Auxillary battery, water pump, and brakes

[2003prius]

Sigh. Not just one problem at a time.

About two months ago when I took my 2003 Prius in for the recall, the dealership said I need a new water pump because it's leaking. However, I never see any antifreeze under the car. They said it would be $500 to replace it.

They also said it's $750 for the brakes, that the rotors are bad.

I'm not sure what's going on with my 12 volt battery. The car has a little over 86k miles and I bought my car in 2003, only had about 93 miles on it from the dealership.

I didn't drive the car for about a week, it sat in the garage and sadly I didn't go out to start it everyday. No surprise when after a week of sitting in the garage, it wouldn't start. Duh, the owner's manual states the battery would completely discharge as a result of that.

AAA came out, gave me a jump start and it immediately started. I let it run for about 10 minutes and well, two days later it wouldn't start. Another AAA tow truck driver came out and insisted he knew what he was doing, even though he's looking under the hood for the battery after telling him repeatedly the batteries in the trunk. He was a jerk! He FINALLY looked in the trunk and found the battery. He said the battery failed the test, but the car again started immediately. I put it on a battery charger for about 3-4 hours and it was fully charged.

Everyday since then, my car starts and drives no problem. Well, I mean I'm trying not to go far due to the water pump and brakes, but other than that, I'm not having any problems driving. I know I shouldn't until I get all these problems fixed, but along with millions of others, I'm dealing with trying to find full time work after losing my unemployment.

I'd appreciate any feedback on why my 12 volt appears to be fully functioning; the dealership claims it still needs to be replaced. Another independent mechanic said it's not good for the battery or the car, could damage other components and that you should replace the battery every four years.

Last of all, with the 12 volt, water pump and brakes, who would you recommend in the Metro Detroit, MI area other than the dealership for these repairs?

Thanks,

[Patrick Wong]

1. Regarding the 12V battery, if you have access to a battery charger and can keep the battery charged periodically (connecting the charger to run overnight, ideally), and the car starts when you want it to, then no worries.

2. Regarding the engine coolant pump, I suggest you look at the pump pulley for signs of pinkish or whitish coolant stains. Then you can see for yourself how bad the pump bearing is leaking.

3. Regarding the brakes, if the car stops smoothly, does not make any unusual noise, and the brake pedal does not pulsate, then don't worry about it for now.

Unless you note a serious problem when you inspect 2 and 3, you can defer repairs until you obtain new employment. As long as the car starts when you want it to, you can defer 1. Good luck with your job search.

[usnavystgc]

I totally concur with Patrick. If there's no coolant on the ground and your coolant reservoir doesn't need regular filling (not to be confused with periodic topping off), and you have no overheating problems, I'd say you're ok for now. Just keep checking for signs of a bigger leak. If it is leaking now like the dealer says, the leak will likely get worse with time.

As for the battery, if you don't have access to a battery charger, get a battery maintainer from Harbor Freight (if you have one nearby). They usually have them on sale for $10 (bought one for my lawn mower). It wont recharge the batt but will maintain a charged batt.

I can't tell you how many times a dealer (from all different car brands) have told me I needed some service that I didn't need. Dealerships are notorious for simply going by a chart (if you have this problem, replace all of this or perform this procedure). I am always very leary of what they tell me and I usually try to avoid them. I like to do all the maintenance myself. You could easily replace the brake rotors yourself and save over $500 and possibly close to $600. New rotors are $37 at Autozone and not hard to replace. Haynes manuals are also available and walk you through all of it step by step with pics. Only basic tools are required. I've never tried to replace a water pump but if I had that problem, I would do it. Don't let yourself get taken advantage of.

[2003prius]

Originally Posted by Patrick Wong

1. Regarding the 12V battery, if you have access to a battery charger and can keep the battery charged periodically (connecting the charger to run overnight, ideally), and the car starts when you want it to, then no worries.

2. Regarding the engine coolant pump, I suggest you look at the pump pulley for signs of pinkish or whitish coolant stains. Then you can see for yourself how bad the pump bearing is leaking.

3. Regarding the brakes, if the car stops smoothly, does not make any unusual noise, and the brake pedal does not pulsate, then don't worry about it for now.

Unless you note a serious problem when you inspect 2 and 3, you can defer repairs until you obtain new employment. As long as the car starts when you want it to, you can defer 1. Good luck with your job search.

Thanks Patrick! Sorry for the delayed response. I have not had to charge the battery since December 13th, the car starts fine. As of February, it will make 9 years since I bought my Prius and it's the same battery.
The brakes don't seem to make any unusual noise, they stop fine. However, the back rotors look rusty, so I'm sure I'll have to replace them soon.
I can't seem to find the pulley for the water pump, but again, I don't see any leaks in my driveway or in the garage.

Thanks again for your help.

[mlhenderson]

Keep an eye on your battery. It is at an age where most are past end of life. Similar to you I have had a couple of incidents in my 2006 where I left a door ajar and drained the battery overnight. After the last time that happened my Brake, ABS, VSC, (!) lights were on. The brake pedal didn't seem to have much travel and was very hard at the bottom. Stopping was greatly reduced but I was not far from home so I slowed down and allowed more time to get stopped. I put it on the charger overnight and the braking seemed better but the lights didn't go out. I drove across town and after that the lights did go out when I started it for the return. After sitting out in my work parking lot the next day the lights came back on. I ordered an optima and have been getting by putting it on the charger every night until I can swap it out.