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Best place to buy a battery nowadays

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Jenny867, Mar 1, 2024.

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  1. Jenny867

    Jenny867 Member

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    Hi there,
    My battery is now 3 years old and I’m wondering what the consensus is on the best place to buy one.
    I had a bad experience on eBay before. Thanks for any intel!
     
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  2. nancytheprius

    nancytheprius Active Member

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    I bought from my Toyota and have almost two smooth years on it! How many miles on yours?
     
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  3. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    3 years old My goodness I hope it's not bad yet wow you in a place where a lot of moisture gets in the car?
     
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  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Oem is the best bet
     
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  5. Merkey

    Merkey Active Member

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    My OEM is going on 8 years now. Costco carries the Prius 12 V now. It's made by Interstate, but I can't vouch for it.
     
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  6. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    You're talking the 12 volt I guess If it's not acting up don't touch it see how long it'll go at the first sign of it acting up change it basically how it should go Sears has a new AGM out I think it's made by interstate supposed to be another little bit higher cold cranking amps which we don't really need to worry with per se so there's always that I mean all these things now are about 170 bucks plus just for the battery some people have played around with universal batteries and all that but you have to have adapters for the terminals and may not be worth the trouble.
     
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  7. Carall

    Carall Member

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    It's time to restore its capacity using the Hybrid Automotive method while it's not too late.
     
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  8. douglasjre

    douglasjre Senior Member

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    And here's the pitch...
     
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  9. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Can you clarify about which battery you're talking?
     
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  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Can you buy hybrid batteries on eBay?
     
  11. Jenny867

    Jenny867 Member

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    Sorry, do you mean the battery? I don't know the answer to that. However, I bought the current battery in 2020.
     
  12. Jenny867

    Jenny867 Member

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    You think? My beloved yet retired mechanic says 3 years is time. Not much moisture around here. It would be nice not to have to switch it out, of course.
     
  13. Jenny867

    Jenny867 Member

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    Sorry, not the one that's supposed to last 10 years. The other one! I don't know the names.
     
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  14. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Yes the 12 volt should make generally around 5 if it's a good AGM etc which I think that's all you can get nowadays
     
  15. Danno5060

    Danno5060 Member

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    The OEM in my Gen 2 lasted quite a long time. I only got a couple years out of the O'Reilly replacement. I tried getting one from Interstate when that died - they didn't list one. I finally went to Advance and got a Die Hard AGM. Next time, it'll be the OEM again.

    The OEM in my Gen 3 is still going.
     
  16. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Try dealership parts department. Be sitting down when you phone them.
     
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  17. pasadena_commut

    pasadena_commut Senior Member

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    Walmart sells one too. Last I looked it was something like $50 or $60 less than one from a dealer.
     
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  18. mcmars

    mcmars Member

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    I bought my last prius battery from Napa last year after looking for a better price. I can't recall exactly what the price was, but I have learned that if you buy Napa batteries on line and then go pick it up the next day at the store, you can save quite a bit of money. Napa almost always has a 20% off coupon on line and sometimes you can find another 5-10% discount. I like the mid grade AGM battery, it is the identical battery as the most expensive one, but less years on the warranty is what I have been told by Napa. The core exchange is easy and can be done with one trip if you bring some hand tools and swap it out at napa. And the big plus is Napa is everywhere if you have an issue and need replacement or a charge or something. I bought 3 napa batteries this way last year for various vehicles and have had good replacement for free or a prorated price in the past. It is just crazy that these prius 12v batteries are $300+ with all the prius's everywhere, as with most things now in our economy, they price things as high as they can knowing we have no choice but to pay whatever they are asking. I would personally not trust one of the many "refurbished" ebay batteries I saw listed.
     
  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Duracell makes a battery
     
  20. Aegean

    Aegean Active Member

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    I bought my Prius 12v battery in 2014 from the dealer and 10 years later still runs strong. I measured SOH at 69% recently so maybe it would be time for replacement in a car with a starter. However, in a Prius that no CCA are used when starting it might last to year 12 or 13. Time will tell.