Question re: 12-volt battery, please?

Harold! <---- That's the confused face.

 

Harold, I'm afraid of getting stranded with a dead battery all because I don't drive my car on enough long trips. And I know there's no way I will leave my car in "Ready" mode all night long a couple of times a month to charge up my 12V. I just never realized that I would need something to keep my 12V battery healthy.

 

Thank you, Jimbo.

Out of curiosity, wouldn't that take a really long time to jump start a car?

 

I understand about the jump start of the Prius. Thank you.

I was confused by the suggestion that if I had possession of a unit such as that recommended by Patrick, it would also be useful to loan to someone else to jump start their vehicle. I didn't think these units were capable of that which is why I was seeking clarification of that issue.

Thanks all, very much. I appreciate the education I am receiving here so much. Sorry I have been so confused about the appropriate unit for the purpose of keeping my 12V healthy. This was all news to me and I have really appreciated your patience very much.

Julia

 

usnavystgc! Great to hear from you.

I have not gotten around to having the steel key cut, but I was successful in chicken dancing myself to a fully functional brand spanking new SKS key fob!

I will let you know about the key.

Julia

 

So -- with regard to the battery issue (although I am not actually HAVING battery issues - I just want to prevent them)...I have decided not to get a battery charger and not to get a battery minder, but instead to simply buy a brand new Yellow Optima battery and install that for now. I may end up purchasing a charger like the Diehard at some point to keep my new battery nicely topped off, but for right now it would seem prudent to replace the battery since it is the original.

Wish me luck in getting the thing installed! I bought the yellow Optima from my local Advanced Auto with a discount of 15% today off the 199.99 retail price. So -- for 169.99 and probably a lot of hard work figuring out how to get it installed, I will have a brand new battery prior to winter, and hopefully that will leave me in a good situation for some time.

I appreciate all the things I've learn in this thread, including the value of charging, minding, leaving the car on in "Ready" mode to charge the 12V, and how to check the health of my battery.

I will try to remember to report back if I can successfully----wait-----I mean WHEN I successfully install the new battery.

Thank you all for your patience, kindness and guidance.

Julia

 

Thanks, Patrick. Can't the store check the voltage for me when I pick up the battery? And if it's not up to full voltage capacity can't they charge it there? I am planning on asking this of them tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, I was hoping now that I will have a new battery I wouldn't have to worry so much about buying a charger to keep it charged!

 

Yikes! That's the first I hear of this. How heavy are we talking here?

At Advanced Auto they do change batteries, however I keep reading how we shouldn't trust our Prius vehicles to just anyone so I wasn't going to ask them.

 

Thank you, Sir.

 

Thank you very much, Don. I really appreciate this information. I can lift the 26 pound battery. I'm small but I'm not old.

I am frankly more concerned about the bolts!

Thanks very much again.

Julia