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Prius c Battery Replacement (Australia)

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Joss, Jul 13, 2016.

  1. Joss

    Joss Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Melbourne, Australia
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius c
    Model:
    N/A
    Hi all,

    I own a 2013 Prius C i-Tech (in Australia) and purchased it just over 3 years ago.
    About 1 year ago, I added a Blackvue DR650gw-2ch dash cam along with the Power Magic Pro to prevent battery discharge whilst in parking mode.
    The settings switch the camera power off when the car battery reaches 11.8v or after 12 hours, whichever comes first.

    This has been working without concern until recently when I've found the battery to be discharged to the point of needing a jump start.
    I know the method is not perfect, but using a Scangauge, I've noted that on one start attempt, the battery was at 7.2v and would not start.
    My understanding is the camera is still switching off at 11.8v, but after that, so far in as little as 8 hours, the battery discharges futher and fails to start the car.

    Toyota have now told me the battery is a deep cycle one and it will cost AUD$1000 to replace, and will not cover the cost, despite being only just outside of the new car warranty.

    I'm sure this cannot be right, although if it is, I'm sure it shouldn't need to be replaced at this point of it's life cycle and certainly not just because I've got my dash cam on while parked.

    My understanding of a standard car battery is that it will discharge to about 90% before needing to be charged again, whereas a deep cycle one allows discharge to about 45% before requiring a recharge. Obviously the charging occurs when the car is on, but it should allow for more auxillary power draw than a standard battery.

    Does anyone have any ideas about what's going on?
    Am I being taken for a ride?
    Is there some other, lost cost way to test the battery discharge when the car is not on?

    Thanks,
    Joss
     
    #1 Joss, Jul 13, 2016
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Vehicle:
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    Plug-in Base
    are there no other places to buy car batteries in your area?

    i did not think prius batteries were deep cycle, and i'm wondering if constant discharging to 11.8 might have damaged it. the battery is small, and normally only used to keep a few tiny electronics powered up, and then a few computers and relays to power up.
     
    #2 bisco, Jul 13, 2016
  3. Joss

    Joss Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Melbourne, Australia
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius c
    Model:
    N/A
    Thanks bisco.
    There are some other battery providers in the area, but I'd prefer to stick with Toyota directly if possible.
    I haven't been able to find anything which confirms whether the battery is deep cycle or not, including the car manual.

    Would the constant discharing have a greater impact if it was deep cycle or not?
     
    #3 Joss, Jul 18, 2016
  4. dick_larimore

    dick_larimore Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Central Indiana
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    The Prius battery is not a deep discharge design (thick battery plates with more active material on each plate). Deep discharge batteries are used in marine applications where the battery is used to power a trolling motor. It is not used in a motor vehicle application. Deep discharge batteries are typically more expensive than a normal automotive battery simply because they are not made in the production volume of a standard car battery. The increased cost is not due to the battery design. The guy at the Toyota dealership is feeding you bullshit. The cost of a lead-acid battery purchased at a dealership is more than the price at an auto parts store, but it is nothing close to $1,000.

    Now, let's consider the camera installation and the onset of a rundown battery. It is not likely that the 12 volt battery suddenly failed to hold a charge an the very time that you installed the camera. Remove the camera and charge the battery. If everything becomes OK, then the camera is draining the battery. Buying a new battery (whatever the cost) will not get rid of the problem.
     
    #4 dick_larimore, Jul 18, 2016
  5. RobH

    RobH Senior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Take a look at Melbourne, AU: Place to fit 12V battery | PriusChat

    Apparently an OEM battery installed by a Toyota dealer in Melbourne costs $350 ($250 for the part). This particular chap paid $95 for a Delco battery and installed it himself.

    There were several long discussions about how special the Prius battery is, AGM and all. I agree that an AGM battery is superior, but the original "AGM" one in my 2006 Prius had liquid in it. The original seems to be a high priced, low capacity, ordinary battery with a vent tube. The vent tube is important.

    Maybe some Prius have AGM batteries, but the sloshing around liquid tells me that mine was ordinary lead acid. I did install an Optima AGM replacement that is supposed to tolerate total discharge.
     
    #5 RobH, Jul 18, 2016
  6. dick_larimore

    dick_larimore Member

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    Vehicle:
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    Glass mat batteries will not tolerate total discharge any better than a flooded (liquid electrolyte) lead-acid battery. A flooded cell battery with liquid electrolyte is not an AGM battery. The OEM lead acid battery installed a Prius is not special in any manner and does not justify a high replacement cost.
     
    #6 dick_larimore, Jul 29, 2016
  7. Matt H

    Matt H Active Member

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    2012 Aqua
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    How is the camera wired up? Maybe it switches off at 11.5V, but it's keeping some modules awake.

    Battery in these parts is less than $150US for the OEM one. Lead-acid w/vent tube.
     
    #7 Matt H, Aug 18, 2016
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