12v battery

I have a 2008 with 170,000 miles. I got the car when it had almost 50,000 miles and as far as I know this was the first 12v battery replacement. I paid $350 ($195 for battery + install) to have it done in Maryland. I called one other Toyota dealer and they wanted to charge me $420, a few dollars less for the battery but more for the labor.

I knew I had a problem because the instrument panel started flashing - again. Getting it jumped and leaving it run for a bit to charge a couple months helped prolong the inevitable. After a couple other instances when the instrument panel behaved strangely it wouldn't turn off yesterday and eventually the battery died altogether.

The tow truck driver was able to charge the battery under the hood enough to get the car started and into neutral although I read there are other ways to do this if you're a DIY'er.

 

I'm going in circles with this post..........apologies! We bought the yellow top Optima and then got cold feet re: installing it. I made an apt with a local dealer (where we bought the Prius) and they will install for $60 + tx. Seems better than us messing with the computer settings which is my concern. All told we should have a new Optima in for $210 plus tax. We were surprised that the dealership will install for us............I will make a point of letting them know I expect all computer settings to be as they are when the car arrives--intact and functional. I could mess it up myself which is what we wanted to avoid.................

 

welcome! you should be fine.

 

The only computer settings I lost when replacing batteries are the AM/FM station presets. Everything else was as before.

 

Is this with a full disconnect from power when changing the battery? No "jump" power in the car? How 'fast' were you in the battery swap? If it's only the radio stations we might do it.......but I'm guessing it will take a while since we are such newb's and haven't done it before. Also, we had read everything from complete erasure of computer settings to just the radio and windows. Hard to predict what will happen if we try or how long it will take to pull/replace the battery............so is it best to have the dealer do it? Open to comments. I am meticulous, but a bit intimidated by power sources!!!

 

what do you mean by computer settings?

 

I'd read that there could be erasure of mpg's, other screen info on dash display, radio settings, window operation, etc I don't know what can/will happen if we take the battery out without a back up power source -- the back up seems to be advocated most of the time for DIY'er's.

 

Yes. Full disconnect. No battery backups at all. I am not a mechanic. I do not change my own oil. I am a confident DIYer with basic tools.I watched the youtube video a couple of times. Takes me about 30 minutes, going slowly, to get to the battery and carefully remove/replace the various plastic parts. The battery is only disconnected for 5-10 minutes. I have replaced two batteries on my 05. And I was surprised, both times, to see all my favorites and phone settings working perfectly. do not know what other computer info there is to lose. FYI: batteries in Chicagoland can be found for $150ish. Advance Auto frequently has a 25% off sale on the Optima and Toyota perpetually mails me a 10% off all parts.

 

Thanks for this info! I/we do oil changes no problem so you are encouraging me to give it a go.............specifically which Youtube video are you referring to? We bought the Optima through Amazon for $150 so feel good about that...........just a bit hesitant about the power issues/computer/timeline. Although it seems many folks do fine with a DIY adventure replacing the 12V. Maybe just need to hear or see it enough times to give it a go. Thanks all for the replies........assistance. Driving a Prius is a lot like driving a computer and we all know what happens when we get in over our heads with a computer................!!!!!

 

I would be more concerned about the fact that the Optima purchase via Amazon means that you essentially will have the car down for an extended period if you need to file a warranty claim - as a local reseller will not honor the warranty. You will have to ship the battery back to Amazon and wait for a response.

Don't worry about the power being off. It is actually OK for the ECUs to power down and reset. Hopefully you can figure out how to reprogram your radio station presets and reset the driver's window auto up/down. And so what if you lose the trip odometer and MFD mpg reading, is that the end of the world?

 

Trust Patrick Wong on this. I think it took me 2.5 hours or so to change out my battery. I think the battery was disconnected for most of that time. No harm done.

Personally, I too would not have purchased the Optima, but odds are you will be fine. If I had to replace the battery again -- and I may have to -- it will probably now take me about 30 minutes, but it is better to go slow than to rush through and make errors.

I used the following YouTube video -- as well as a lot of advice from this forum. The video is a bit plodding, but absolutely invaluable in replacing the battery. Use white grease on your socket so the upper screw/bolt that holds the traction battery exhaust vent to the body panel does not fall out of reach behind the battery when you put it back together.

I lost a few electrical settings such as radio presets -- don't remember what all of them were -- nor did I care -- as Patrick Wong sort of said above -- "so what?"

 

As long as you supply 12 volt to the car during the swap you won't lose any settings. What I do is maybe a bit Rolls Royce, but very convenient: drop my jump pack into the driver's footwell, and run a special cable from it to the obd port. The sole function of the cable is to supply 12 volt, it just has pins for that. Also has indicator light so you can confirm it's working. Those cables are around $20.

It's a good idea to charge the battery with a smart charger at time of install, either before or right after.

 

I should have listened.............we took it to the dealer because I thought they'd know what they were doing. Despite being assured they'd back the battery up.......of course, they didn't and lost settings. I figure this is the lesson so that I will not be in this position the next time as we can obviously lose the settings on our own, thank you stealership. I keep my fluid and tire change info on the odo's so, yes that was lost. As far as where to buy a battery, well the battery that was changed out lasted over 7 years so we this was our first experience. We learned a lot. As long as the battery doesn't fail in the 3 year warranty.......then we are fine. Is there a reason we should worry about less than 3 years out of the battery? I hope it doesn't fail, but if it does we'll tackle that if it happens.............

 

no reason at all. the optima should last a good long time.

 

The settings you can lose are no big deal. Not good that they didn't listen to your simple request though. Try another dealership, and/or talk to service manager?

This is what I do, not that hard:


(Jump pack to OBD)

 

You could do a car to car cig-lighter cable to maintain the power to accessories. Cable costs about $10. The one I have came without a fuse, but was able to accommodate a cylindrical glass fuse with no issues in the adapter plug on one end. I used a 10 amp.

 

Aren't cig lighter outlets off, when the car's off? Some sorta alligator clip jumper cable to the jump point would work, just be real careful with orientation.