h04hybrid

Got a 04 hybrid with 154k. Had the ima battery replaced under warranty 3 months ago. But last week, cvt tranny gave out. Its about 5000$ to fix. More than the value of the car. Kbb puts it around 3000$ private sell and 2000 trade in. So... its sitting in my garage. People are offering me 1000$ for it. But to recover some money, it's logical to sell the 3 month old factory batteries alone and junk the car. So.... How much should I ask for a 3 month old ima battery?

GolNat

iTrader: (7)

$5000 to fix!! Is that for them to tear the trans down and rebuild or to replace with a used trans from a junk yard?

ezone

Shop around for the trans work, I'd think there are other options.

nsrhonda89

This is what I found on Ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/03-05-HONDA-...-/321057216000

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2001-HONDA-C...-/220414111995

h04hybrid

Yeah... Local Honda dealer quoted for rebuild. 5200$. Or around 4000$ with throwing in a used tranny. Which is scary.

h04hybrid

I have. .. They range from 4000 to 5200$. Nobody wants to do it for less. One shop said they can get a used tranny for 2800$ and charge 1000$ to put it in. Lol. Car is worth 2900$ in its condition. But damn... new ima battery.

h04hybrid

Thxs for those links! They aren't bad priced. Just not in the mood to spend so much. .. Doing reading. . These trannies fail rather quick. If I get that cvt tranny... imagine the shipping cost. Lol. I'm not a car girl. So I may want to get rid of it and get a newer reliable car. So I'm wondering how much I can sell the ima batteries on craigslist. I already for a ad. Listed for 3000$. Dropped it to 2000$ since no one emailed.

h04hybrid

But if anyone has seen how much people have sold new factory ima batteries, please let me know so I can give a fair price.

h04hybrid

Ok. I called 6 local shops. 2 of them don't touch hybrids. 4 of them won't take in the tranny if I buy it. They all said the same, parts are rare. And they got to go thru the factory to get one. 8 hours of labor. One shop said 3800$ out the door. Next shop said 3600$ but it's a guess and he would have to call to get a actual price. 3rd shop said 4400$ or the door. One last ship said he would call me back for a quote. So it's about right. 3800 to 4400$. The car isn't in great shape. I would say is in FAIR conditions thru KKB standards. So if I do the repair for 3800$, it's costing more than the car. Dumb right? Unless if I have no choice and its cheaper than buying another car. But these trannies are bad. Hate to keep it. What would you guys do in my shoes? Thanks for the help.

GolNat

iTrader: (7)

I would part it out. At least the batteries. As for a price, I have no idea. Get quotes from a dealer on the job and see how much it would be parts and labor separate. If parts are $1500 and labor is $500 then I would try to sell the pack for $1000 and see if anyone bites.

ezone

What exactly is wrong with the trans?
What does it do (or not do)?




Guys, OP is near SJ, California. Labor will be high priced.
But 8 hours labor to replace the trans is a bit on the high side.
Alldata quotes a bit less than 8.
Factory warranty allowed less than half that time.

ezone

How far away is San Fran? Would the car make it there?

Carolyn at Luscious Garage
http://www.lusciousgarage.com/

Tell her a fellow IATN member referred you.

h04hybrid

Yup, I'm thinking of doing that If necessary.

h04hybrid

Yup, I'm near SJ. Only 1 shop said his book calls for 8.1 hours labor. But here's what it did. Driving 35mph. Hear a load metal clunk... the metallic constant rattle that faded away within 10 seconds. Loss of engagement to tranny when the clunk happened because the car felt like it went to Neutral. Now. . Putting it in any gear (D R L etc) wont do nothing. But I do hear and fell I slight thump when I put it in D or R but acts like it's in neutral. I'm guessing the slight thump is the starter clutch working fine.

h04hybrid

No tranny engagement. It would have to be towed. Sf is 45 minutes away. But I'll call that shop tomorrow and get a quote since I missed that shop. Thank you.

ezone

Not good.
I suppose you already made sure it wasn't an axle or CV joint that let go?

Maybe she can offer other advice or solutions, options, maybe another shop closer to you, IDK.
I thought I'd put it up there since she specializes in Hybrids.

h04hybrid

Yup... Not those. They are intact. It's inside the tranny. Ill call that shop. I used gmaps to locate nearby shops, that one didn't come up. I'll give them a call now for a quote. So far 3600$ is the cheapest. But car only sells for 3000 if I'm lucky if it were running too. What would you do? Repair? Not repair?

h04hybrid

Talked to Gina, she quoted 4000$. She said she needs the vin to be more accurate but said they did one of these cats this month and it was 4000$. I offered her to buy it. NOT interested even with new ima batteries. Lol.

ezone

I don't/can't assign a monetary value number to a car the same way some other people do.
I'm in the business of solving problems and fixing cars, not selling cars.

