GS450h 2012 - Cost of Hybrid Battery replacement/repair

[Anevb]

Hi all,

I've been driving 2005 IS250 and it's the best car I've ever owned however, I am looking to purchase my first hybrid Lexus. I am considering GS450h or IS300h (both 2012-2014) with around 100k. Posting this in the GS forum as this is the one I am leaning towards. 

From my understanding, because the cars I am looking at have done 100k+ miles then I won't be covered by the extended Lexus warrant. This makes me concerned about the potential cost of replacing the hybrid batteries. I don't mind taking the risk as long as I know how much the potential bill will be.

I will really appreciate it if someone can share how much they've been quoted for hybrid Battery replacement or refurb (specifically for GS450h and IS300h). And also, is there another potentially expensive repair around the hybrid system?

Thanks

Boris

[Spock66]

If you get an annual hybrid health check (which is included in a regular Lexus service) the hybrid Battery has a 1-year warranty up to 15-years, I don't believe there is a specific mileage limit.

[royoftherovers]

9 hours ago, Spock66 said:

If you get an annual hybrid health check (which is included in a regular Lexus service) the hybrid battery has a 1-year warranty up to 15-years, I don't believe there is a specific mileage limit.

There is a limit of 10,000 miles annually Andrew.

 

Richard of Hybrid Battery Solutions UK has reconditioned Hybrid Batteries for some Members at a reasonable cost.

[Mossypossy]

Very low failure rate. At least half the price of a Merc Hybrid Battery if you had to stump up money yourself, which as said would only happen on a 15+year old car.

Think actual figure is about £6k for Lexus replacement??

[Anevb]

That sounds like a great deal! I drive less than 10k miles so should be covered. 

Thanks for the help!!!

Edit: the 15 year warranty is the great deal, not the £6k repair 🙂

[Spock66]

16 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

There is a limit of 10,000 miles annually Andrew.

Yes, I was meaning total mileage limit.

[johnatg]

I understand that the warranty after a hybrid health check lasts for 1 year or 10K miles. If you reach 10k miles in less than a year you can just get another HHC and start again. 

But you'd have to pay for it if it didn't coincide with a service - free with a service. But then, services should be at 10K mile intervals (maximum) anyway, if less than a year has gone by.

[royoftherovers]

13 minutes ago, Spock66 said:

Yes, I was meaning total mileage limit.

Limit of 10,000 miles each year for max of 15 years from date of first registration Andrew.

eg. If at start of year 10 your cumulative mileage is 100,000, then the Hybrid Warranty will last until 110,000 miles have been reached in that year.

[wharfhouse]

4 minutes ago, johnatg said:

I understand that the warranty after a hybrid health check lasts for 1 year or 10K miles. If you reach 10k miles in less than a year you can just get another HHC and start again. 

But you'd have to pay for it if it didn't coincide with a service - free with a service. But then, services should be at 10K mile intervals (maximum) anyway, if less than a year has gone by.

That is correct - I do more than 10k miles per annum and each service (my car is serviced with Lexus) comes with a new hybrid health check valid for the next 10k miles or 12 months whichever occurs first. If the car isn't serviced by Lexus then the hybrid health check would need to be done by Lexus (and paid for) every 10K miles or 12 months whichever occurs first. 

[wharfhouse]

4 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

Limit of 10,000 miles each year for max of 15 years from date of first registration Andrew.

eg. If at start of year 10 your cumulative mileage is 100,000, then the Hybrid Warranty will last until 110,000 miles have been reached in that year.

But you can then renew (and pay for of course) for another 10K miles once that point is reached as many times as you want in a year. 

[ColinBarber]

Remember the health check only covers the Battery, no other hybrid components. A failure of the inverter, motor or transmission will produce a four figure repair bill, and not one with a 1 at the front of the figure if you go to Lexus.

