Question regarding my Prius taking a break...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(treehggr @ Aug 3 2007, 04:30 PM) [snapback]490124[/snapback]</div>

Yes, you will probably need to charge your battery after the break is over. Others here will be able to explain the details better than I could. Basically you can charge it from under the hood, since you won't be able to open the hatch with the dead battery.

 

Absolutely no problem leaving it for a couple of weeks. I have left mine for 6 weeks and it started right up. Feeling conservative? My dealer told me to remove the dome light fuse under the hood for extended periods of non-use ( I doubt this is accurate info.) or you could deactivate the auto-entry (I forget the official term) by using the switch directly under the steering column. Then upon returning you'd have to unlock it manually. Have a good time!

 

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For two weeks, there should be no need to disconnect the 12V battery. What is advisable is to disable the SKS system by pressing in the button under the steering wheel. Please look in the manual to make sure you have it right. Then the common sense things of making sure all lights are off, all doors are closed and the car locked will leave the car ready to start when you get back.

 

Since the Prius GEN II Primary Battery is especially small... the battery is shorter and thinner than regular batteries, but it's also taller. They weigh about the same.

 

A small lead acid battery reduces toxic material (lead) and weight.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(treehggr @ Aug 3 2007, 04:26 PM) [snapback]490161[/snapback]</div>

The SKS has to use power so that it can detect the presence of the key. The only way to tell it that you will be gone for a long time is to shut it off with the dash button.

In most stories here of people who came back to find a dead battery the cause was human error: incorrectly installed aftermarket electronics, a door or hatch left ajar, auto-shutoff headlights that stayed on because the driver exited through a passenger door, that sort of thing.

 

At the dealer where I got my Prius (where many of the employees own Prii, and they sell tons of them so they actually tend to know about the cars) they told us that the battery drains during periods of non-use (which can be as little as 2 weeks) because it is maintaining memory for 16 different computers.

This was during the service dept reception that they hold for new owners. They brought us into the service bay and showed us various things about how to operate and service the car. It was clearly designed to head off some of the more common reasons that people bring the cars in for service when in reality there is nothing wrong or the issue can easily be dealt with by the owner.

It's easy to jump the battery and once you get the engine started you run it for a few minutes and everything should be fine.