Optima

When I first looked into a replacement 12V battery for my 2004, I was keen on the Optima brand, but had trouble sourcing one in Canada. I'm happy to discover that they're now more widely available, including directly from optima.ca. Curiously, their price is about $60 cheaper, after tax, than I can find locally. The local dealer offers the value-added feature of a fully charged battery, but that doesn't compensate for the price difference, or the time involved in having to go pick it up, compared to having it delivered. I can get a charger and still come out ahead. Generally, I prefer to support local businesses, but for a 27% price difference coupled with less convenience, that becomes difficult to justify.



PS: Yes, my nearly ten year old, 115,000 km Prius still has the original battery!

 

Well, that was fun. While I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment after something's done, the actual doing it part is often less so. I'm talking cars here - don't let your imagination stray too far. The instructions that say 'remove bolt' fail to mention that it's rusted on because there's been water sloshing around in the battery well for who-knows-how-long, nor is there any mention that you have to scrape away the excess sealant goop before the made-specifically-to-fit new battery will actually fit into the same hole the old one came out of. And obviously, the job takes twice as long when you drop the last nut, and it falls under the battery....

In short, I was reminded why I abruptly ended my mechanic training all those years ago, and enrolled in university. And it probably cost me more in time away from work than it would have cost me to pay someone else to do it, but hey: my car now has a shiny brand new battery, I did it myself (Yay!), and it even starts.

 

Thanks, bisco. The old battery seemed fine; I only replaced it because so many people were amazed it could have lasted so long. Apparently, they're usually good for about 5 years.

When looking for a charger, I found a local parts supplier who was happy to take mine and charge it for me, free. I didn't even buy the battery from him! There are nice people left.

 

Yes, I will be doing so. Given that this is the first time I've ever looked in that area, it could have been there a very long time. I did not see any obvious points of entry, and the area under the spare wheel appeared to be dry. Given the liberal application of sealer and the lack of any visible cracks, the point of entry is not obvious. There's no condensation in the taillight, and no issue of premature bulb failure. Is it possible the water might have made its way in through the battery vent in a heavy rainstorm?

 

There's no rear-ender damage on this vehicle, and I can't detect any cracks. I checked it again just now, and all seems dry. No need for a hose; the rain's taking care of that part.