2nd time - needed to jump start - starting battery drained -

[ifogel]

Thanks, I will tell the technician to test the battery for drain during the maint. visit.

[Lynn]

I have had the battery replaced and if I leave the car for 30+hr. it will not start. 15000mi 2004.
The dealer thought that when the battery was replaced in was not fully charged.
Other than that I was told to drive the car daily and not let is sit.

[seeh2o]

My 2004 Prius, package #3, does not have SKS and the only add-on I have is Lo-Jack. Is my Prius prone to battery draining in two weeks as well? I'm going to be going on vacation and would like to prepare an intervention to prevent coming back to a drained battery. Thanks.

[ifogel]

I am not sure if this is specific to my car or not. I have an appoitment for tomorrow with Toyota. If I get any additional information I will pass it along.

[DanMan32]

Even with the fob in the slot, car would not beep continuously unless a door was left open. After all, haven't you sat in the car doing nothing on occasion?

Make sure you didn't forget a map light on, or have any dome lights in constant ON position. In such a state, the body ECU has no control of the dome lights, and it never has control of the map lights.

[gschoen]

Others have reported here how long the current Prius can sit without dying, and others have done a calculation based on current draw and total battery current. The new Prius is less prone to battery drain and even with SKS everyone has reported two weeks is OK (less reliable after that). I would expect the dealership to check the idle draw and battery condition. If either is out of spec, after removing any aftermarket accessories, they should fix the problem. If not, it is very possible the vehicle isn't being turned off properly, especially since someone unfamiliar with it (except for your lesson) actually turns it off, and they won't be able to reproduce the problem.

Others have reported on larger capacity batteries, though the limited space can make significant upgrades difficult.

I purchased from Wal-Mart an $8 DC plug charging cable for my Prius. This would only start your Prius if you can use ACC mode or have the $10 Coastal Tech mod making front DC plug always active. Starting the car only requires a small amount of juice from the 12V battery, just enough to power the computer. The main battery does the actual (and much higher power drain) engine starting, it's condition is independent of the 12V battery (and MUCH more difficult to drain.. haven't read anyone's story but it's possible.) I believe efusco (apologize if wrong person) reported if your dome lights come on at acceptable brightness, the car should start OK. You could use this device to jump another vehicle (warning: it's not recommended to use the Prius to jump another vehicle, but if you disconnect the vehicles before starting the dead one it should be ok) though a conventional vehicle with a deeply discharged battery (no noise when turn key) could take up to 40mins. The device limits current to 10A so it's safe for Prius since current is limited, though you have to disconnect before starting to protect device's 10A fuse. I haven't had a dead battery yet, despite leaving dome light on a few nights, so haven't tested it.

I was planning on getting a cordless inflator (when did gas stations stop giving free air???) with DC plug and trying that with the device above for a start. I don't know how much juice the Prius actually needs or how big of a battery these devices have, but seems OK. A portable jump start device, even a very small one, should work fine too and could be used with the above device.

Of course, disconnecting the battery or having a quick disconnect switch works. This is very impractical for your situation, personally I think it's easier to jump the car if needed than bother with disconnect.