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Battery security

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Jenpen, Jun 5, 2012.

  1. Jenpen

    Jenpen Junior Member

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    I'm always telling the kids hide your games etc and then I though as the need for replacement batteries becomes needed that might be the most valuable thing I own and it's new. The heck with gas and toys how hard is it to get do I need to rig it to zap thieves I haven't dug to far into the car to see how secure it is. I don't even want to know what they cost. I was happy to learn that the Prius was the least likely to be stolen car on the market. And who cars about 10 g of gas but if it were a quick swap you might not catch it for a while I know people who jack regular batteries .

    Later jen
     
  2. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    Both the 'regular' battery and the HV Battery are in the passenger compartment, not under the hood. (where the really expensive parts are)

    If you set out the steal the HV Battery, here is the manual for that:
    http://www.toyota-tech.eu/HYBRID/HVDM/EN/PRIUS.pdf
     
  3. Jenpen

    Jenpen Junior Member

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    Thank you I must have the manual again because I though the little battery the one I would have to jump off was under the hood back to the encyclopedia Prius
     
  4. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    You shouldn't jump start another car with your Prius
     
  5. mad-dog-one

    mad-dog-one Prius Enthusiast

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    Thank you; that's just the info that I needed to avoid electrocution while I pick up a few extra Prius traction battery-pacs over the weekend. Other than a stolen car that was stripped, has anyone ever had a traction battery stolen from their Prius? Sure they're expensive, but criminals don't like staying at the scene of the crime for very long.
     
  6. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Rebound already told you to not jumpstart other cars. You can jumpstart another Prius, though the usual hazards of expensive mistakes with jumping Prii are still present.

    While there may be ways for a Prius to jumpstart non-Prii, I would first demand at least a $5000 cash damage deposit, and make sure a cell phone signal is available so the Prius can be towed should it be found dead after the attempt. At least one new poster earlier this year made this mistake, but I don't remember him coming back with the total damage report.
     
  7. NiHaoMike

    NiHaoMike Member

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    The batteries are too heavy to lift without a hoist. (They could be disassembled, but that takes time...) And the batteries are reliable enough that there's not very much a market for them.
     
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  8. Jenpen

    Jenpen Junior Member

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    Jimbo said that both batteries are under the passenger compartment but checked manual and little battery is under the hood on the 2012 next fill up I will track her down. I dont have 3 batteries right. And yes I quit jumping other people's cars off when they started electronic ignitions. Only upstarts here are done by my boyfriend after an aviation gig out of town for a month we actually had A daisy chain of five cars what a hoot going to the pancake house to share a good redneck repair.
     
  9. Munpot42

    Munpot42 Senior Member

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    I have an 11, the 12v battery is in the passenger compartment, if you find a battery in the engine compartment of your 12, I'd love to see a picture of it.
    There is a place under the hood where you can "jumpstart" the Prius, but it is just a terminal.
     
  10. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM47704U/pdf/sec_04-03.pdf
    Page 22 of the PDF page 431 of the manual

    But there is a jump terminal in the front.
    http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM47704U/pdf/sec_05-02.pdf
    Page 52 of the PDF page 544 of the manual


    HV Battery, 12 volt battery, and then the Fob battery, when it runs down the doors don't open and the car won't start.
     
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  11. mike k.

    mike k. New Member

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    just got my battery stolen last night. I am so shocked. Like freaking speechless. I live in an apartment complex in a really shady part of town so them tearing the back out of my car for 20-30minutes (I suspect) didn't really alarm anyone I guess. They stole my battery. Broke a back window and on top of stealing my junk they must have thought "oh I'm gonna mess up all the stuff I can't take with me." And then slashed my ceiling front leather seats and back seat. Man if I ever found the guy that did this.... I probably wouldn't do anything honestly because he is probably in some kind of crime ring and has a gun but man I can imagine can't I?
     
  12. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Sacramento area? This is at least the third thread to mention this new theft pattern this year, all near Sacramento.
     
  13. MichaelSpeziale

    MichaelSpeziale Junior Member

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    Wow that's awful... Was any of that covered by insurance?
     
