Battery Charger

[DeekoPete]

Hello again!

I've been reading a lot of the posts here and seeing a number of people having problems with the 12v battery. Now, I'm very careful about making sure everything is turned off and such and if I miss something, the car pretty much tells me (gotta love that feature), but would it be a good idea to have a portable charger or something in the case of a discharged battery? If so, what would people recommend? I am forced to keep the car outside and it's pretty damn cold right now (Wisconsin weather, gotta love it), so I'm worried about the battery going caput.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Also, are there any types of chargers that are portable that actually carry a charge so if you, say, ended up stranded, you could just hook it up and power up?

Thanks again!

[efusco]

One of the combo jump starter, air pump, and safety light gadgets is probably your best bet. I've had to jump my Prius only once in the 4+ years i've had it, but I use the tire pump at least monthly to adjust tire pressure...yet the jumper part was sure handy when I needed it to jump start and it was great when I replaced my battery as I attached the jumper gizzy while I removed the old battery and installed the new ones and the car never knew it was without power so I didn't lose any of the presets or anything.

I got mine at Sam's almost 3 years ago for <$50.

[DeekoPete]

Wow, that thing is pretty slick. Yeah, I can see where the tire pump would be an added bonus. I'll definately check it out at Sams.

Thanks!

[seasalsa]

I carry a similar unit and have never used it on my car but have used it several times on others.

You can't just buy it and forget it. It needs to be recharged periodically.

[Doc Willie]

Sears has a similar one, with one advantage: it charges straight from a power cord -- does not need a wall wart which is another piece of stuff to keep track of.

[frosh]

pepboys have one on clearance:$20 18AH

[DeekoPete]

I ended up at Sam's today and picked one up. It's not the Black and Decker, but it looks identical. I think it's made by Power On-Board and it was $39.99. I'm charging it now (not that I really NEED to, but it's nice to have it ready for when I need it. I need to charge it every month.

Edit: Seriously, these things look almost identical...



Second Edit: The website of the manufacturer - www. vectormfg. com goes to Black and Decker... go figure.

[miscrms]

Just fyi, you should always keep it charged whether you need it or not. Lead Acid batteries degrade if they sit around half charged. Topping it up every month or two is probably sufficient (charging too often is not necessarily good either) but you should definitely get it charged up full to start with.

Rob

[jayman]

Originally Posted by miscrms

Topping it up every month or two is probably sufficient

I have a Canadian Tire brand 700 amp jump start box in my Prius and my FJ. The instructions recommend an initial charge for 24 hours, then once a month until the LED turns green, and after every use

If I charge it monthly, the LED turns green after a minute or so

[subarutoo]

Those chargers are cool, but the only time I needed a jump start while away from home I just called AAA. That was on our old VW Scirocco, which had other problems...long story. As for the Prius, has anybody used AAA for a jump start? Do they know the correct hook-up, etc., because I sure don't? Here in sunny (except this week, rainy) California, its rarely an issue. . . just wondered.