12 volt battery

[datura]

i bought a new prius in aug 2007. in dec the battery was dead. i called the dealer and after AAA came, brought car in for check up. no problems found. i was told then that this car was not the right one for me to use, considering my driving habits. (i have an 87 camry with 125,000 miles on it) i only use the car 1-3 times a week. when i bought the car, i discussed this with the salesman. he told me, no problem. but after the battery died, i was told the car was meant to be driven regularly. i was flabbergasted! a brand new car, and if i dont drive it every other day or so (as they said) i could not rely on it. hmmmmm
so i let a carless friend use the car so it was driven at least twice a week. then in feb after 4 days the battery was again dead. off i go to toyota after AAA came and again, no problem with the car. after some pressure on my part they offered me a small rechargable portable battery to keep in the car for when it happens again.
anyone else encounter this problem?
help!

[Spectra]

Very troubling, considering the general sense among Pri-ites that we're interested in minimizing toxic atmospheric release resulting form automotive use. Perhaps some of the more technical chatroom chatters can respond.

Meantime, speaking of toxins, be careful of those toxic/psychoactive Datura seeds


Datura sp.

[richard schumacher]

How long (how many minutes) do you drive it each week?

Even if it's as little as a half-hour you should have no problems with it. Assuming that you do drive it at least that much, either the car came with a bad battery to start with, or you have killed it by leaving a door or the rear hatch partly open overnight or with improperly-installed third-party electronics.

[Boo]

Datura,

I think that you have an uncommon electrical problem. There's no way the battery should be going dead when you use the car at least once a week.

I think that the dealer hasn't correctly diagnosed the problem yet (what a surprise!). Unfortunately, you'll probably have to make repeated trips to the dealer or another dealer until they figure it out. I had an electrical problem on my prior car, a Volvo 850, during its first year. It took my dealer 4 tries before it figured out what was wrong.

[patsparks]

If the car is OK then the battery is crook, how simple is that? Don't let the service man pull the wool over your eyes. Tell him to swap out the battery and take back the jump start battery.

[morpheusx]

the dealership probably didn't follow the pre delivery instructions, which include Charging the 12 Volt pre Delivery. Which in turn caused it to be damaged.

[qbee42]

This is complete rubbish from the dealer. Yes, the Prius 12 V battery will discharge a bit faster than some other cars, but not when you are driving once a week. We often go two weeks between driving, and never have any trouble. Either you left a door ajar, a light on, or you have a problem. It could be a weak battery.

Tom

[datura]

thanks for the responses about my 12 volt battery problem. there was no doors or lights left on. i checked both times it happened to see if i had not shut it down properly. since my last visit to the dealer, no problems. but i am driving the car more often, by chance. if it happens again i will ask for a new battery.
now i remember why i have not bought a new car in 33 years...dealers!
datura

[daniel]

Your dealer is feeding you a total crock of bull! I have left my 2004 Prius parked for as long as a month while away on vacation (two years ago) and I have left it for 3 weeks several times and 2 weeks numerous times. If leaving the car parked for two weeks or longer, it's a good idea to shut off the SKS if you have it. (There's a tiny, hard-to-spot button below the steering wheel, sort of where your knee might bump it if you have long legs.) But I agree with the posters above who say you either have a bad battery, or a drain in the wiring. The dealer needs to either fix the wiring or replace the battery.

Note that you can have warranty service performed at any Toyota dealership. You do not need to go to the dealer where you bought the car.

Prius batteries are small, and probably should not be expected to last as long as real car batteries. Mine tested bad and was replaced this week. It was four years old. Good lifetime for a small battery IMO.

[c.mankat]

My 2005 Prius battery would be dead if not driven for a week. They told me I had to disconnect the battery. That rots! Later, another service tech told me to push in the Smart Function button. That "fixed" the problem. Too bad the dealer info can't be fixed that easy.