1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

12VDC Battery

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by MichelleStone, Feb 1, 2020.

  1. MichelleStone

    MichelleStone Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2016
    549
    817
    0
    Location:
    Mariposa, CA
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    I was out of town this week and couldn't start my car. I got a warning on the dash that the 12V battery wasn't charged. I'd just driven 60 miles so it should have been fully charged. My phone battery was also severely depleted but I called roadside assistance and while I was on the line, I started up the car.

    I went to the dealership and was told it would be $360 to install a new one. I said fine. Put one in. After waiting 2.5 hours, they came back to me and said yes, the battery needed replacement but they didn't have one in stock. They offered me a free rental car for a week until they could get one in. I did appreciate that. But I live so far away that I really wanted to get the problem resolved.
    I ended up going to Pep Boys and they got a battery from Auto Zone and got me out within an hour. They charged me $210.

    I guess the Prius battery is a weird size.

    I'm thinking about getting one of those little lithium ion jump start batteries that can also service my phone and tablet. But I have a question. I don't know exactly how the 12V battery works in the Prius. Since there was two bars on my big battery at the time, can a jump start really work? What if the car wants to run in electric only mode?
     
    bisco likes this.
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    correct.
    the 12v fires up computers and relays only. the hybrid battery has nothing to do with it.

    get a jump pack, keep it charged properly, and you'll be good to go.

    the fact that your battery died in a week means it was defective, and should have been replaced under warranty, but idk the new car 12v warranty.
    replacements are 84 months, prorated after 24 months

    also, consider shutting off sks when leaving the car for extended periods
     
    MichelleStone likes this.
  3. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2009
    12,470
    6,862
    2
    Location:
    Greenwood MS USA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    Jump paks do work. Any visible bars is enough to start. (there is a reserve below no bars)

    Gen 2 and 3, and v, 12 volt Batteries were the same weird size. Gen 1 and c were separate different weird sizes. Gen 4 is a new weird size. Sigh.

    The car will NOT run down the main battery to a dangerous level if it can help it, so it will not decide to be in all electric mode.

    4 years is a short life for a Prius battery but not unheard of.

    The battery alone is about $140, so $70 in labor?

    Duralast Battery H4-DL Group Size H4 480 CCA
     
    MichelleStone likes this.
  4. MichelleStone

    MichelleStone Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2016
    549
    817
    0
    Location:
    Mariposa, CA
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four

    I live in a part of the country where there aren't a lot of Prius on the road. It was very hard to find a battery. I suppose Pep Boys had to mark up a bit from the Auto Zone price where they got it? I was just happy to have a long day shortened.
     
    alanclarkeau likes this.
  5. MichelleStone

    MichelleStone Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2016
    549
    817
    0
    Location:
    Mariposa, CA
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four

    Thanks Bisco. I have ordered one of those little jump packs. I have one that I used to use on my old Chevy. But it is old. I need to be able to rely on my car. I live in an area with no cell service and I need to drive an hour to get to a city where I can get service. I bought the car in 2016 so, the battery was 3.5 years old if I count from my purchase date.
     
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,473
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Doesn't apply for 3rd or 4th gen's.
     
    bisco likes this.
  7. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2007
    10,096
    4,795
    0
    Location:
    Clearwater, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    People with repeated dead battery's or very short battery life all have one thing in common. They do not arm there cars alarm everytime they leave the car. If they did it would prevent you from leaving a light on or a door ajar the car will not allow you to arm the car if it detects that.

    It works. I know because I have been doing this for almost 12 years on my 07 and have never had a dead battery.

    The other thing is to get acquainted with the front under hood jump points. Do not ever jump start the car directly attaching jump leads to the battery in the back. That is very dangerous hard to do properly and very easy to swap jumper cables polarity which can be very very hard on your wallet if done wrong.
    You reverse jump a Prius it will cost you alot of time and money. Some posters have damaged the inverter which is very $$$. Toyota gave you quick, safe & simple and easy on your back jump point.

    Get a jump pack with reverse jump lead warning. Since you live in a bad spot for help I would get a battery charger too and put it on the battery every few months to check the battery condition and give it a full charge.Very good for the battery as it will never ever see a full charge to 13.8 in the car and that 100% maintenance charge is very good for a battery. Really quick and easy to attach to the front jump point.

    I have this one. I put it on all my cars every few months. Its also has recondition mode that will help with sulphation. It will improve an older battery.

