Locking doors and battery drain

If you are going to drain your 12v battery from long term parking at the airport, it won't matter which method you use to lock the doors.
I use a product called BatteryMinderPlus and fully charge the 12v battery prior to leaving the vehicle parked long term. Also, the battery has to be in good condition and not on the edge of failure! This method has worked for me and the product I mentioned is not expensive and used regularly, will extend the life of the battery.

 

I think I understand what you are asking, and I believe the answer would be - Does not matter. The car progressively powers down systems over a period of days. SKS is one of them, if memory serves correctly. Wait a bit... I am sure someone will post soon who knows precisely how the car handles extended storage.

 

The SKS works by 'touching' the door handle? Do I need to have one of those black rubber contact points to lock the doors? I have a Prius 3, can I lock the doors without hitting the remote?

 

The Prius 3 only has the SKS feature on the driver's door handle. The unlock is on the inside of the door handle. The lock is on the outside end of the door handle closest to the engine. It does not have the black rubber contact points but you can see the ridges in the door handle where the sensor is located.

The sensors are capacitive so are looking for moisture in your hand. To unlock slide your hand inside the door handle and you will hear a beep. For lock place the thumb and forefinger on the end of the door handle over the sensors, you will hear a beep and the parking lights will flash.

So, yes you can lock and unlock the car without ever taking the key fob out of your pocket. That is the beauty of the SKS system. The default for the 3 with SKS is to unlock the driver's door only. There is a sequence in the Owner's Manual to allow you to change to unlock all doors if you like.

 

From a practical standpoint it doesn't matter. If you want a theoretical answer: to avoid battery drain, lock the doors while in Ready with the driver's door open; power down; shut the door.

Tom

 

Holding two buttons for 5 seconds will toggle between opening only the drivers door and opening all doors! Its quick and easy. I believe you hold down both the Lock and unlock. Nice when you have a few rug rats attacking the doors as you walk up!