Strangely enough guess what I was doing today…

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Originally posted by 6guns:
Not to highjack grumpy's thread, but I pulled the trigger on a sport version and appreciate all the comments in this thread to lead me in this direction. I had to travel to Connecticut to get it, but the dealer picked me up, had an over $3k dealer incentive and is dealing with registering it for me and getting plates. No complaints.

Welcome to the club, very nice. Looks like the Heavy Metal color maybe and that is really sharp. Enjoy!

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Originally posted by HRK:
Very nice looking car, now you get to watch NASCAR and have skin in the game!

Vroom! Wait, that's the other brand...

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Strangely enough guess what I was doing today…

Tell us about that, cslinger!? Very sharp!

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Welcome to the club, very nice. Looks like the Heavy Metal color maybe and that is really sharp. Enjoy!

Thanks, grumpy! Such a newcomer, I have a ton to learn still. It is Heavy Metal; I like it!

Fast forward 10-15 years which is how long I keep my cars. If the hybrid battery shits the bed, entire car is a boat anchor. It’s my understanding hybrids won’t run on gas engine alone. What is battery replacement cost on one of these ?

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Originally posted by ElToro:
Fast forward 10-15 years which is how long I keep my cars. If the hybrid battery shits the bed, entire car is a boat anchor. It’s my understanding hybrids won’t run on gas engine alone. What is battery replacement cost on one of these ?

I am new to this as well. My understanding is the Hybrid battery replacement is like 5-6k at most. Toyota recently INCREASED their warranty on the batteries so that says something.

The reason I went Toyota was their system is basically the same as the OG Prius just incrementally updated over the years and that system now has a long history of being rock solid, fairly simple and reliable.

Mine is an XSE, Underground, with red interior and blacked out badging and wheels. My daughter has a similar red XSE and the mileage and overall driving dynamics have been fantastic. I used hers as my “extended test drive” and ordered one for me.

From Google:

AI Overview A Toyota Camry hybrid battery replacement generally costs between $1,500 and $4,500, depending on whether you choose a remanufactured, aftermarket, or brand-new unit, and whether you opt for dealership or mobile installation.

Exact price estimates vary by generation:
2007–2011 Models: $1,500 – $2,500

2012–2017 Models: $1,600 – $3,800

2018–2024 Models: $2,000 – $3,500

Going to an official Toyota dealership is typically the most expensive route, often totaling between $4,000 and $6,000 including labor.

For cheaper alternatives, you can purchase and install through specialized third-party providers. Many of these services offer free mobile installation in your area:

Green Bean Battery: Prices average $1,750+ with mobile installation.

Greentec Auto: Remanufactured and new cell options range from $1,600 to $3,000.

Hybrid Restoration: Installs new Panasonic-celled batteries starting around $1,600

The crazy thing is the Tesla Model 3 has 60-times the battery capacity of the Toyota Camry Hybrid. Not a dig at Tesla. I just grabbed a common EV I see around.

Per google:
The 2026 Toyota Camry Hybrid is equipped with a 1.0 kWh total capacity lithium-ion battery pack.
The 2026 Tesla Model 3 Standard has a nominal battery capacity of 64 kWh, with 60–62.5 kWh of usable capacity.

Think of how many more hybrids could be on the road, or how cheap battery replacements would be if we hadn't been subsidizing EVs the last decade!

quote:

Originally posted by ElToro:
Fast forward 10-15 years which is how long I keep my cars. If the hybrid battery shits the bed, entire car is a boat anchor. It’s my understanding hybrids won’t run on gas engine alone. What is battery replacement cost on one of these ?

This was a concern for me until I investigated more. 6Guns already gave an excellent breakdown on estimated replacement costs which I think are very reasonable and that could go down as the number of hybrids increases over the years.

Keep in mind the substantial savings of gasoline and brake maintenance though with the hybrid plus performance increase over standard 4 cylinder models of the past.

The ECVT transmission of the Camry hybrid is supposedly very robust compared the the regular CVT transmissions which are often problematic out of warranty and expensive to fix. However I am not buying into the lifetime transmission fluid Toyota claims and will be changing ours by 60,000 mile.

The software and sensors in the car normally should give plenty of advanced warning of problems with the hybrid battery. The important thing is to not ignore them.

I did not want a turbo engine or anything that needed premium gas. There are tons and tons of reports about engine failures and blown head gaskets with them from all manufacturers, even Honda. My nephew and his family were stranded in Arizona on vacation as their turbo engine Hyundai just out of the ten year warranty shit the bed and they did not want to spend the money on fixing which was a whole lot more than a hybrid battery replacement would be.

FWIW I would never take our 2026 Camry hybrid to a quick change oil place. Toyota has very specific requirements for motor oil stating 0W-8 or 0W16 (but only temporarily). Will also be doing 5K oil changes on our Camry. For those concerned about 0W-8 motor oil and it being too thin, see the video below by a motor oil expert and results backed by extensive oil testing. BTW Walmart has Mobil 1 0W-8 oil and 0w-16 in 5 quart jugs.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mob...g=L1102&from=/search

Just my 2 cents, time will tell.

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Originally posted by cslinger:
Strangely enough guess what I was doing today…

Nice Chris! Love that color too.

I had my first oil change today. I'm not in a position to do it myself here, though I'll be doing the next one.

I went to the local Toyota dealer with just over 1400 miles on the car. Of course I wanted to get the break in oil out of the engine and replenish with fresh oil. He actually tried to dissuade me saying the first service wasn't due til 10,000 miles. He even went so far as to print TWICE on the service slip that customer requested this service.

I feel better about it and will continue with 5000 mile oil/filter changes.

Oil changes are cheap insurance as long as you are not getting raked for more than $80-$90.

^^^ Well, it wasn't cheap, but i did want the dealer to do the first one.

Interestingly, they treated it like a 10,000 mile service and checked all the items they would normally do at that interval. And they sent me a video of the tech making these checks...like he wears a go pro or something. He explained as he went along calling out what he was checking and quoting measurements. I'd never seen that before.

Good for you 6guns. The guy in finance at the Toyota dealer made kind of a big deal about it only needs oils changes at 10K and saying that is what WE ALL DO HERE. I thought that was pretty weird and don't believe him. I wonder if it has anything to do with the supposed shortage of 0W-8 oil.

We have not hit 1K yet and here is what I am going to do. I have one of those devices where you can suck fluid out through the dipstick and will use that to do the 1.5K and 5K oil changes while Toyota can do the 10K changes. The Toyota filter can handle 10K oil change interval so I am not giving anything up but leaving just a little oil behind with my process but the convenience is a big deal and there will be savings as it costs $30 to get the Mobil 1 0W-8 at Walmart and I already have 2 jugs. BTW the Mobil 1 0W-8 is JASO GLV-1 rated and they make the Toyota oil.

BTW I washed our Camry and applied a coat of liquid Jescar Ultralock Plus sealant on it and that worked very well.

However I have not applied anything to that big front grill yet as I am hoping to use something a little bit easier than a liquid coating. Anyone have any ideas such as a spray on and rinse off product? If not I will use my Jescar Ceramic Spray On Wax and just do smaller sections at a time wiping off/buffing the wax as I go.

https://jescarfinishing.com/pr...N6RQXc6KB1B1v1Xq0oNx

grumpy, like you, I picked up a couple of jugs of 0W-8 oil and Toyota filters at Walmart for my next couple of DIY oil changes.

I just came across this video which I thought was interesting and a real negative against the 10,000 mile oil changes recommended by Toyota. Sounds like the company is doing itself and its customers a real disservice.

I will never run a vehicle more then 5K between oil changes.