Replacing the battery in an 05, Toyota or home maintenance

[Jeri]

I called the dealership and the price on the battery was acceptable, 138.75 but on top of that they want another 141.90 to install. This seems more than a big exorbitant. Can it be done by someone reasonably familiar with regular batteries or do I have to take it to a Toyota dealership?

[qbee42]

Replacement is fairly easy. There are several posts showing how to do this, complete with photos.

If you want to keep your settings, consider floating the 12V system with another battery at the jump points under the hood.

Tom

[efusco]

It's fairly easy to do yourself. A quick search should turn up several posts about DIYers doing it. I did mine in less than 30 minutes. It's a bit harder than a simple "under the hood" change out, but not so difficult that I'd pay anyone to do it for me.

Replacement of 12 volt auxiliary battery
That'll get you started.
Here's the details:
http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/prius-12V/

[icarus]

$141 to install a battery! Another prime example of why my car will NEVER see the dealer for service unless it's paid for by warrantee.

Assuming takes 1/2 hour, (I bet it would take less than 10 minutes) that is a shop rate of ~$280/hour, steep by anyones standards! On top of that they are making at least 50-100% markup on the battery!

There is a reason those dealers are so *@#@*ng fancy!

I bet you could find an independent shop to supply and install a Prius battery for under $150 total!

Icarus

[Jeri]

I have decided to let my local mechanic do the work and have downloaded the photos, instructions from the link. Next question when I buy the battery directly from Toyota, should that include everything I need? I noticed the mention of a kit but am wondering if that is only needed for a non Toyota purchase.

[boppo]

Originally Posted by qbee42

Replacement is fairly easy. There are several posts showing how to do this, complete with photos.

If you want to keep your settings, consider floating the 12V system with another battery at the jump points under the hood.

Tom

qb3342,
will a battery tender do the job or do you need a 12 volt battery.
thanks,

[Jeri]

Originally Posted by boppo

qb3342,
will a battery tender do the job or do you need a 12 volt battery.
thanks,

I'll need the battery replaced.

[boppo]

Originally Posted by Jeri

I'll need the battery replaced.

What I was asking was if I put a new battery in will the battery tender hooked up to the jump start plugs in the motor area work to keep all my settings when I disconnect the old battery.
thanks,

[Patrick Wong]

Usually a battery charger will expect to see the battery produce a certain amount of voltage. If it senses that the battery is producing less than this amount (say if the battery is quite discharged, when you disconnect the battery, or if the battery polarity is reversed) then the charger will shut down for safety reasons. So you'll need to use a voltmeter with your battery tender to see what happens when you disconnect it from the battery.

In general I would say that even if a battery charger will continue to produce voltage, this would not be a suitable backup source of 12VDC because the voltage produced by a charger typically is not filtered or regulated very well. Hence it may cause havoc with sensitive Prius circuits.

I have a couple of lab power supplies that I could use for that purpose. If you don't have access to that type of device and feel the need to establish a backup power source then I would suggest buying a couple of 6V lantern batteries and wiring them in series, observing correct polarity when connecting them to the Prius.

[boppo]

Originally Posted by Patrick Wong

Usually a battery charger will expect to see the battery produce a certain amount of voltage. If it senses that the battery is producing less than this amount (say if the battery is quite discharged, when you disconnect the battery, or if the battery polarity is reversed) then the charger will shut down for safety reasons. So you'll need to use a voltmeter with your battery tender to see what happens when you disconnect it from the battery.

In general I would say that even if a battery charger will continue to produce voltage, this would not be a suitable backup source of 12VDC because the voltage produced by a charger typically is not filtered or regulated very well. Hence it may cause havoc with sensitive Prius circuits.

I have a couple of lab power supplies that I could use for that purpose. If you don't have access to that type of device and feel the need to establish a backup power source then I would suggest buying a couple of 6V lantern batteries and wiring them in series, observing correct polarity when connecting them to the Prius.

Thanks Patrick,
I got my optima battery today and they left the rebate form out and the battery was leaking in the box. I e-mailed them but haven't heard back.
Thanks,