Hello, I am going on vacation for 10 days in about a week and then 16 days in another month. I have a 2017 Prius 4. Only 850 miles on it so far. I was searching the threads to see if there was anything I needed to do differently with the Prius, it's my first one. The vehicle will be parked in my garage the entire time. Some of the posts mention deactivating the SKS and some type of switch under the steering wheel. I don't see any switch. Is there anything I should do while on vacation with no one to start the car?
i also am leaving tomorrow for 7 weeks. i pumped up the tires to max sidewall pressure, and charged the 12v battery. the o/m says the sks shuts off after 6 days, so i'm not concerned about that. my battery is 6 years old. for gen 4, it should be even better. if you were leaving it in an arizona summer, i would be more concerned about heat.
I think the switch was in the gen 2. (2004 to 2009) In a Prius as new as yours, I would not worry about it. In four years, 16 days may require a trickle charger to keep the battery healthy.
For the time periods you mentioned, there are no special requirements; I’ve left mine for longer with no trouble at all. For new vehicles in inventory, Toyota tells its dealers to disconnect the 12-volt auxiliary battery after 30 days, and to run the hybrid system for 30 minutes at least every two months. There is an internal counter that records the number of times the car has gone more than 60 days without being started. See my posting from November for more about this and links to the service bulletins.
I wouldn't worry about it - maybe if it was more like 4 weeks - like someone else commented. Just make sure the spare FOB isn't too close to the car so the immobiliser works properly. (I take the battery out of mine and hide it in a different spot - if someone steals the FOB, they're not likely to go to the bother of diagnosing why it doesn't work and go next door and steal their car instead).
I left mine outdoors in the full June sun for 15 days, no problems. Before switching off, I turned the heater right up to Hi and the team until the Hybrid (HV) battery was up to near full. Not sure if that was wise or not, but like I said.... No problems on my return. Have a great vacation.
Spend ~$20 on a small automatic tender type 12 V battery charger. Connect it at the "jump points", wherever that is for your model. Then don't worry. It will be fine. Note that anything labeled as a "trickle charger" is NOT appropriate.
I try to achieve a charge of 50-60% before an extended time away. At least that's what's generally recommended for other (although smaller) Li-on batteries I own.
I think the brake pads can stick to the discs ( or drums). IT is not good to drive when the brakes are stuck on.
Much too short to worry about, unless the 12V battery is already very weak. When I'm planning to be gone about 3-ish weeks or more (max was 44 days, with car parked at an airport lot), and the battery has a couple years or more on it, then I make sure to top it off overnight with a battery maintainer (not left connected during the absence), and turn the SKS off from the big screen menus.
For 10 and 16 days, there's not really much you need to do. Ensure the battery is closer to 6 bars (i.e. don't park it with 2 bars showing on the battery meter) Turn off all the switches - headlights, dome/room lights to reduce the 12V battery accessory drain That's it. That's normally what I do with my Prii.
