Repair

Prius Key Fob Transmitter

The Prius doesn’t have a key in the traditional sense.  If the 12V battery is dead, there is a metal key to open the driver’s door, but only to gain access to the hood release, which allows access to the jumper points.  (The metal key is also necessary if the battery in the unlock remote is dead.) To get anywhere (i.e. start the car, or “ready on” in mechanics’ speak) requires a wireless transmitter.

In fact most modern cars have a transmitter chip in their keys for deterring theft, but Toyota took the next step by removing the act of turning a key in an ignition cylinder altogether.  This new paradigm—of pushing a button to start a car—exemplifies the Prius’ departure from the status quo and its appeal to the next generation of drivers.

The Gen 2 Prius (model year 2004-2009) uses an integrated key “fob” that combines a lock/unlock remote with a chip to authorize driving.  The keys, like their corresponding cars, come in two flavors: “smart” and regular.  The regular kind require physical effort by the driver to communicate, by pressing buttons on the remote (for lock/unlock) and inserting the key in a slot to start (for proximity to a tickler that electronically asks the key for its code).  This does not require a key battery or the car’s ability to detect a key outside the slot.  Thus regular keys (and non-smart vehicles) are less expensive. 

“Smart” keys transmit several feet and communicate with receivers implanted in various places about the car.  (Over the years Toyota has worked to remove “dead spots” where the Prius suddenly thinks the key is missing.) A huge convenience, smart key allows total functionality while the fob stays in your pocket or bag. The act of unlocking a door simply by touching the handle supports the impression that the Prius is an intelligent car.  My mom once likened the feature to a loved one reaching across the seat and unlocking the door for you.

But, like all technology, increased sophistication entails higher cost and potential for trouble.  Without the magical fob, you are stranded and wishing for the days of other loved ones: classic cars, simple repairs, and locks that can be picked (or hot wired).  Worse still is the prospect of losing all keys and needing to reprogram the car to accept you again.

Prius keys vary slightly in price depending on functionality.  Each have dedicated onboard systems: computers, components, and modes for programming.  For reference, smart keys have a silver Toyota emblem on the back, the others have a black one.

Replacement fobs are not cheap.  New from the dealer exceeds $200; seekers are often tempted by eBay and fobs with no guaranteed history or functionality.  At LG, we clearly advocate for having at least two fobs at any one time—not on your person, necessarily, but known to exist somewhere.  The worst story is my own: I was down to one fob (the other turned up months later in the washing machine) and it got lost in the sands at Muir Beach.  Cell phone reception at the parking lot was poor, breaking into the car was embarrassing even in my mechanics’ uniform, and a tow up the narrow switchbacks of Route 1 would have cost hundreds of dollars.  I managed to extricate the vehicle, but it was a hard lesson to be sure.

Keys are needed for various reasons.  Loss is one, so is wear and tear, perhaps you have multiple users and needs.  Fortunately the parts departments of Toyota dealers are happy to sell a virgin fob with the functionality to match a vehicle, and this is the best way to go.  Initializing the keys, smart or no, is straightforward using a factory scan tool.  LG charges $30 for the service.  With tax, a new key costs approximately $260. 

This is a lot for a key, no doubt, but it’s less than a tow, a new fob (or two), and a complete reset of the theft deterrent system ($120 labor), let alone the feeling of rejection by a lovely, however high tech Prius.

Posted by Carolyn Permalink Categories: Repair »

Home of Prius Repair

Luscious Garage is the home of Prius auto repair.  We pride ourselves on knowing the Prius better than anyone else and being able to leverage that expertise to bring you the fastest, least expensive, most reliable repairs. We service a fleet of high mileage Prius cabs, used and abused 24/7, all running strong.  Our regulars include both generation Prius with over 300k miles.

Electrical demons?  Salvage woes?  Warning lights?  Seized components?  High voltage codes?  No brakes?  Lost keys?  Dead battery? 

We’re here for you!

Check out the current list of repair blogs:

Gen 1 Prius Common Failures
Gen 1 Prius Battery Failure
Prius Transmission Failure
Prius HID D4R Headlights
Prius Dead A/C Compressor
04-05 Prius Misfire Condition

These are a small selection of the work we perform on a regular basis.

For questions about your Prius or to book an appointment, simply use the contact page.

Posted by Carolyn Permalink Categories: Repair »

Hybrid Battery Failure

Hybrid cars are considered dangerous.  High voltage implies electrocution; initially people feared what would happen in the case of a crash or a service call.  These concerns have been largely dismissed after countless accidents and repairs.  In fact hybrids have proven no more deadly than regular cars.

But high voltage also entails batteries, and another rumor mill has been churning for almost ten years now about the financial threat of battery packs needing replacement.  If you were foolish enough to purchase a hybrid, you were in for a monstrous repair bill sometime in the future (60k, 100k, whatever mileage seems grossly premature).  I often hear HV batteries wrongly estimated at six to eight thousand dollars.

