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Any affordable good 12V battery options for 2023?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by mcmars, Jan 27, 2023.

  1. mcmars

    mcmars Member

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    Hi everyone, I think the near zero degree temps and 4 ft of snow in last 2 weeks that forced me to park my Prius have killed my 3 year old AC delco battery. I searched around a bit, but not seeing any recent posts and the AC delco is now priced at double what it cost me 3 years ago and everything I am seeing is way over $200. There has to be a good battery out there for under $200???? I had the button under the wheel pressed in to de-activate the key and thought I could go a few weeks, but no juice. And the new Motopower charger I hooked up tonight direct to the 12V battery has not shown any sign of charging, just a green light that means it is plugged in. Hoping I can jump start it tomorrow off of a Li Ion quick start device, but not sure if it will work if battery is dead dead. And today my old faithful 95 subaru stranded me 20 minutes from home and had to get a rescue ride home by a girlfriend,.... either a bad fuel pump or the timing belt broke?? So dead in the water with both my vehicles now.

    Local options would be Napa, Autozone, O'reilly's. Toyota dealer is an hour drive over some mountains and likely very pricey. I saw a post with a recommendation from Prius Camper that was a few years old that said this ebay battery would work with a longer bolt and some washers. It has a good price and claim they can ship it to me in 4-5 days. Is there any more feedback on this Ebay one or any other options out there? https://www.ebay.com/itm/12-Volt-12V-55-Amp-55Ah-VRLA-AGM-Sealed-Lead-Acid-Battery-55-AMPS-HIGH-CAP/141206981871?shqty=1&isGTR=1#shId
     
  2. Todd Bonzalez

    Todd Bonzalez Active Member

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    If you find one, let me know :LOL:

    I don't think you're gonna get the same performance with a $120 eBay battery (that isn't specifically for your Prius) as a Yellow Top or whatever.

    What kind of warranty do you get on it?
     
    Tombukt2 likes this.
  3. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Maybe not a good battery under $200 but def some okay-ish ones...

    Electrically, you can use a wide variety of batteries. It's finding one the right size & shape that is hard.

    The ebay link you shared- that battery should work fine from an electrical standpoint. Won't hurt the car unless you hook it up backwards. It will be fiddly and frustrating to work out modifying the terminals, but not impossible.
     
  4. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    I wouldn't say that to be true I know lots of people that are running the UB universal batteries from eBay or wherever you buy them from the place it sells you be batteries that are used in all kinds of applications The main thing with the UB battery and what not or even a regular battery is that you keep the tray area draining and not filling up with water and freezing when it's cold that will take out your battery prematurely in a Prius a yellow top optima battery is the last thing in the world that you need to be honest about it You just need a cheap battery that'll maintain 12 volts You're only running computers headlights and that sort of thing which nowadays most of that's going to be LED and not really using a lot of AH when the car is running so I would say do it and get on with your life there's no need to spend $280 for a 12 volt battery that's created expenditure quite unnecessary still
     
  5. mcmars

    mcmars Member

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    Thanks for all the help and feedback. That cheap Ebay battery claims free returns and a one year warranty. But the catch is there is a 20% restock fee if the return is due to the customer deciding to return it as they cannot get a fit or changed their mind of other reasons. I called local Napa and probably will get their battery for $233. It has a 3 year free exchange if it dies and I have had good luck with both their batteries and their exchange warranties in the past.

    It is almost worth getting that cheap Ebay battery under the seat for a long road trip and have the proper hardware handy so when the 12V battery dies from leaving a door ajar or something, you have a back up one ready to go to avoid the hassle of being stranded in a location without a battery available? I think these crappy small 12V batteries are the biggest design flaw in 2nd gen Prius, easy to die and be stranded, they don't do well with cold and have so much phantom power draws and then so expensive to replace them. I know they tried to trim off the excess weight, but really, these little batteries are a big PIA and disable the vehicle so easy.

