Hello, I've been posting at other forums about the website Hybrid-Battery-Repair.com. I've read the site and rebuilting the IMA battery is more within my budget right now. I just want honest responses because I can't afford this fix not to work. Has anyone had this service and if so is your battery still running after the year warrenty? I have a HCH Gen I.
I am shocked I saw your note before the owner of the shop did! He is a regular poster here. Many many users have used his service (Not myself, I am still in warranty.) And they all sound happy. The only trouble is the shipping. If you are an East coaster, it works great. But those of us on the left coast it gets pricey fast.
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'02 CVT Insight, Silver, Spaceman Spiff and "Enlarged to show detail" in back window.
LMPG since purchase: 56.1mpg
Mods Completed: HDFM/CD player, Air Horns.
Planned Mods: Touch button auto-shutoff, Solar cooling vent fan.
I'm on the East coast so shipping is not an issue. Just wanted to know if anyone used him. I'm interest but the 2-3 week turnaround time may be an issue for me. I could just buy a battery off of him or just bum a ride for a few weeks. If I could get a good two years out of my battery after the repair - I'm good. Called the Honda dealer and got a price. Just trying to weight my options. Thanks for the reply
I am shocked I saw your note before the owner of the shop did! He is a regular poster here. Many many users have used his service (Not myself, I am still in warranty.) And they all sound happy. The only trouble is the shipping. If you are an East coaster, it works great. But those of us on the left coast it gets pricey fast.
I am not about to interfere when someone is asking for others' opinions of my services. I'd prefer there be no chance of anyone thinking I had rigged the responses.
Shipping-wise, an Insight crate runs about $80 across the country full while a Civic crate runs about $75. The Civic battery housings are smaller and have less of the fragile lumps sticking out, so I'm able to use an extremely compact crate for them. The size makes the difference.
Insight: 27x26x15 100lbs full 35lbs empty (billed at a dimensional weight of 55lbs)
Civic: 24x17x8 86lbs full, 21lbs empty
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2000 MT #4227 175K miles - Citrus Yellow, BetterBattery
I just received my refurbished battery from Hybrid Battery Repair.com 8 days ago. Since I am very local to the business (I'm in central NJ), I drove to and from the site for both the battery removal and re-installation.
While I can't offer you any solid evidence - yet - of the durability of the refurbishing, I can say that everything seems work as it did before I brought the battery pack in for repair: The IMA, autostop, the charging and discharging, etc. And I definitely plan to post when the 1-year warranty period ends on how the battery performed overall.
That said, you mention the "2-3 week turnaround" time as a concern.
On October 1, 2010 I drove to Hybrid Battery Repair.com and had the battery removed for refurbishing. At that time, I was told the repairs were running "4 to 5 weeks". While this seemed like a long time, it was a cheaper option than a new battery, and environmentally more responsible. Within a day I authorized a $500 payPal transfer as a deposit for the work. Fast forward 4+ weeks...
I called the company on November 3rd (or 4th) to confirm pick up on November 5th, 5 weeks after the battery was dropped off. My call was NOT returned so I called again on the 5th and spoke with the owner and was told that I needed to call his tech to get an exact delivery date. When I called her and got it, and I was shocked: November 24, 2010, almost 3 weeks later.
At this point, I became somewhat irate: Hybrid Battery Repair had my battery for 5 weeks, they had my deposit, and they had my message that I was expecting to pick up the battery that day, and they had NOT respond to my call, and now the delivery date was pushed back 2 1/2 weeks.
FYI, driving your Insight without the battery is harder on the engine (and I would say the clutch too, if you have a manual like me) and you lose the punch of the electric motor, which you need for climbing hills, passing, etc. And the starting from a 12 volt is a lot rougher too.
On November 8, 2010 I sent the company an email stating that I needed a firm answer to the question of whether the battery would actually be refurbished by the 24th or not. I wanted something in writing as I was concerned they would miss this delivery date too. In my words: "at this point, I just need straight talk from you - no spin, no optimism, no bullshit."
3 Days later, in a email, I was told the battery would be ready the 22nd of November. Indeed, I did have the battery re-installed on November 22, 2010 - 7 weeks and 3 days after I dropped the battery off - and things so far are working fine.
Why is it necessary to become irate to get people to do their jobs? i.e. respond to their paying customers, make reasonable estimates, and keep them informed as to what is going on? This seems to me to be somewhat of a pervasive problem.
Bottom line, think hard before parting with your battery and get delivery dates in writing.
Hybrid Battery Repair is a reputable company and does their best to fulfill the increasing number of orders out there.
There are plenty of uncontrollable variables in refurbishing batteries, including supply of parts.
I'm sure they do their best to communicate with customers.
As far as "harder on the engine"... I'm not so sure I'd agree with you on that one. It's a car. It's meant to be driven. Is it slower. Yes. But not necessarily any harder. Remember, you are driving around with less weight in it, too. Starting from the 12v is not harder on the car either. It's a starter. That's it's job. To start the car.
