I have a ten year old non plug-in hybrid car (Toyota Camry) and had no problems over the last ten years driving it.
But now the hybrid battery seems to have given up and some functionality is disabled at software level (i.e. engine monitoring and cruise control!)
I went to a Toyota service garage and got the car inspected. They quoted 80,000 baht for a battery replacement.
I asked them to reset the electronics which they eventfully did. But they couldn't explain why engine monitoring and cruise control got disabled. I was told that they don't understand this and most people sell their car after six years...
After driving for another two month (after they had reset the electronics and put the battery online again) the same has happened again and the battery is now off-line, while engine monitoring and cruise control is disabled again.
Two major points that I want to clarify:
What to expect, if I do go for a battery replacement?
What to expect, if I get an "off-label" manipulation of the electronics and have the battery entirely remove, thereby in effect have a normal petrol car?
I am not looking for a general discussion if hybrids are good or bad. I would like to explore my options before I eventually buy a new car in the future.