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  1. Jennifer L Webster

    Jennifer L Webster New Member

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    I left my Prius C for 7 days.. I barely drive it when I came back from vacation the car had died. My friend came over and he jumped it using the battery pack he had basically jumper cables etc.. I have to take it to the dealership tomorrow but they always scam me... anyone know if my car is okay? The engine is making weird noises and it does take second for it to start.. I am worried.. let me know if you guys can help Is this normal?
     
    #1 Jennifer L Webster, Jul 30, 2021
    Last edited: Jul 30, 2021
    bisco likes this.
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome! yes it is completely normal. you simply need a new 12 volt starter battery.

    don't let the dealer scam you. they are about $200. plus labor, or you can shop around for aftermarket.

    all the best!(y)
     
  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Anything more you can say about the weird noises?

    Not starting would bother me, but taking a second to start doesn't alarm me very much.
     
  4. dig4dirt

    dig4dirt MoonGlow

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    Most likely 12v as @ bisco mentioned.

    How long have you owned this vehicle?
    is it acting differently?

    Just asking ....as turn the key and (in warm weather) may take 5 or 10 second to start the actual engine.
    It may not even start unless enough gas pedal is pressed in "D" drive mode.
    However can still drive instantly.

    12v is 7 years old, which is a very good run.....i own same year. (original 12v)
    but I do trickle charge it from time to time.
     
  5. Danny13pruisc3

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    It's wrong to say she needs a new "starter battery" on 2 accounts
    1. The 12 volt battery isnt' a "starter battery" the hybrid battery starts the engine. The 12v battery just is there for the ECU's to be powered up as far as starting the car.
    2. If you didn't load test the battery, and don't know the history of hte vehicle, you can't say it needs to be replaced.

    It's likely your battery may just need to be charged up. You should invest in some kind of battery charger.

    if you know that your 12v battery has never been changed then it may be time to change it. you can get it load tested for free at many auto parts places.
     
    jerrymildred likes this.
  6. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Best answer so far, but probably too late. She asked the question a month and a half ago and hasn't come back. :cool:
     
  7. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Sooner or later somebody else will come along with a similar interest and find this thread, and if they read it through to the end, they'll see the good answer.
     
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  8. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    YOU are making assumptions just like others are.
    You don't KNOW what the condition of the 12 V battery IS without some kind of a test or some good evidence.
    A "load test" is not the only way to identify a bad battery.
    Often just the available evidence is enough.

    Moving on to replacing other parts WITHOUT being absolutely sure the battery is good is what is "wrong".
     
  9. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    A very good point! (y)
     
  10. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    The parts of Danny's post left out of the quote (in #8) provided that the battery might need to be charged or might need to be changed, and how to find out and do that. It was pretty good advice.
     
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  11. Danny13pruisc3

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    I feel sorry for whoever let's sam work on their cars.