mkZ hybrid

[heyjewel]

Anyone have thoughts on how long the battery pak will last in these? I bought my wife's 2014 hybrid Z recently when she bought a new Maverick hybrid. With gas prices the way they are, $6.39 now for reg here, I wanted the nearly 40mpg of the Z. But I'm 'only' getting 37.2 I'm thinking maybe the batteries are dying and the gas engine has to run more. Anyone have knowledge or thoughts on this?

 

[joegr]

I don't know specifically about that car, but in general, the batteries seem to last 8 to 12 years, and they do lose some capacity every year. This is what has kept me away from hybrids and full electric so far.

 

[heyjewel]

I don't know specifically about that car, but in general, the batteries seem to last 8 to 12 years, and they do lose some capacity every year. This is what has kept me away from hybrids and full electric so far.

This car is 8 years old and has 161,000 miles. It's been perfect, wife maintained it 100%. It does seem to me that the blue battery indicator drops a bit faster than it used to. I dunno. Dont want to have to replace the battery pak! Thanks joegr

 

[SHORod]

I've not been able to connect my scan tool to an MKZ Hybrid yet, but on the Hondas and Toyota's I've connected it to, there's always been a menu for the hybrid battery with various "battery health" parameters that seem useful in gauging battery condition. On the Honda it even provided enough evidence to enable my ex-Mother-in-Law to get a new battery under warranty.

If you don't already have a high end scan tool, maybe ForScan will provide similar peace of mind or confirmation of your concern for a relatively low investment. Or you could take the car to a shop with a pro-grade scan tool and pay them to scan the battery for you.

-Rod

 

[heyjewel]

I've not been able to connect my scan tool to an MKZ Hybrid yet, but on the Hondas and Toyota's I've connected it to, there's always been a menu for the hybrid battery with various "battery health" parameters that seem useful in gauging battery condition. On the Honda it even provided enough evidence to enable my ex-Mother-in-Law to get a new battery under warranty.

If you don't already have a high end scan tool, maybe ForScan will provide similar peace of mind or confirmation of your concern for a relatively low investment. Or you could take the car to a shop with a pro-grade scan tool and pay them to scan the battery for you.

-Rod

That is an interesting idea. I have a scan tool. But it's not an expensive one. I have forscan too. Thanks for the brain kick. My wife tho is starting to cause problems! She wants to buy the car back from me and sell it. She needs the $$$s. Dont we all. Money is flying out the window here. She thinks she can get several thousand more than she sold it to me for. She may be right. I've noticed that dealer and used car lots I see have maybe 1/2 as many cars on the lots anymore. There apparently IS a shortage of used cars out there. We'll see.

 

[joegr]

I would find buying or selling anything from/to my wife very strange. We are equal partners with shared assets.

 

[heyjewel]

I would find buying or selling anything from/to my wife very strange. We are equal partners with shared assets.

Yeah I know. She bought both hybrids with "her" own money tho. (It is interesting though when I was bringing home the bacon, it WAS our money.) Much of hers comes from a not big enuf settlement from an almost fatal head on accident in 2015 in her previous Z which was not her fault and she did have serious injuries and suffered for months so that's HER money. And also she's got a good job, which she trained for while I worked. Now she's the breadwinner and I gotta live with that. She's great though. She has responded to this insane world now with aplomb. Our house is set with food for a long time. Both purchased and grown. And we have more TP than the average store. And she doesn't charge me for the food!
Back on point I didn't want to see the mkZ go. It's a beautiful, absolutely reliable car and gets 'close to' 40mpg. She had to sell though to help pay for her new Maverick. So I gave her a bunch of $$$s to keep it here. Now I'm almost able to afford gasoline again. I also have the manual tranny LS, I love rowing my own, and a Navigator L for my long photography trips. Each gets about 1/2 the mpg of the Z.
Sorry for the long post but I had to try to explain my gonad-free lifestyle.