2008 Prius Inactivity...what should I do?

Here are my suggestions to prepare your car for storage:

1) Change the engine oil and oil filter before storing the car.

2) Inflate your tires to maximum rated sidewall pressure (usually 44 psi). Or, raise up the car on jackstands if that is practical for you to do.

3) Force charge the traction battery so that you see 7 or 8 green bars on the MFD state-of-charge gauge. To do this, make the Prius READY, shift to D, press the brake pedal hard with your left foot so the car won't move, then floor the accelerator pedal. Since the car can't move, gasoline engine power is diverted to MG1 which charges the traction battery. As the battery becomes charged up, the engine RPM will decline.

4) Close all windows.

5) Disconnect the 12V battery at the main relay/fuse box. Remove the box lid, open the red hinged cover over the dedicated jumpstart point, then use a 10 mm socket wrench to remove the nut that secures a cable to the jumpstart point. Disconnect the cable, replace the nut on the threaded stud, close the red cover, put the cable over the red cover, then close the box lid.

5a) The alternative approach is to disconnect the negative battery cable where it connects to the car body at the battery location; however you'll then have to open the hatch manually when the time comes to restore the battery connection, by finding the manual hatch latch hidden behind a little door in the black plastic tray over the spare tire.

6) Lock the car manually and then it is ready for storage.

Although it is true that some engine ECU settings will be lost when the 12V battery is disconnected, the settings will be regained promptly so don't worry about that.

 

You may want to re think leaving your car in Florida for extended periods.

A friend (who spends 6 months in Florida each year) and I were discussing the fact that I noticed that after just two days in May of my Prius sitting in the parking lot at the DE shore the rotors on my front wheels were covered with a thin coating of rust. I thought perhaps when I retire to the area I wanted to buy a condo with a garage to house/protect my Prius from the elements.

She told me that she used to leave her car in Florida for the six months she was living in PA. Between the heat, humidity, salt air and being stored in her garage the tires etc. were falling apart by the next year.

You might want to consider just renting a car while you are in Florida rather than storing your Prius for extended periods of time in all that heat, humidity and salt air.

Springtime

 

Does this mean that the car will not be in a garage?

If so, then you might consider mouseproofing the vents under the cowl cover, as well as the vents on either side of the rear bumper cover - if the parking area has vermin around.

 

Sell the Prius and buy a cheap conventional car for use in Florida until you retire there. 5 years is a long time to semi-store the Prius.