Parking My Prius v for a Few Weeks

You can turn off the smartkey via the nav computer custom settings. Someone else did that by accident.

 

The local dealer told me to plug in the smart charger if I was going to leave the car sitting for more than a week or so. By "smart", AGM compatible charging program.

I would assume that there isn't any reason to disable the SKS. I suspect that it doesn't draw more than an amp...

 

It's through the nav system, through the setup, I believe general or or something. I know its in the setup section.

 

Have 2 homes and have a sitting Prius at each which means one of them will be sitting for 2-3 months. When I just returned to one house the starter battery was dead. AAA jump start to the dealer for a new battery, 06 Prius original battery so it was due. In talking to the service guy he says get a trickle charger if the cars are sitting that long. I did and it works. Hookup is easy. I did my mine thru the fuse box up front. Went to you tube to see how to do it. The starter battery is a small battery like a regular car and nothing to do with the hybrid battery.

 

I discoverd the hard way - by finding my battery discharged (the 12v) after being gone for just a week! - that anything over a week with a Prius v and you will have a dead battery and need a jump. Although my local Toyota service dept advised me to disconect the battery whenver I'm gove for a week or more, I called the service 800 number and was advised to use the trickle charger (actually a smart charger / battery tender set to 2 amp max). As someone else said, it does not need to connect directly to the 12 v battery in the back and can charge through the fuse box under the hood (just follow the directions in the manual for jump starting).

 

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good smart charger? Thanks!

 

I bought "Xtreme Charge XC100" it works OK, once the battery is charged, it keeps the battery at voltage 13.3V

I was using it constantly in February/March to keep the battery in top shape; and planning on running special plug wire through the floor in the battery compartment so I can charge it in the winter times.

 

I've used a Battery Tender Plus 3 stage smart charger for years. It is a good product that has yet to destroy a battery. Any 3 or 4 (depending on marketing) stage charger will be good. You want one that has bulk absorption and float mode. Some have a 4th called storage. I would consider a BatteryMinder but love the one I have. Mine is a older version of this:
http://www.batterystuff.com/battery-chargers/brands/battery-tender/BT-021-0128.html

This one looks to have a better connection to the battery.

There are tons of articles out there. Boaters have struggled with this for years and have written volumes on the topic. It's all relevant and basically tell you to avoid battery sulfation.
W

 

This doesn't seem right to me: was this in cooler temps? Does the V battery drain faster than the regular prius? I had a 2004 and could leave it for 2 weeks no problem in summer.

 

Me either. I was out of town unexpectedly for 10 days and my car was fine. It stayed as I parked it no problems and no precautions. W

 

I have two homes one in ga and mo with a 2006 Prius parked at one and a 2010 Prius at the other. They get parked from 2-3 months at a time. After discovering a dead battery I started hooking up a trickle charger and problem solved with no dead batteries anymore. A Toyota service guy told me to do this after spending 300 to replace the dead battery

 

Wow, am I glad I saw this thread. I had no idea. Is this mentioned in the manual at all?

 

My folk's hybrid Highlander just had its lead acid dye. The maintenance guy said nothing more than "you owe me x amount" though. Now i know!

thanks

 

I hooked up a CTEK Multi-Use 3300 while we were out of town for a couple of weeks, seemed to work just fine. It's a "smart" charger, backs off to trickle charger once the battery is fully charged. It's a little pricey compared to similar products, but works well, comes with good connectors, and an organizer bag (rarity these days).

 

How do you include your Fuelly dashboard in your post?
Thanks,
owayneo

 

I just posted these instructions in another thread:

3rd fuel up. A little disappointed with my fuel economy

 

Planning to leave my Prius v parked for 3-4 weeks , dealer asked me to use battery tender . Looks like other option of disconnecting battery from the back will erase system memory , so advised me not do that and invest in a battery tender .
Just got battery tender plus from Costco , can someone advice me on how to connect battery tender plus .