Should I replace 12V battery?

yes. either way, you need to replace it. start there, and hopefully that's the problem.

 

Firstly, I'd be inclined to have it looked at by your mechanic just to check the 2 options (accident/groundhog damage) - they can test the battery as well and advise. How old is the battery?

 

Do you own jumper cables, or have a jump pack? You can probably jump it and avoid a tow.

 

Are you in AA or whatever it's called there?

 

11.84 with everything off is bad. in fact, a 12 volt battery should be more than 12 volts. new, they are 13, typically run about 12.8 after awhile and slowly slide down toward 12. the problem is when you put a draw on, and it slips below the computers needed operating collage. but i should have said you can try charging it and see if it holds. if not, then replace it.

 

I would always try a charging session first, but in your shoes a fresh battery might be the simplest option. As mentioned above, you can jump start to get the car to the battery, or just pick it up with a freind or a cab.

Basic stuff, but: be careful with jumpstart, to get cable orientation right, a mix up can be very expensive. And take your cables or jump pack along.

 

Just so you know -- your battery was not abused. A good battery would have no problem with sitting and then starting after many short trips. The 12v battery in the Prius is only to energize the computers.

Getting a set of jumper cables and properly jumping the car would be the fastest way to determine the problem. If the car starts after the cables are attached -- you know you found the problem.

It's not uncommon for a body shop to drain a battery. They often leave doors and trunks open -- ignition on - etc.... With a typical car and 4 year old battery, I would recommend charging the battery. The Prius on the other hand has a very small 12v battery with a reputation of not lasting -- my died at 4 years. Many die at 4 years -- I'm going to replace my other Prius battery at 4 years.

My only concern with you just going out and getting another battery -- what did the body shop replace. How much damage? I'm wondering if something else could be happening ....11.8v should energize a 12v system.

FYI -- the battery is widely available. They are more expensive vs a typical full sized battery. I don't understand why the car needs the 12v -- with power from the traction battery available. They must have had to do it that way.

 

I would definitely try charging the existing 12v battery in place before trying jump start procedure. You can actually charge the battery from the "jump start" terminals under the hood. You don't need to go back into the trunk. If you do go back to the trunk, you're probably better off removing the 12v battery and taking to a battery shop (Batteries Plus or Interstate Battery) and have them do a Load Test on it. They will keep it overnight, charge it up, and tell you if it needs replacing or not. I would not jump start the Prius. Too error prone, and the likelihood of damaging sensitive and expensive electronics is too high.

 

"Carted" equals getting it towed? If just jump start and drive there. And if service is gonna ding you labour charge, you could just pick up the battery.

There are third party batteries, but at this juncture I guess you'd rather just get it done?

 

I've had no problems with my Optima battery. Liberty Toyota sold me a crap battery in 2009 for my Gen 2 so there's never any guarantee. Check the new battery's voltage and insure it is fully charged before installation.

If your warranty covers the 12v battery then have the dealer swap it out.

I'd be surprised if you can't find a battery at any of the local auto parts stores: NAPA, Pep Boys, Autozone, Advance Auto Parts.

 

prius has an extensive wiring harness, and sometimes, the whole thing has to be replaced to the tune of thousands of dollars.
we have a family of groundhogs eating all the delicacies in our garden.