As Prius swarm San Francisco today, it’s clear all this fear mongering has not deterred buyers.  Hybrids are mainstream, and the ownership experience has proven to be an overwhelmingly pleasurable one.  The threat of hybrids is only to those opposed to new technology and/or burning less gas.

But the fate of the hybrid battery is still an important question and entirely relevant as these cars reach middle age. 

As hybrid specialists, Luscious Garage has unique insight into battery failures and the best means of repair.  Not only to do we have the training to service high voltage safely and reliably, we also maintain a network of suppliers for competitive prices and continually research best practices for refurbishing depleted packs and/or recycling.

Indeed, replacement packs are neither cheap nor casual to replace, but their prices and procedures are comparable to large jobs common to regular cars.

Thus far we have seen battery failures outside of the factory warranty on two models: Gen 1 Toyota Prius (model year 2001, 2002, 2003) and the Honda Insight (model year 2000-2006).  It’s no surprise that these are also the oldest hybrids on the road.

We have seen one battery failure on a 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, with only 50,000 miles on the clock, but this was an isolated case and was covered under warranty.  We have not seen or heard of common failures on other models. 

Indeed the second generation Prius (2004-2009) battery has proven extraordinarily robust, with vehicles still running on the original pack well over 300,000 miles.  This is a testament to the improvements to batteries as well as the management software on board.  Other late model Toyota products can be expected to demonstrate equal longevity.

Read more detailed information on model-specific battery failures:

Gen 1 Toyota Prius (model years 2001-2003)
Honda Insight (model years 2000-2006) (forthcoming)

Posted by Carolyn Permalink Categories: Repair »

Gen 1 Prius Battery Failure, P3006

(This blog relates to P3006 battery faults; for P3009 battery faults, congratulations, your battery can be fixed!  Refer to another blog here.)

(This blog is one in a series on Gen 1 Prius common failures.  Read the introductory blog here.)

(This blog is one in a series on hybrid battery failure.  Read the introductory blog here.)

CUT TO THE CHASE? LINK TO PRICES BELOW

Based on experience within our walls and in discussion with technicians across the country, we can fairly call Gen 1 Prius battery failures “common” and even “predictable.” The youngest we’ve seen served 130,000 miles, some make it past 200,000 miles.  Overall we’ve found 150,000 miles a reasonable expectation of how long the packs will last.

Note: This is not the same as the Gen 1 Prius HV Battery electrolyte discharge problem, which Toyota addressed with “service campaign” (a.k.a. recall) SSC 40G to reseal the positive battery terminals.

The Gen 1’s Panasonic batteries integrate six 1.2V cells into one “module” (7.2V). The modules are then connected in series, 38 total in the pack, for a nominal voltage of 273.6. (Pic above of Gen 1 pack in the trunk, operating at over 300V. Pic below of Gen 1 pack after sitting for a few months, one module down below 3V.)

The cells are designed to be charged and discharged on a regular basis.  As they age, they are increasingly sensitive to extended periods of rest and will slowly discharge internally.  The situation worsens until the cells are totally compromised; they will not maintain a consistent potential even during use, when the Prius charges and discharges them in normal driving. 

The result is wild swings of voltage within individual modules (seen on the scan tool in pairs, or “blocks”), which makes it very difficult for the onboard computer to regulate total pack state-of-charge.  When the “delta state-of-charge” (or fluctuation of state-of-charge) gets too big, the battery computer (called the “electronic control unit” or ECU) will set a code P3006: “Battery SOC are uneven” or “Battery Levels Uneven”.  (Pic of scan tool reading delta SOC of 58%) The main hybrid computer (or HV ECU, which is den mother of the car) will set a corresponding code P3000: “HV Battery Malfunction” which simply points to the Battery ECU for more information.

Additional codes may follow that pick out which “blocks” are the worst, starting with P3011: “Battery Block 1 Weak” through P3029: “Battery Block 19 Weak”.  (Note that for 38 modules there are 19 blocks.) (Pic of scan tool showing bad block 7)

To the driver, the only feedback is the master warning (red triangle) and “check engine” lights. Drivers may also notice reduced fuel economy (though there are many things that can cause that) and the battery charge display dithering around more than usual. Sometimes the engine will turn on and off over and over.

If the warnings are ignored and the battery gets even worse, the HV ECU will determine that the battery is unreliable, abandon it, and enter a “limp mode”.  Symptoms are the engine revving at high RPM, low power, and jerky performance. What the computer is actually doing is using the engine to generate electricity with MG1 (one of the motor-generators in the transmission) and then channeling that power directly to MG2 (the second motor-generator connected to the wheels) to allow the car to keep moving. 

The method is not exact and can actually cause severe overcharging and/or undercharging of the battery, stress out the HV Inverter, and potentially wreak further damage.  Also, since the HV battery is out of the picture, the system cannot use the DC/DC converter to charge the 12V auxiliary battery (akin to driving a conventional car with a bad alternator, where the 12V drains down), and the car will eventually shut down.  Many more codes may follow if the 12V system gets low enough.

