Battery replacement

[greenjack]

Out of curiosity, has anyone had to replace the lithium ion battery? My sister is seeing some pretty poor gas mileage on her '04 prius with 120k miles. Just wanted to see if it is a possibility. She's now getting only about 350 miles per tank - driving pattern has not changed. She used to get about 500 miles / tank and has progressively gotten worst. Any help would be appreciated

[mcbrunnhilde]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(greenjack @ Jul 8 2007, 11:43 PM) [snapback]475388[/snapback]</div>

Out of curiosity, has anyone had to replace the lithium ion battery? My sister is seeing some pretty poor gas mileage on her '04 prius with 120k miles. Just wanted to see if it is a possibility. She's now getting only about 350 miles per tank - driving pattern has not changed. She used to get about 500 miles / tank and has progressively gotten worst. Any help would be appreciated
[/b]

The battery is not Lithium--that's what everyone is hoping for in the next generation of Prius. About the reduced mileage, has your sister checked the air pressure in her tires? She's obviously an experienced driver, so I'm not going to suggest that she might be driving in "B" instead of "D"--that's more for newbies. If she truly suspects the battery, her Toyota dealer can check to see if there is a problem with it (and if it's throwing any codes, please post them here so the experts here can tell what they are). If your sister lives in California (or the several Northeastern states that follow CARB standards), the battery is warranted for 150,000 miles. There have been incredibly few Priuses with battery problems, so the possibility is very remote that it really IS the battery.

Shot in the dark--it might be that she needs a...oh shoot, I can't think of the term...something like a calibration reset? I haven't heard of it for a long time, but it's something that was done in conjunction with the gas tank TSB. I remember the car has to be level during the procedure, but at this late date I can't even be sure if it has anything to do with mileage. Galaxee would know...I'm sure she'll see this thread.

BTW miles per tank doesn't mean anything, because of the way the bladder and individual gas pumps work. What did her MPGs used to be, and what are they now??

[dhancock]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(greenjack @ Jul 9 2007, 02:43 AM) [snapback]475388[/snapback]</div>

Out of curiosity, has anyone had to replace the lithium ion battery? My sister is seeing some pretty poor gas mileage on her '04 prius with 120k miles. Just wanted to see if it is a possibility. She's now getting only about 350 miles per tank - driving pattern has not changed. She used to get about 500 miles / tank and has progressively gotten worst. Any help would be appreciated [/b]

Could it be that she needs the same thing that any conventional car would need with those miles: A tune up of the ICE?