my dad has a 2014 prius and wont be driving his car for 4-5 months. i was told by someone to disconnect the ground wire. is this necessary? and if so, where is the ground wire? do i have to pull the back seat out??
It is easier than that, unlike 'normal' cars the Prius charges the 12V car whenever it is READY, you do not have to drive it.* Just go turn it on for a half hour each week. Then remember to turn it off! * in normal cars the alternator does not produce much power at idle, but a Prius does not use a belt driven alternator.
4 or 5 months is quite a stretch. A car idle for that amount of time should have several treatments done. As mentioned above, any chance you could just adopt the car? Assuming you have your own as well, switch between the cars, drive his say at least once a week? If not, next best scenario is it's garage kept. In that case, I'd have all the tires inflated to max indicated on sidewall (to avoid flat spots), leave a window cracked (for air circulation in the cabin), and hook up like a CTEK3300 charger, it can be left on indefinitely, will keep the 12 volt in decent shape, without needing to disconnect. Also raise the wipers of the glass by shimming under the arms with rags. You might also consider gas stabilizer, follow instructions on the bottle. An alternative (and preferable) to raising the tire pressures: jack the car up so that all tires are barely touching, and support it on safety stands.
thanks everyone, my dad lives about 7 hr away so driving it once a week is not an option. i will look into the charger.
Pearl S sits in the garage every winter for 5-6 months, and is not even put in "ready". I use a "Battery Tender", connected under the hood to the boost point. No, the fuel does NOT "go bad". No, the traction battery won't have a problem with this. DO fill the fuel tank before letting it sit. DO try somehow to keep the 12V battery charged. As I said, I use a Battery Tender. Works just fine. There are many other types out there. DO NOT use a cheap battery charger! It will overcharge the battery.
