Optima battery bad "again"

... which is what I did after enjoying 6 years reliable service from the OEM battery. Same price and better quality, why not?


Nexus 7 ? 2

 

Smart move, Patrick!

 

I agree with you. Having owned several Toyotas, I've had occasion to purchase at least five 12V batteries in recent years from local Toyota dealer part departments in Orange County and Tucson. In all cases, the batteries were of recent manufacture (even those shipped from Japan) and were fully-charged.

Recently though, some dealership parts departments have established extremely high pricing on Prius 12V batteries which naturally will encourage owners to seek reasonable alternatives. Here is one such alternative:
http://www.atbatt.com/exide-starting-battery-group-s46b24r-for-toyota-prius.asp

I bought that battery for the 2007. Unfortunately the vent hole size is not the same as the original equipment GS Yuasa and the battery did not come with a vent elbow so I need to devise a substitute fitting.

Here is another alternative:


I don't have any experience with that one, it's brand name is not known to me.

 

Not to say I didn't shop around! I don't know why the parts places don't have an OEM equivalent, it can't be that hard.

The biggest hassle is that the dealer is an hour away although they will do a free installation if you bought the car from them.

Nexus 7 ? 2

 

OP - I bought mine a couple of years ago so my memory is far from fresh, but I believe that the warranty stipulates that service is provided through the company the battery is purchased from and not Optima. If this is indeed the case you are likely stuck unless Jim sees the post and can help out.

I'd suggest trying to find someone at Advance who cares about service more than the kid working the register - perhaps the store manager or a call to the company HQ. Good luck.

 

Luck of the draw I guess but when I bought mine online from Advance Auto they shipped me a new one in a box that was clearly designed just for shipping this battery. Presumably the one I got came from a distribution center instead of from my local stores.

Mine arrived with a reasonable charge level, I topped it off with my ctek and then have used it ever since. Not even a hint of a problem.

 

I'm thinking shelf life can be a big factor, and that's where the Toyota battery has an advantage. Third party batteries maybe be sitting around longer, be stored in less than ideal conditions.

 

I will say this. When I replaced our 12 volt, I went with the battery from Toyota. Straight out of the box the battery measured 13.0 volts with a digital volt meter.

Whatever you buy, make sure it is fully charged before you install it. Don't accept a battery that is discharged as it has already begun to sulfate.

 

I'm glad that they changed the battery with the GEN III. There is no vent tube. The compartment is vented, and you can actually install a larger battery, fits.

 

The dreaded duplicate post!

 

Please do not blame the battery (whatever brand it is). First you need to address WHY your battery does not charge properly when you are driving, or WHY does it discharge too low when the car is off and not used. You probably have got a parasite discharge circuit in your car. Or oxidized connectors, etc.
- Alex

 

You might also measure voltage on the 12V bus when the Prius is READY, which should be around 13.8V. That will provide evidence that the DC/DC converter is operational.

 

It's great, if you have a ScanGaugeII.

 

Ok, I guess you are right. I have never dealt of the battery that can not be CHARGED above 11.1 V. Sounds like not enough acid in electrolyte maybe, or wrong chemical composition of the electrodes.

For a healthy fully charged battery 6 or 7 month on the shelf should not be critical. So yours was probably a lemon.

- Alex

 

I have two of these units. One for the 4Runner that sit around quite a bit, but never fails to crank right right up, and one for the Prius! They work great , when you remember to plug them in when the Prius sits around for extended periods without driving!
Just yesterday I had to replace my old Optima! It just gave out....about 5 years use!
About a hour or so of light work, new battery in, Good to Go!
The old Optima was out of warranty! Got a new one. I am glad I saved the OEM battery posts and ground wire.
The new Optima was the new Prius version.! Smaller post sizes!
With a new battery all those stupid little quirky things have ceased to trouble me or the car, which now runs fine!!!

​

 

Optima used to make a good product, but that ended when they moved their production operations to Mexico several years ago. Quality went down the tubes and they've never been the same.

 

Happens ALL the time. They reduce the quality and NOT the price. They WALK away with MORE of your money.