Replacement Hybrid Battery

Gbear

First post here so hopefully I'm adhering to all rules and regulations (read the sticky post!:pac:)

My dad and I were thinking of sharing a car (he doesn't need it all the time) so because of better value, spec etc he was going to import a Lexus from the UK.

Also, because of VRT and tax he was going to get a hybrid - I think a IS, GS or LS model.

One sticking point is basically, will whatever cost is incurred by maintaining a hybrid car be worth the savings? How much does the battery cost and how often must it be replaced (I take it it's not just a standard car battery).

Any help would be appreciated.

650Ginge

Not a standard car battery.

Unlikely it will need to be replaced. The Prius has 100k miles and 8 years warranty on the battery. Not sure about the Lexus.

colm_mcm

Unless you're buying post 2008 the tax will be enormous.

mickdw

There is really only a saving if doing alot of town driving. So if doing long motorway runs, the hybrid wont benefit you as any savings that might be made from energy regeneration while slowing down/braking, is lost on the extra weight of the batteries.
For stop start driving though, its a very useful setup IMO.
There is a massive guarantee on the hybrid components on Lexus. 8 years I think. You would need to ensure the car you buy has a perfect service history to maintain this warranty.
Gs 450h is a very very fast car. Pity its not real driving though. CVT gearbox. You can select manual mode too but its not functional really. You could literally let a child play with the gear lever while driving along in manual and it would have no real effect on the car. Its stunning taking off from a standstill though and indeed is pretty stunning all the way to whatever speed you wish to go.

Gbear

Thanks for the replies.
Just to be clear, I don't really buy into the whole Hybrid engine thing. Given the exotic materials needed that need to be shipped from around the world to make them I'm skeptical about the tangible benefits for the environment - it's not really mpg i'm looking to make savings on.
If that was the only factor there are probably plenty of diesels that would do the job.

It's about the VRT and tax. I think there's quite a bit of money to be saved there, or am I mistaken?

It will probably be a relatively new car.
If 2008 is an important cut off date w.r.t tax then that will be a factor in our decision making.

Edit: Although 8 years sounds like alot if its a 2008/9 car that means 4/5 years down the line a replacement battery might be needed.
Does anyone know how much that would actually come to?
I'd imagine a Toyota dealer would absolutely take you to the cleaners...

-Corkie-

If you are thinking about the gs450 you will pick one up a way cheaper here.

colm_mcm

Just because the warranty is 8 years doesn't mean it'll calf on its 8th birthday

Gbear

colm_mcm wrote: »

Just because the warranty is 8 years doesn't mean it'll calf on its 8th birthday

Yeah of course, but it's the end of the safety net.
Another part of my question was how often must a battery be replaced?

colm_mcm

The Prius seems to be holding up well in this respect.

Gbear

-Corkie- wrote: »

If you are thinking about the gs450 you will pick one up a way cheaper here.

We're looking at all the hybrid lexus models.
We're only looking at lexus in particular because my dad had one before (LS430 I think) and he loved it. Big bus of a yoke but smooth as honey.

If any1 else has any other suggestions i'd be also grateful

We've imported before (a really nice merc C180) and everything went swimmingly. So we're not totally fumbling in the dark but it's about trying to find out if a hybrid import is the best way to go.

-Corkie-

Gbear wrote: »

We're looking at all the hybrid lexus models.
We're only looking at lexus in particular because my dad had one before (LS430 I think) and he loved it. Big bus of a yoke but smooth as honey.

If any1 else has any other suggestions i'd be also grateful

We've imported before (a really nice merc C180) and everything went swimmingly. So we're not totally fumbling in the dark but it's about trying to find out if a hybrid import is the best way to go.

In that case LS600H ftw...

mgbgt1978

There is a fleet of Prius taxi's in Vancouver (or some Canadian City). I know they're not Lexus's's's but some have apparently achieved over 800,000 miles on original Batterys....
As said earlier, unless you are mainly doing a lot of city driving then a hybrid will really not make much sense. Better to buy an '08 onwards high-end diesel.

Poulgorm

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

As said earlier, unless you are mainly doing a lot of city driving then a hybrid will really not make much sense. Better to buy an '08 onwards high-end diesel.

But be prepared to put €4,000 to €5,000 aside for replacing the DPF, DMF, EGR valve...not to mention the turbo charger

Guy:Incognito

Poulgorm wrote: »

But be prepared to put €4,000 to €5,000 aside for replacing the DPF,DMF, EGR valve...not to mention the turbo charger

A high end diesel will likely be auto

It's a wonder theres any diesels on the road the way people go on here. Every one of them is guarenteed to have thousands in bills ever 2 or 3 years if you listened to them,

Gbear

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

There is a fleet of Prius taxi's in Vancouver (or some Canadian City). I know they're not Lexus's's's but some have apparently achieved over 800,000 miles on original Batterys....
As said earlier, unless you are mainly doing a lot of city driving then a hybrid will really not make much sense. Better to buy an '08 onwards high-end diesel.

Will the '08 onwards diesel give the same VRT and tax savings as a hybrid?

Also, I don't like diesels:pac:

They sound like vans.

maidhc

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Every one of them is guarenteed to have thousands in bills ever 2 or 3 years if you listened to them,

That is an exaggeration, but not as much of one as I would like. They do cost money as they get older compared to a simple 4 cyl NA petrol, that is a fact not up for discussion.

Poulgorm

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

A high end diesel will likely be auto

It's a wonder theres any diesels on the road the way people go on here. Every one of them is guarenteed to have thousands in bills ever 2 or 3 years if you listened to them

The diesel boom started in 2008 (with the change in VRT and road tax). With average mileage of about 12,000 miles per annum, by the end of 2012, most of the 2008 diesels will have 50,000+ miles on the clock. Then the fun begins...

Of course, a lot of (most?) the 2008 diesels did not have a DPF.

colm_mcm

The diesel exec boom started long before 2008 though.

Guy:Incognito

maidhc wrote: »

compared to a simple 4 cyl NA petrol, that is a fact not up for discussion.

Then your in to the BMW debate of "4 pots are crap, has to be 6"

mickdw

Take the Gs450h, 3.5L petrol, large electric motor, in total equivalent to 350 bhp. An 07 model will be in the max tax bracket, €1683 per year. Go for an 08 and it will cost €677.

Gbear

mickdw wrote: »

Take the Gs450h, 3.5L petrol, large electric motor, in total equivalent to 350 bhp. An 07 model will be in the max tax bracket, €1683 per year. Go for an 08 and it will cost €677.

That's interesting.

What about VRT. Does being a hybrid impact on that? Because i'm fiddling around on the VRT website and it's looking extremely pricey.

Edit: I'm looking at two similar cars - one based in Ireland and one in the UK.
The only obvious difference I can see is 6 grand in VRT.

-Corkie-

Gbear wrote: »

That's interesting.

What about VRT. Does being a hybrid impact on that? Because i'm fiddling around on the VRT website and it's looking extremely pricey.

Have you priced on here. I know where a 06 was sold for under 9k..

Gbear

The more I read about this and look at the prices the more it seems like this is a bad time to be buying one of these cars.

To get good value you need to find something before the 2008 deadline which results in 2.5 times the tax and really eats into any savings.