    My guess is it will be a coin toss if the Napa battery will make it past 2 winters with the 110+ highs I get in summer in desert SW US and then the 0 degree lows in winter without a heated /AC conditioned garage. So maybe I will get a free replacement 2 years from now with the Napa battery. Might call the other options just to see, but doubt their batteries would be as good as Napa(???).

    But first I am going to go outside now and try and jump it with a Li ion quick starter and see if I can even get it rolling to get to the store. I am thinking if that my existing battery is dead dead, then I am not sure if the Prius can even run without throwing dash codes?? I will let you know how this works out for me. And then on to troubleshooting my old subaru to see if fuel pump or if it is timing belt, haha. Thanks again!
     
    Todd Bonzalez likes this.
  6. Todd Bonzalez

    Todd Bonzalez Active Member

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    $233 for a Napa battery with a 3-year warranty isn't bad at all. O'Reilly do a Super Start for a similar price, but the warranty is 2 years.

    Instead of buying one of those eBay batteries as a backup, I'd recommend a Noco jump pack...they'll start cars plus you can use them as a power bank for a phone or laptop
     
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you can get a $60. tractor battery if you're willing to make it fit and take the very minimal risk of a rea end accident causing some potential off gassing
     
  8. mr_guy_mann

    mr_guy_mann Senior Member

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    I have used the Napa AGM battery on multiple Prii - no troubles reported.

    I go with that (or any other brand made by East Penn manufacturing such as Deka), - or I go OE.


    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  9. mcmars

    mcmars Member

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    I got it started with my Noco jump starter in the boost mode, so I think that tells me the battery is no good and not holding the charge. Last monday I jumped it and idled it for 5 hours till I had to leave to go out of town in my Subaru. And then yesterday it lost whatever charge it got on Monday. I think I go with that Napa battery. I have it idling now for last hour or so. I will carry my tools and just pull it in the Napa parking lot.
     
  10. ColoradoCrow

    ColoradoCrow Active Member

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    When we lived in Colorado I had to replace both our 12Volt batteries. Went with the larger of the 2 options that Orielys had listed IIRC. it was about $200 each. Buy once and cry once. Both lasted a few winters and then we moved to Kansas. Both still going strong today. I would do it all over again.
     
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  11. mcmars

    mcmars Member

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    I think the old AC delco battery might be good enough as I jumped it yesterday and drove to town to deal with the fuel pump in Subaru. I let it idle all day between running around to find parts and then shuttling my cars back home after getting the subby fuel pump replaced. Napa tested it in my car and their handheld device said it had 250 CCA and needs to be charged. I drove home, parked it. and it started right up in the morning after a 10 degree night. So it finished charging today plugged in to a small 2 amp charger I have at home after 6 hours. Hoping I can get through the winter and maybe it will be fine once the weather gets warmer and less snow and I will be able to drive the prius on a regular basis.
     
  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I'd replace it.
     
  13. cyberpriusII

    cyberpriusII Prodigyplace says I'm Super Kris

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    Totally and completely disagree about Toyota battery. The one that came in the Prius lasted seven years. I replaced with another Toyota. It was still strong seven years later when I sold the Prius.
    Kris
     
  14. mcmars

    mcmars Member

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    So far so good on the AC delco battery and have had it off the charger now for several days with nighttime lows into the teens. I think I can get some more time off that battery. I am going to install a pigtail for a charger/maintainer onto the battery terminals and remember to plug it in when I am not using it, (ie snow!). I think that is just gonna be part of life with cold weather, no garage and deep snow that grounds this Prius for periods of time.
     
  15. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    That’s what I’ve done: our use of the car is sporadic; it’s on a charger all the time in between drives. We do make a point to “Sunday drive” periodically, hopefully keep the engine and hybrid battery in good condition.
     
  16. aleyoop

    aleyoop Junior Member

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    I got the oem dealership battery for 230 otd. This was maybe 2 months ago...they were having a sale.