  14. acceleraptor

    acceleraptor Member

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    There's been mention of some sort of rash of Prius theft and vandalism going on recently around the Sacto area. Probably all the same group. Hope they catch them.

    But yeah.. the batteries are in about as safe a location in the car as they can be. I mean what else could increase security? Install a padlockable grate over the batteries that's welded to the chassis? Even with such a herculean effort, the damage and vandalism to the car would be done (along with possibly some extra vindictive damage after seeing the cage)..

    But yes, the Prius does have the lowest theft percentage of models.. over the entire US. For those of us in California, the vast majority of Prius thefts all occur here, although the vast majority of Priuses in the US are also here. Should probably lookit the data sometime and compare the actual CA percentage against the national average and see if we're actually better or worse. I suspect we are the dominant factor, at least..
     
  15. c4

    c4 Active Member

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    Sorry, but I have to disagree with everything you said..

    The Prius battery is *NOT* too heavy to lift without a hoist.. I had the 2001 Classic with the big 273V battery and while it was d*mned heavy, I hefted it in and out of my car on my own with just a pair of work gloves to protect my hands from the sharp sheet metal.. The liftback and C battery packs are both smaller: 201V and 144V respectively, and commensurately lighter, and they are both somewhat more strategically located under the back seat vs. in the trunk, so they should actually be easier to lift.. The Classic was fairly easy: open the trunk, remove the liner covering the pack, remove the safety plug from the battery, remove back seat, remove the cooling duct (which was probably the hardest part of the job), unbolt the high voltage cables, unbolt the 6 nuts holding down the battery, use a pry-bar to lift the battery up over the studs, unplug the module connector, then slide the battery out the trunk.. The C and Liftback are both even easier, and with two people, jacking a Prius battery is simple: you could probably be in/out in under 5 minutes, especially as when you're a thief, you're not interested in putting things back together: you could just unplug the safety, unbolt and cut the wires..

    As well, there is most certainly a market for hybrid battery packs: they do eventually fail (my classic pack had a cell failure around 190,000 km; I replaced it myself with a recycled pack, which is why I know exactly how heavy it is and that you most certainly can lift it), and beyond just replacement parts, Toyota packs are prized by hobbyist builders of electric vehicles due to their reliability.

    My under-$5 theft deterrent is to simply replace one or more of the nuts holding the battery with security versions that require a special tool to remove.. Won't stop them from breaking the window to get in, but once they see the security nuts, they should bugger off for easier pickings..
     
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  16. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    Both batteries are in the hatch area. The 12V is on the passenger side behind the rear wheel under the hatch floor. Access from the hatch. Not worth stealing.
    The traction battery is under the hatch floor right behind the rear seat on the drivers side to centre. Toyota says it weights 70 lb, and requires several bolts to be removed to steal as well as the cable (a connector). The weight would cause any reputable shop to require use of a lift, due to OSHA safety requirements. -I- wouldn't try to lift it while leaning in there. But I'm old. In my younger days I probably would do it.

    The PIP requires a lift to remove the battery, according to Toyota. It's over 100 lb.
     
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  17. c4

    c4 Active Member

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    OSHA, Schmosha.. We don't need not steenkin' safety regulations..

    Actually, I wouldn't recommend leaning over and trying to heft the pack out either, you'd strain something for sure.. But, you could lift one side of the pack, slide it up to the seat frame, then go around, lift the other side of the pack up and rest it on the frame and then slide it out the door where it would be roughly thigh-height, and then you could use your back to lift the pack and take it the rest of the way out of the car.. I believe the Classic pack was something like 110lb and by sliding it back through the trunk and then up onto the ledge, I was able to lift it out and put it on a chair set up next to the car.. Again, it was d*mned heavy and you certainly wouldn't be able to go far with it, but it was doable..
     
  18. ftl

    ftl Explicator

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    And have any of the posters come back with a follow-up, or documented evidence?
     
  19. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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  20. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    Check the hospitals for hernia injuries. ;)