This Monday the old grey mare (Chrysler) wouldn't start, so DH took the old Ford truck to work. Tuesday neither the Chrysler nor the truck would start, so we declared a vehicle emergency and Tuesday night we bought a brand-spankin' new Toyota Hybrid Camry XLE so that we would have reliable two reliable cars. Oddly enough, when we to take the Camry on a test drive it required a jump for the 12V battery. But the dealership assured us that someone must have just forgotten to turn off the car. Wednesday morning the car wouldn't even unlock the doors (battery dead again). I was late to school because DH and I had to carpool, I couldn't get my parking permit out of the Toyota because the electric locks wouldn't work and no one had shown me how to pull the manual key out of the FOB, and ended up with a parking ticket because I didn't have the permit. I went to Toyota and raised heck, had 'em come get the car, check it all over, and got it back with assurances that everything was ok, just don't forget to turn off the car. I decided that I must have just not powered down properly. This morning, the battery was dead AGAIN. This time I'm pretty sure that I powered it off properly, though the manual doesn't describe what visual feedback the car is supposed to give to you. In any case, it looked off, and it didn't complain to me when I walked off with the key. The dealership just came out to jump start the car again and take it back to check it over again. I'm thinking that it's a phantom load. At this point I'm not confident that it is reliable and I am not sure that I want anything to do with it any more. All the lost time and missed schedules from this fiasco have destroyed my week.
that's a bummer, sorry to hear it. do you have a lemon law? i think here, it's 3 times without being able to repair.
Insist they put a new batter (12V) in the car, if they won't call toyota and raise hell, and tell them you have already posted the problem on the internet. I'm thinking about a Camry hybrid and I'm gonna follow this thread closely.
I don't think I will be able to post any update about the car because we do not intend to accept it again. This car was purchased Tuesday night (two days ago) and we've not been able to leave the house with the car even a single morning. That's 0 out of 2 days so far! Our lemon law states that if the dealer fails to repair the defect four times, then they have to refund or replace it. But we are leaning towards asking for a replacement regardless. For as much as we are paying for this car, we don't want to run the risk continued problems. And since the dealership is 40 miles away, they may think twice about risking continued issues as well.
I was thinking that *IF* we were to accept the car back, they need to give us TWO new and fully-charged 12v batteries. One to stay on the car, and one for me to swap into the Camry the following morning after the phantom load has drained the low-voltage battery again. That way at *least* it would make my daily drive back to the dealership to raise heck more convenient. And they wouldn't have to send someone to pick up the car every day.
if you were leaving it on, the car would be at you, it's pretty hard to ignore, especially over and over again.
I don't think there is a phantom load draining the 12v battery. After it drained the first time, you probably didn't have enough time/miles driven to recharge it. So, the next morning it drained again.
i wonder how well the camry battery stands up to being drained? might be the whole problem. btw, if you leave it running, won't it drain the traction battery and run the engine repeatedly until it runs out of gas?
Leaving it on for an hour or so should be enough. The traction battery will recharge the 12v. If it runs low, the gas engine will fire up. Not sure how long the OP's regular commute.
I agree with usbseawolf2000. The battery is shot. They simply allowed it to be drained too many times and it lost capacity so even putting it on a charger is likely not enough. I doubt there is anything else wrong with the car. Dealers are notorious for leaving accessories on without the engine running while showing off a car. They act like they don't know that repeated discharges reduces battery capacity. Simply bitch them out until they replace the battery with a new one. Use a Sharpie pen to make a small mark in an inconspicuous area onthe battery to ensure they really replace it.
You know F8l, I gotta agree once again with you on this one. The part about making the battery. I do it all the time, wheels, etc. It is really sad when you have to make a mark to satisfy yourself the problem has been addressed and corrected! How's the PIP running, I met Dianne last week, she mentioned it was hard to keep you on the ground, you were so ready for the PIP!
I don'thave a PIP, my friend. Too rich for my blood. Even if I could afford it the vehicle would be fairly useless on my 48mile (one way) commute. So are you getting one soon? Make sure and bring a battery tester with you! lol
The drive is about 30 miles, mostly highway. The dealership *claimed* to have thoroughly checked over the battery (put it on a tester, charged it, etc.) when they had the car yesterday after the second time it was drained. Not that this dealership has exactly a stellar reputation... The service representative that I spoke to today stated that he wasn't informed yesterday that the car was dead on the sales lot the day after it arrived, which would make two days in a row that the battery failed. Today makes three days in a row. Of course, the sales manager disagrees and stated that he was sure that service was informed. Someone either isn't talking straight or they have communication problems between departments.
We have observed numerous occasions where the dealer diagnosed a 12v battery and claimed it was healthy yet non-dealer testing showed the battery to exhibit reduced capacity and low voltage < 12.2v. With a brand new car like that I would throw a fit until they agreed to replace the battery. If the car continues to die then you beginto build your case for a lemon law claim.
I cannot see the voltage test being the absolute indicator of battery condition. If it was, then Midtronics testers would not be the only acceptable testing method for warranty claims. If the tester shows the battery to be fine, then it is. The battery is likely being drained by something in the car. MB860 ?
It's called test by proxy indicators. Can you explain why those Prius owners who were told there batteries we're fine by a dealership suddenly had their problems disappear when they replaced the battery? The fact is, the car is brand new and now is the time to argue a claim. You know as well as I do how shady dealerships are so there is no way of knowing if they truly test the battery properly or not.
Sorry 'bout that. Somehow I got the impression you did the PIP thing! After reading reading your tag, got it. My wife just ordered a HyCam XLE through Dianne, she's getting excited! Me, I am gonna keep the Gen II for at least 4 more years, then look at all electrics! Battery testers, I got several, I'm covered! Stay healthy, you nut!