[wharfhouse]

41 minutes ago, ColinBarber said:

Remember the health check only covers the battery, no other hybrid components. A failure of the inverter, motor or transmission will produce a four figure repair bill, and not one with a 1 at the front of the figure if you go to Lexus.

That's true and why I also have the 10 Year Plus Extended Warranty now - will see me through to 15 years / 150K miles - I know there is some contention as to whether this is worth it but personally I see it as peace of mind for a relatively small sum of money should one of those rather expensive components need replacement. An option for the OP after the Relax option expires. 

[serbarry]

5 hours ago, ColinBarber said:

Remember the health check only covers the battery, no other hybrid components. A failure of the inverter, motor or transmission will produce a four figure repair bill, and not one with a 1 at the front of the figure if you go to Lexus.

Is there any way to know if the failing component is not the Battery? I mean the Lexus dealer could say it is not the Battery but the inverter therefore it is not covered by the warranty, but should we simply trust what the dealer say or there is a way to check that? 

[ColinBarber]

6 hours ago, serbarry said:

Is there any way to know if the failing component is not the battery? I mean the Lexus dealer could say it is not the battery but the inverter therefore it is not covered by the warranty, but should we simply trust what the dealer say or there is a way to check that? 

The error codes produced, which can be read by an OBDII reader, would indicate where the problems lies. Lexus dealers are independent of Lexus GB, they get paid whether the warranty pays or the owner so they aren't going to play that sort of game - they are more likely to lose business if they say it isn't covered under warranty as many owners would go to an independent or scrap the vehicle if the repair cost is too high.

[Steven Lockey]

19 hours ago, serbarry said:

Is there any way to know if the failing component is not the battery? I mean the Lexus dealer could say it is not the battery but the inverter therefore it is not covered by the warranty, but should we simply trust what the dealer say or there is a way to check that? 

The error codes are pretty easy to look up, there are specific Battery codes. 

Strongly recommend Hybrid Battery solutions. Talked to him and got my Battery replaced for £2200 (there was a slightly cheaper option)
with a 3 year warranty which isn't bad at all. Hes extremely professional and friendly. He also does reconditioning for around the £800
mark. He'll advise which he thinks is best depending on the age of the Battery.

 

[serbarry]

3 minutes ago, Steven Lockey said:

The error codes are pretty easy to look up, there are specific battery codes. 

Strongly recommend Hybrid battery solutions. Talked to him and got my battery replaced for £2200 (there was a slightly cheaper option)
with a 3 year warranty which isn't bad at all. Hes extremely professional and friendly. He also does reconditioning for around the £800
mark. He'll advise which he thinks is best depending on the age of the battery.

 

I live in Ireland and as far as I know there are not hybrid Battery specialists here so I would have to go to Lexus if I had a problem. My question arises from the fact that I do not trust much the Lexus/Toyota dealer in Cork.  

[royoftherovers]

11 minutes ago, serbarry said:

I live in Ireland and as far as I know there are not hybrid battery specialists here so I would have to go to Lexus if I had a problem. My question arises from the fact that I do not trust much the Lexus/Toyota dealer in Cork.  

Just have a telephone conversation with Richard as Steven did Sergio.

[Steven Lockey]

14 minutes ago, serbarry said:

I live in Ireland and as far as I know there are not hybrid battery specialists here so I would have to go to Lexus if I had a problem. My question arises from the fact that I do not trust much the Lexus/Toyota dealer in Cork.  

Or e-mail 🙂
And honestly, if you are just starting to get Battery errors, the car is driveable. Mine lasted ~1000 miles from the first error to actually having issues. Plenty for a quick ferry ride and then drive to see Richard if needed. 

For the price difference, well worth the bit of extra time. There is a nice lake nearby for while you wait as well 🙂

[serbarry]

Thank you both. If I ever had a problem with the Battery, I will consider contacting Richard.

I actually found a couple of hybrid Battery specialists in Ireland from google search. Hopefully I will never need to contact anyone.