I really prefer the high road, but as I interact with customers or potential customers, I find what's going on out there appalling. I can identify two major "hybrid shops" in the Phoenix area. I haven't heard anything good about either.
One has two strikes against it... A customer had his THIRD failure of a Dorman battery under warranty... the only thing the shop would do is quote a new battery. On another occasion, the shop just punted and without troubleshooting, they suggested a replacement for nearly $5K (Not a Prius). I assessed that battery, and while it was significantly deteriorated, there were MUCH better options available for far less. Furthermore, the codes had nothing to do with the battery but a safety related system.
The other shop has only one strike against it. However, it's very concerning. The customer informed me he had taken it to the shop earlier this year for reconditioning. Right there on the case, it's marked: "7130mAh 2/1/16." I evaluated this pack, and it's capacity is less than 3,000mAh. One of two possibilities exists: 1) The shop is lying, or 2) the shop is using testing procedures and categorizations that are woefully inadequate for the task at hand. This isn't a situation where one or two cells were weak. This entire pack has deteriorated nearly uniformly across all cells. I question if ANY work was even done.
This is all I do. I don't try to be a one-stop shop. I have a specialized skill, and I'm passionate about it. There is plenty about the Prius that I don't know, but when it comes to the hybrid system and the battery in particular, I'm confident I'm among the best informed. I hope this doesn't sound like bragging/boasting. I have put in the darn time. Close to 1000 hours over the last two years, testing, tweaking and refining my process while collaborating with other organizations to further optimize it.
When you call, you're going to talk to me. When it's time to install, you'll see me. When there's a problem, yep, me again. If warranty service is required, it's going to be me replacing your battery completely free of charge, apologizing and struggling to wait to get back to the shop to find out what could possibly have happened, so I can make sure it never happens again.
I treat you as I want to be treated, and I take this VERY personally. I have 3 children. I also have a lot of adopted "kids" running around in my customer's cars. They don't mean as much to me as my actual children (I'm not totally nuts), but they are definitely a source of pride.
Thanks for reading,
Steve