varies wildly but official tests seem to concur on +-48mpg. Now my wifes 1.3 Nissan Micra gives that quite easily around town and goes to +-54mpg on the open road. Ergo in my mind even more reason to wait for the battery technology to make a significant jump in duration before diving into a Hybrid.

[aaz911]

I have found it truly amazing how many people who have never driven a prius or owned one will give you advice on "what they heard" or try to tell you what the warranty on a Battery is when the correct answer is all over the internet at various sites- that is the CORRECT answer that is out there.

Tell you what, anyone that starts out, "i don't own one, but i heard..."

should have their answer just thrown out for stupidity.

The fact is that the Battery and hybrid system is warranteed for 150,000 miles in CA and 100,000 miles elsewhere. (it's the same system, just that the CA law requires the longer warranty).

The fact is that Toyota has stated repeatedly that they have never replaced a hybrid traction (hv) Battery that wore out from normal use. There are taxis out there that have put on 200,000 miles on them with no loss of power.

I came across an Auto repair owner had come across a prius with 360,000+ miles.

With no mods.

There are alot of rumours that having to replace the NiMH high voltage batteries when the warranty runs out, but i gotta tell you, that's just not true. As far as i can tell from research there have only been 2 batteries replaced.

The first instance, the owner had to pay for, because he had a fancy stereo fitted in. And the electronics technician that fitted the strereo drilled into the battery.

The second instance, a single cell went bad, the whole stack had to be changed and Toyota covered the costs for that.

So out of the hundreds and thousands of toyota hybrids out there, only a handfull have needed replacement, and they were outside of normal usage.

Normal use meaning after 9 years in the US (2000-2009) meaning not in accident or abuse.

That is why they are consistently rated one of the most reliable cars on the planet, survey after survey.

I'm not sure when some of the other answerers are going to consider it a proven technology.

You are probably going to get some truly interesting answers about how the warranty runs out. You have to replace the battery.. Blah... Blah... Blah...

Good grief, They have been in use since 99 in japan and 2001 in US.

How much proof is necessary that this is a mature reliable technology?

It had initially by scrapped by all US Manufacturers.

Now go to those very same manufacturers who are planning on makings that they atleast call hybrid.

Basically the bottom line is the BATTERY IS DESIGNED TO LAST THE LIFE OF THE CAR!!!

[propnut]

And of course the fact that you make a living out of importing and selling these cars has nothing to do with the fact that you are getting so heated by someone raising some discussion points

[aaz911]

Urrm for the record i don't make a living out of selling cars.

Even if i do sell cars whats that got to do with me backing up a proven fact for a Toyota Prius.

Hardly anyone has approached me for that vehicle anyway.

I do have a proper full time job.

The reason being i went into so much detail was to prove a point.

In a discussion facts are put forward, ideas are put forward, many things people learn which they don't know about or come across in their life.

If you took in what i wrote as info then thanks.

But i did learn from you today regarding the different types of batteries. And without a doubt i don't under estimate your knowledge.

Thanks for your time anyway. ;)