Every time I wash my car and after it sits for a few hours, the car does not start, it is dead. Thes last time my computer screen did not come on so I had to place my battery charger on the car. After a few minutes the computer screen came on and the car started. I only experience this after I washed my car. Has anyone else experienced this? I have not taken it to the dealer yet because I'm not sure what to tell them.
Welcome to PriusChat! Do you leave the car in ACC or IG-ON mode? There have been reports of draining the 12v battery if you do not press the brake while pressing the power button.
What seasalsa wrote. Turn the car OFF while you wash it. Locking the car will tell you whether it is actually OFF: if it is not, or if you left a light on or a door or the hatch open, it will give a long warning beep.
You're welcome. I *always* lock it, including when parking in the garage at home; this has saved my battery twice. Killing the battery would be annoying no matter where it happens.
I do the same, and I live in an area where no one locks cars. It's a simple test to make sure the doors are shut. Tom
Thanks for the information. I only had my car a few weeks and still getting use to the "no key" thing. The next time I wash my car I will lock it to make sure everything is off and see what happens.
If that problem persists, get your dealer to load test the 12v battery. Poor maintenance during storage by the dealer has caused many discharged batteries. A battery that has been discharged often will not fully recover.
Does anyone know what the ampere-hour rating is of the 12V battery? It sounds like it has the power of two rechargeable AA batteries.
If you have a Classic, or a 2G without Smart Entry/Smart Start, then the AH rating of the battery is 28. If you have a 2G with SE/SS then the AH rating is somewhere in the low 30s.
