Toyota parts question.

[fordmanchris]

I have an 07 Prius that I bought from Andy Mohr Toyota I think 2 years ago. The 12 volt starting battery was replaced right before I bought it with a Toyota truestart battery that says 84 month warranty. I'm pretty sure it's going bad now. Will they warranty the battery to me? For some reason when I pull up the service history, it has my name on the Toyota owners website as having had it replaced even though I didn't. I was not sure if the warranty is only to the person that had it done or does it follow the battery. I tried calling them to ask but cannot get through. I called other Toyota dealerships and one told me I had to buy a new one and one told me I had to take it to where it was replaced.
I don't need it Installed, just need a new battery if possible. I'm not trying to get something for nothing, but obviously if I can get it prorated or something it would help a lot right now. If anyone has any insight, I would appreciate it!
Thank you!

 

[Kaneda13]

Car part warranties are for the car, not the owner, even new car warranties move to new owners. All that being said though, batteries are frequently prorated, so while they may not cover 100% of the cost of the battery, they should cover a least the greater portion of it.

 

[fordmanchris]

I still have not talked to Andy Mohr, but talked to one on the Southside. I am really trying not to drive too far out of the way right now, but they said they would have to hook up the car to get the code to warranty it. Is there any way around that? Normally I would not mind, but right now we have 4 kids at home and a baby in the NICU since December 26th and this is a really bad time to have my car in the shop or have it down at all. I'm afraid that if I'm wrong and they hook it up and it's not the battery then they will charge me for hooking it up at the very least and I can't afford to have them fix it anyways. I usually just work on my own stuff so getting parts and doing it is no big deal, but the crazy shop fees are. I don't have a way to actually read the hybrid codes, but everything is pointing towards a bad 12v battery. When I go into the screen that shows battery voltage, it reads under 12v also. Just on the off chance that it's not and also the fact that I don't know if they will replace the battery and try to get me for labor, I'm trying to avoid that.

 

[WebSnyper]

Toyota.com/owners follows the VIN, I believe. Should show any history done by a toyota dealer on that VIN/vehicle, which is why it now shows you as you have that VIN registered on Toyota.com/owners.

 

[WebSnyper]

I still have not talked to Andy Mohr, but talked to one on the Southside. I am really trying not to drive too far out of the way right now, but they said they would have to hook up the car to get the code to warranty it. Is there any way around that? Normally I would not mind, but right now we have 4 kids at home and a baby in the NICU since December 26th and this is a really bad time to have my car in the shop or have it down at all. I'm afraid that if I'm wrong and they hook it up and it's not the battery then they will charge me for hooking it up at the very least and I can't afford to have them fix it anyways. I usually just work on my own stuff so getting parts and doing it is no big deal, but the crazy shop fees are. I don't have a way to actually read the hybrid codes, but everything is pointing towards a bad 12v battery. When I go into the screen that shows battery voltage, it reads under 12v also. Just on the off chance that it's not and also the fact that I don't know if they will replace the battery and try to get me for labor, I'm trying to avoid that.

I'd call Andy Mohr and speak to one of the service advisors. I guess you could also call their Parts counter. Scot Egan is their Parts manager, I believe, and ask him.

You'd think they could test a battery without much of a problem (even if it was not in the car), though I guess they would not be able to tell if the issue is the charging system in the car or not without testing that.

I'd also ask them how much prorate they do on the battery given it's age. Might not be worth the drive to get what they will give you, and you could just get a replacement somewhere closer yourself.

 

[russc2542]

Car part warranties are for the car, not the owner, even new car warranties move to new owners. All that being said though, batteries are frequently prorated, so while they may not cover 100% of the cost of the battery, they should cover a least the greater portion of it.

Parts warranties are for whatever the paperwork says it's for. Aftermarket parts (autozone, napa etc) are generally not transferrable (though you can get around it by having the previous owner's phone # or receipts). Parts installed at a shop are generally warrantied though that shop who takes up the warranty with the parts supplier.

Mfr parts replaced at the mfr dealership I'm not sure about.

As for this particular scenario, technically you (the op) didn't buy the battery, you bought the car as-is with the battery already installed. you do not have any claim on a battery warranty as I understand it. You could take it to the dealership, they would decide whether they thought keeping you happy with a goodwill service of looking at it would be offset by the prorated refund they might get from warrantying the battery though Toyota after-sales parts. (remember the dealership is an independant franchise that sells Toyotas, they are not part of Toyota.) As such, my suggestion is also to call them up. Yes they may need to test the vehicle for other faults (if something else is wrong causing the battery to fail, your next one will fail again and they might not be able to get it warrantied.)

 

[PGRChaplain]

O'Reilly, Advance Auto Parts, AutoZone will all test it for free. That way you'll know whether the battery needs replaced or whether it's another problem with the charging system.

 

[rem788]

The battery may/may not be under warranty. The only way to know is to call Andy Moore and ask. As others have said, you may be better off economically just purchasing a battery and installing it yourself. Why? Because if you take it to the dealer they will be required to test your system and you will be charged for that. It may not be the battery but a problem in the vehicle charging system, wiring, connections etc. If you get an aftermarket battery, be sure it is the correct one for a Prius, the vehicle electrical system does not play well with the incorrect battery. The correct battery will be more expensive but you will avoid problems down the road. I suggest you correct this problem soon, if the auxiliary 12 volt battery voltage gets too low, the vehicle will not do anything. Won't start, move, go into ready mode. Electric door locks won't unlock and you must open the hood to jump the auxiliary battery. These are a pain to jump also. Review the jump procedure in the owners manual so you do it correctly to avoid creating problems. You can have the battery checked at a local parts store but I would recommend taking it out of the vehicle to have it checked. Good luck.

 

[halfmileharry]

The Prius can be deadly to work on the electrical system.
Make sure you know what you're doing ON A PRIUS before you diddle around the Prius Minefield.

 

[Route 45]

The Prius can be deadly to work on the electrical system.
Make sure you know what you're doing ON A PRIUS before you diddle around the Prius Minefield.

This can't be emphasized enough. The main battery can literally kill you if you don't know what you are doing.

 

[Route 45]

I suggest you correct this problem soon, if the auxiliary 12 volt battery voltage gets too low, the vehicle will not do anything. Won't start, move, go into ready mode. Electric door locks won't unlock and you must open the hood to jump the auxiliary battery. These are a pain to jump also. Review the jump procedure in the owners manual so you do it correctly to avoid creating problems. You can have the battery checked at a local parts store but I would recommend taking it out of the vehicle to have it checked. Good luck.

The auxiliary 12v battery is in the trunk on a 2007 model.

 

[russc2542]

12v dead: yea the control system runs off the 12v, if the 12v is dead then you can't switch on the HV battery pack... you just need enough of a jump to turn on the computer and switch on the HV battery. once the HV pack is connected, the 12v system charges off the HV system and you're golden.

Jumping a dead Prius: had to do it on our '15. Jumping the Prius isn't that bad. There's a spot to do it and it's easy.

Jumping another dead car off the Prius is one of those "it's possible but we strongly suggest against it". I know it can be done but haven't read about it or tried.

Replacing the 12v battery isn't that exotic... but read the procedure anyway. Just don't lick the orange wires, they are NOT creamsicle flavored.

 

[rem788]

"The auxiliary 12v battery is in the trunk on a 2007 model" .That is correct, Route 45. The jump points are at the under hood fuse box. The rear hatch is opened electrically so electrical power is necessary to get access to the battery located in the rear compartment on the right side.