Parting with a dead battery should not be too hard of a decision. The lower cost factor more than outweighs the slight inconvenience. Example: I just had a local person quoted $5,800 to replace the battery. To get the battery through hybrid battery repair would be nearly $4,000 in savings! Is having a slower car for 2 months worth $4,000 in savings? Yes it is.
FYI, driving your Insight without the battery is harder on the engine (and I would say the clutch too, if you have a manual like me) and you lose the punch of the electric motor, which you need for climbing hills, passing, etc. And the starting from a 12 volt is a lot rougher too.
The car is quite capable of running without any assist indefinitely. It is no harder on the engine than driving a CRX or a non-hybrid Civic. I do agree that it is far less satisfying to drive, but at least it didn't have to be parked for the duration.
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Originally Posted by TangoRunner
Why is it necessary to become irate to get people to do their jobs? i.e. respond to their paying customers, make reasonable estimates, and keep them informed as to what is going on?
Getting irate did not change the date of completion of your battery, all it did was upset the staff.
We are currently running at a 4-6 week repair time. It fluctuates based on the number of customers coming in, the number of replacement cells needed for each battery and the current status of available cells. It even varies based on battery testing factors: some results require additional tests or even retests. For every battery we repair, there is at least one that we have to process to get the replacement sticks.
As far as returning your phone call, I receive 40 or more calls per day. As most anyone here who has talked to me on the phone can attest, I can rarely get through a conversation without someone trying to beep through. I guess I missed yours in the shuffle. Sorry.
I also get better than 100 emails per day. This means that I'm spending more than half of my day responding to people. Also, almost every customer calls about a week before their battery is scheduled to be completed, only to be told that it won't be done early.
We are in the process of moving to a new location while expanding. There are now seven people working here, and there is an email address just for updates. It is updates@hybrid-battery-repair.com There will shortly be a new phone number as well and several people will answer it. Hopefully that will alleviate others' similar concerns.
Other than that, how is the battery doing?
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2000 MT #4227 175K miles - Citrus Yellow, BetterBattery
Currently I am having my IMA battery rebuilt by hybrid-battery-repair.com. I paid the $500.00 deposit via PayPal, and sent off a batt that I bought from a junk yard. The estimate time was 4 to 6 weeks. Right now we are at 6 weeks. I have emailed the owner a couple of times asking about status, but have not recieved a reply. I am not concern yet, but I would feel better if someone would email me and give me an update.
Mean time I am driving my 2003 Civic with the orginal IMA batt, which requires disconnecting the 12 volt batt everytime I park. If I don't I will have a dead battery and will require a jump. Also driving without the IMA assit is putting extra strain on the gas motor, hence I would not want to drive in this mode for an extented time.
We are in the process of moving to a new location while expanding. There are now seven people working here, and there is an email address just for updates. It is updates@hybrid-battery-repair.com There will shortly be a new phone number as well and several people will answer it. Hopefully that will alleviate others' similar concerns.
Other than that, how is the battery doing?
Congratulations on expanding the economy
Good service tends to do that to a company!
Currently I am having my IMA battery rebuilt by hybrid-battery-repair.com. I paid the $500.00 deposit via PayPal, and sent off a batt that I bought from a junk yard. The estimate time was 4 to 6 weeks. Right now we are at 6 weeks. I have emailed the owner a couple of times asking about status, but have not recieved a reply. I am not concern yet, but I would feel better if someone would email me and give me an update.
Mean time I am driving my 2003 Civic with the orginal IMA batt, which requires disconnecting the 12 volt batt everytime I park. If I don't I will have a dead battery and will require a jump. Also driving without the IMA assit is putting extra strain on the gas motor, hence I would not want to drive in this mode for an extented time.
Bert Murray
Ellicott City, MD
As he said above:
Quote:
I also get better than 100 emails per day. This means that I'm spending more than half of my day responding to people. Also, almost every customer calls about a week before their battery is scheduled to be completed, only to be told that it won't be done early.
So... what part of "4 to 6 weeks" didn't you get... or "The car is quite capable of running without any assist indefinitely. It is no harder on the engine than driving a CRX or a non-hybrid Civic..." I thought he was quite clear on the process.
I'm reminded of my good friend, whose Dad worked at NASA during the heady Gemini and Apollo days, who liked to quote, "working for NASA feels like they sometimes expect you should get nine women pregnant at the same time, so we can provide a baby in one month." You know, when it comes time to do a job as exacting and labor-intensive as above, you can't hurry the process sometimes. Chill, man, I'm sure our sponsor is doing his very best on your behalf, and your posting your complaints here smacks of insensitivity at best and a sense of entitlement at worst. Disassembly, assessment, reassembly, testing, delivery... with a zillion other things to do involved with running a business with half-a-dozen employees, and keeping other customers happy, and planning for future growth... I bet you've never run a business. Otherwise, you'd be a bit more laid-back about your delivery date.
Long after you forget the extra few days, you'll remember you saved a boatload of money over a dealer repair. Again... chill...
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Driving on down the road in my 2001 CVT, going "Boogety Boogety" ...and until avatars are provided, my car looks just like the original silver Insight on the header, above... =)
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Anyone use Hybrid Battery Repair. com before?