Prices

Diagnosis: $60

Because the symptoms of battery failure are well understood, we only charge a half hour for diagnostics: to hook up the scan tool, confirm the health of the battery, and survey the health of related components to get a firm estimate of total necessary investment.  Note that this diag charge is typically much less than the dealer, another reason to bring your Prius to LG first.

If the car needs is a new high voltage battery there are three potential approaches:

1.) NEW: Replace the battery with a new one from Toyota

Despite prevailing rumor, new battery packs from Toyota are not unreasonably expensive.  While they are a significant financial investment, they can be expected to last as long as originals, as they are brand new and OE grade.  The replacement assembly does not include control components (HV relays, ECU, harnesses) or vent tubes.  Thus it takes a bit more labor to transfer these components from the original assembly.

Given increasing number of Gen 1 battery failures, OE replacement packs are sometimes backordered. We buy directly from the SF Bay Area dealer network, which is to say that we can get it as fast as the dealer (if not faster, as we are willing to drive to other dealers to pick up one in stock).

Installation: $480
New Battery Pack: $2,299
Tax: $218.41

Total: $2997.41

2.) USED (not recommended): Replace the battery with a used one from a crashed car

When LG first opened we could purchase used battery packs for less than a thousand dollars.  Even in the last year, we’ve seen prices double from salvage yards given increasing numbers of battery failures and dwindling supply of second-hand replacements.  It is hard to find a low-mileage battery for less than $2000, and the prices vary depending on availability.

Used packs do appear on eBay on a regular basis, but it can be very hard to determine the health of such a battery.  It’s quite likely the part is for sale exactly because it’s already gone bad.  As with any salvaged part, it’s likely sat for an extended period and further degraded.  For all these reasons, LG no longer recommends used packs.  If a customer insists on supplying their own, we will install it, with no guarantee, for three hours labor ($360).

Installation: $360
Used Battery Pack: $2000 (may vary)
Tax: $190

Total: $2,550

3.) REBUILT: Replace the battery modules with used ones from the Gen 2 Prius

Second generation Prius batteries are similar to the Gen 1’s design but chemically much improved; we have never seen a Gen 2 pack failure in our shop due to age (though we have many cars with mileage exceeding 300k) and have only heard of a few isolated cases from dealer techs across the country.  (These failures have been blamed on contamination during manufacturing and show up early in the car’s life.) To be fair, the Gen 2’s battery control software is also improved, which also accounts for extended pack life.

Gen 2 Prius are far more common and salvage parts are much easier to obtain.  We also source used packs from upgraded plug-in Prius. 

The Gen 2’s modules are the same individual voltage (7.2) but fewer in overall number (28, for a nominal voltage to 201.6), so it takes two Gen 2 packs to build one replacement for the Gen 1.  This also takes more labor.  But the good news is that these packs can be purchased used for much less than the Gen 1’s and can also be expected to last as long as new ones, if not longer. (Pic of Carolyn working on a Gen 2 pack)

Installation: $720
Replacement modules: $1,500
Tax: $142.50

Total: $2,362.50

For inquiries on battery diagnostics or replacement, use the LG contact form.

Posted by Carolyn Permalink Categories: Repair »

Gen 1 Prius Common Failures

The first generation Prius is a special car.

The word “prius” means to “to come before” and, indeed, when it debuted in the US market, its technology marked a paradigm shift.  Very quickly the modest car established hybrid appeal and influence, eclipsing its Honda rival, the Insight, as well as the development of hydrogen cars.

For all its good intensions, the Gen 1 Prius also has “special needs”.  It was a sophomore experiment, a rare gamble by a notoriously prudent automaker to compete on fuel efficiency in the midst of the SUV craze.  Not surprisingly, almost ten years later, the early Prius is fraying from the cutting edge.

Three components were exceptionally different from regular cars (even Toyota’s full EVs that appeared around the same time).  These are exactly the large dollar common failures we’ve seen in our shop:


Hybrid Synergy Drive Transaxle—a elegant liaison between two motor-generators and an internal combustion engine, first of its kind in the automotive market.  The design was patented decades before (by TRW) but it was modern computer control that allowed the “synergy” to work smoothly.



Electric Power Steering—though first seen on the 1993 Acura NSX, EPS was a strong candidate to allow steering assist at low speeds (when its most needed) when the Prius engine would be off.  In comparison, the Toyota RAV4 EV uses an electric hydraulic pump for conventional assist.



High Voltage Battery Pack—38 Panasonic NiMH modules per pack, 7.2V each, for a nominal voltage of 273.6V.  The RAV4 EV and the pre-Prius (a.k.a. model NHW10, sold only in Japan starting in 1997) use different batteries. Though similar looking, the Gen 2 Prius (a.k.a. model NHW20, model years 2004-2009) employs different, updated Panasonic batteries.

Click on the following links for dedicated blogs on each issue (and price of repairs):

Prius Transmission Failure
Prius Steering Rack Failure
Prius Battery Failure

Posted by Carolyn Permalink Categories: Repair »