     
    #7 edthefox5, Feb 1, 2020
    Last edited: Feb 1, 2020
  8. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2007
    10,096
    4,795
    0
    Location:
    Clearwater, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Btw, this is an internet site. Don't use your real name on internet sites. Its really not a good idea.

    I know your name I know what you look like where you live including street address know your age (64) and I know your phone number Starts with 209. Wouldn't take me long to get your social.

    Identity theft is horrible. It happened to my wife and it was terrible for us. They will file phony tax return with a direct deposit bank account. They did that to us. We now must get a pin every year to file our taxes and many other hardships.

    Be careful. Protect your personal info always.
     
    #8 edthefox5, Feb 1, 2020
    Last edited: Feb 1, 2020
    Prodigyplace likes this.
  9. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    10,958
    8,836
    0
    Location:
    New England
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Wow, that's a lot of money for an ordinary lead-acid battery for Gen4 (and Prime). I asked my dealer and they told me for Gen4 (and Prime) the 12v battery cost is $99 with installation, just like other cars. For Gen3 and earlier, the AGM battery is required and it costs more.
     
  10. Elektroingenieur

    Elektroingenieur Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2017
    2,515
    3,253
    9
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three Touring
    The auxiliary (12-volt) battery is covered for up to 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first, subject to the warranty terms.
    It’s good to understand the procedure, but on fourth-generation Prius and Prius Prime cars, the auxiliary battery is under the hood, so there aren’t separate connection points for jump starting. See the Owner’s Manual (PDF), pages 711–716, and Toyota’s YouTube video.
     
    MichelleStone, bisco and alanclarkeau like this.
  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    i'm not sure your dealer is correct.
     
    MichelleStone and Mendel Leisk like this.
  12. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    7,041
    7,580
    0
    Location:
    near Brisbane, Australia
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Yes, I'm surprised at $99, as previous discussions mentioned prices far higher.
     
    bisco likes this.
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    a lot of dealers quote a normal car battery, until they actually look up the part
     
    alanclarkeau likes this.
  14. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    10,958
    8,836
    0
    Location:
    New England
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Well, last time I was at my dealer, I asked at the service desk about the $99 Toyota battery deal they always have, and the service rep told me the Gen4 battery qualifies for the deal, even though they have a small print on the coupon saying "Hybrid vehicles extra." After all, Gen4 and PRIME 12V battery is a regular flooded battery that is smaller than most regular Toyota cars. I did not need a battery then, was just asking, so no quote in writing. Yeah, they can always say no when I really need a battery, but I will bring it up if and when I need a battery replacement.
     
    #14 Salamander_King, Feb 1, 2020
    Last edited: Feb 1, 2020
  15. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,473
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    I seem to recall a fair amount of chest-beating over the 4th gen 12 volt battery, that regardless of it being a regular (non-AGM) battery, it's shape was somewhat unusual, aftermarket options were near-nil, and it was quite expensive. @Elektroingenieur has researched it very thoroughly, maybe he can comment, regarding price, availability, battery specifics?
     
    alanclarkeau likes this.
  16. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    10,958
    8,836
    0
    Location:
    New England
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Did you read jimbo's comment #3? The aftermarket does exist priced around $140.

    Just checked TOYOTA OEM battery for 2017 PRIME. It is also available at around $140 sales price. So I am not surprised if my Toyota dealer honors the coupon for the $99 battery deal.

    Part Number: 00544H4052470 MSRP:$176.86

    2017 Toyota Prius Prime Four HYBRID TrueStart Battery. Ask, Cranking, Lead - 00544H4052470 - Genuine Toyota Part
     
    #16 Salamander_King, Feb 1, 2020
    Last edited: Feb 1, 2020
  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    and as michelle pointed out, many dealers have been unable to find inventory, so they give you a loaner car for a week, and try to recoup the cost in a $360. battery
     
    MichelleStone likes this.
  18. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    10,958
    8,836
    0
    Location:
    New England
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Yeah, not in stock can be an issue. But even that, OEM battery MSRP is $176. Making an owner wait 2.5 hours to let her know that they don't have the battery in stock and then asking $360 installed is a rip off any way you take it.
     
    #18 Salamander_King, Feb 1, 2020
    Last edited: Feb 1, 2020
    MichelleStone and Tyfly like this.
  19. Elektroingenieur

    Elektroingenieur Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2017
    2,515
    3,253
    9
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three Touring
    That situation has changed, and aftermarket alternatives (such as AutoZone’s Duralast H4-DL) are now readily available. See my previous posting for details on the size.
     
  20. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,473
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Thanks, info and links noted.
     
    Elektroingenieur likes this.