In the year before I bought my new Civic I had put several hundred dollars in parts into my old Buick, which then sat for a year before I gave away to my kid. The car wasn't worth $500 according to KBB, but it was low mileage (100k), damn reliable, and known to have a bulletproof drivetrain (3.8L) that was good for an easy 300k miles if one could drive that far before the car rusted away. So it had a family of birds living in one of the rust holes, so what? My kids wife is now driving that reliable rust bucket all over this side of the US, going 500-1000 miles at a time.

My 87 truck is worth maybe $500 according to KBB too. Does it look like it to you?




Can you buy a comparable car for $3600? $4000? You are risking an unknown, a huge variable. There's a darn good chance that whatever you find for that price will be a big ol' POS and need a lot of $$$ help.
How cheap is that price now?

You (should) already know what you have with the Civic, as far as what the car needs and how good a car it is.
You didn't even have to pay for the IMA BATTERY, so you are money ahead already. Throw that $3000 into your calculations now.

If it were my own car I'd probably overhaul the trans myself, but I can do that.

If the car can't roll under its own power, it's a freekin paperweight and only worth about 10 cents per pound when you drag it across the scales.

If it rolls under its own power, then it's a car again and you can keep driving it another 100k (I'd hope) and get your moneys worth out of it.

When the price of gas goes up again, I bet that hybrid increases in value.

I know when gas hit $4/gal here, a beat-to-death 3 cylinder Geo Metro that wasn't worth $50 was sold for $800 just because they got 50+ MPG.
I saw a 30 year old VW Rabbit Diesel pulled out of storage, simply because it got 50+ MPG. (and I had thought those all rusted away long ago around here)

h04hybrid

Yup. Good points. I'll think about it hard. Thanks for the input.

siliconvalley

There are some good auto shops in SJ but hard to find.

Dave88LX

How did you get them to replace the battery? Just go to the dealer with the IMA light on?

ezone

California had different warranty terms on their stuff.

Visit your local dealership and see if they will warranty it for you?

Dave88LX

Ah, got it.

I doubt they will. They wanted full MSRP for the O2 sensor kit. I called Honda and they said I was out of warranty.

What's in it for the dealer to warranty it out-of-warranty; can they even do that?

ezone

Duh.
That would actually be cheap or at least reasonable in the dealership world..... dealers are free to mark up prices beyond MSRP based on whatever price structure they need to use to make a profit, and most do.

Your warranty expired when?
How many miles on the car?

Did you purchase this car brand new?
Have you been a good customer at the dealer you bought it from?
Spent a lot of money at the dealer?
(HINT: consumer≠customer)

At what point do you think you should own the car--- and all the problems that come with it?

Dave88LX

I did not purchase it brand new, I bought it used private party with about 100K miles on it. Currently has 145K. I do not bring it into the dealer for typical maintenance as I do that myself on my own time.

I see your point about owning the car and the problems that come with it. However, I do think that when a certain part has is admittedly failure-prone by the company, then if I CAN get it replaced, why wouldn't I want to... They do safety recalls all the time (there's one out on it right now for the air bags, sadly they said I can't put the cost of airbags towards an IMA battery instead LOL).

If I lived in a different state (one of those green-weenie states like CA, MA etc.), my warranty would be 150K miles instead of 96K miles or whatever it is. So, I don't know what makes me living in a different state not be eligible for for that extended IMA battery warranty...meaning...if I lived 50 miles East, then the battery would be covered by warranty...?

If I'd bought this car brand new, I would probably be pissed -- pay a premium for a Hybrid car only to need a new battery a few years down the road (light has been on for like 3 years). Any cost savings on gas would be offset by the initial cost of the car plus the replacement cost of the battery.

But, that's just me venting right now.

ezone

When the important people decide whether or not to cover something that clearly is out of warranty (or whatever the case may be) that's called goodwill. If you've spent a lot of money with them over the years, they are more likely to consider helping you out.

But it does not always happen......each case is different and considered on an individual basis.


Technically, the manufacturers responsibility ended when the warranty period ended.


The point is: The rechargeable NiMH and NiCd batteries eventually wear out and need replaced. They all do-- sooner or later.

(The lifespan of Li-ion in some newer Hybrids has yet to be seen.)

I'd think the fact that the company extended the warranty for an extra year and some mileage is an honorable gesture.
(I didn't see mention of a class action suit that caused the warranty extension)

IMO The IMA battery is not a safety related concern though. Certainly not like the airbags.

Consider which state was the car originally sold in?
I think that is what determines which warranty period applies to that car......but if a dealer ran the VIN and checked the warranty on the IMA battery they should know if it's in or out.

Would it have been covered under warranty 3 years ago?

Hybrids are for people that like the warm fuzzy green feelings.

The reality from cradle to grave is different.

They paid a cost premium to get a hybrid, you can do the math on how many miles they had to drive to reach the break even point over a regular Civic.

Also consider the pollution and environmental impact from beginning to end.
I know, and I probably don't help anything LOL