I have worked in Toyota dealerships for a little over ten years. One thing that I have noticed is that Prius owners really love their cars. So I bought a 2010 Prius IV (IV not Four as Roman Numerals were used for model year 2010 only to designate model) (used and cheap). Partly because I have a daily commute of 100 miles round trip to work. My V6 Camry typically uses $60 - 70 in gas every four days to make this trip. Especially with my heavy foot. It's been two weeks since I bought the Prius and I am only halfway through my second tank of gas ($29.70 to fill up). And it drives great! What an awesome little car. I will be here often reading and posting I am sure. PS The Camry has been parked for two weeks. I try to crank it once in a while to keep the battery from dying. But I always find myself jumping in the Prius to go somewhere.
For a long distance commuter, the Prius has few rivals. If you needed a long distance cargo carrier, as I do, the Prius v station wagon.
A battery tender would be a MUCH better plan. It takes a while to regain the charge expended in starting.
That won't keep the battery properly charged. Best to get a battery tender if you're not going to drive it much.
Hey Parts Ninja welcome to the happy Prius owners club! Glad your enjoying your car as much as we do! With Parts Ninja for a name,, do you work in the parts department at the Toy dealership? Any idea if I can upgrade the headlights on a 2014 Pri 3 --> to automatic? (Its Currently stock with on the tree on off controls). It amazes me Toy did not just make it standard as so many other brands have -- especially seeing my car does have the light sensor on the dash for the Nav display to know when to dim. I mean,, how much more would it have been to just make the headlights auto, too?? Maybe just a few PARTS????
Thanks for the warm welcomes. I have always liked the community here (frequent lurker, less frequent poster). I had never heard of a battery tender. But I think I will be getting one now! @Beachnut Yes I am a parts man and know my way around a Toyota/Lexus parts catalog like no other. I could find that combo switch faster than you could blink. But how to wire it and and be sure it would actually work, that is technician territory and I am no help there. Just like you I was surprised that even though my car was stacked with options, the lights are not automatic. Heck, they don't even turn themselves off when you power off the car and open the door. Weird. @Fore any advice/insider knowledge I can provide, I will gladly offer. But from what I have read, this board is already stacked to the roof with some serious expertise. It is one of the reasons I have come here.
One step above the tender/trickle charger is the pulse/smart charger: I swear by this sucker !! It was another PC member that turned me on to these bad boys - I seldom get my regular trickle charger out any more ... whether on our honda inverter/generator, our electric boat, or keeping the little prius or lexus battery up. .
Parts Ninja, if your at all cheap, like me, you might want to try one of the "automatic battery float chargers" from Harbor Freight. They cost all of $9.99 and seem to work fantastic as I have used one for years on my 69 Buick Skylark Convertible. My last battery "Die hard" lasted 7+ years, and i finally replaced it, even though it was cranking fine, just because I did not trust it anymore - due solely on its age. Here is a link,, if it works: Automatic Battery Charger - 12V If you find you have tons of time one day, I would be interested in knowing how much the parts would cost to "upgrade" my headlights to fully auto. If its ridiculus in parts price, it would be a good reason for me to quit complaining about it!
And what was the price step above a battery tender that's available for about $30 ?? There is no need to buy a scoop shovel when a teaspoon will do the job.
Thanks for all the links to battery tenders yall. I looked at all of them. It might be a moot point though. The Camry is probably getting sold. I love this Prius! Beachnut I found threads on Priuschat about the automatic lights. Do a search and you will find them. Of course around here they told me it couldn't be done. Not so.
bamboo chopsticks may even cost less than teaspoons .... so it turns on how fast you wana move mass from point a to point b. Agreed, there's nothing wrong with the tender. Still - the pulse tech ($65 or so) models retard plate degradation - which extends battery life. Pay for more & you get more. Isn't that what you do when you get a Prius? .
That only works when the "pulse tech" is the unit that charges the battery ALL THE TIME.......and only if it is a conventional wet cell type battery. AGM type batteries do not suffer that kind of plate degradation in the first place......and if you let it go too far before trying to correct it, your fancy charger is mostly worthless to accomplish that anyway. You have been taken in my marketing hype. It happens all the time.
@Beachnut, all Prii have automatic headlights in Canada. Perhaps if you're able to find the part number for the sensor and wires and stalk, you could, in theory, hook it up.
Perhaps you need to check your facts. AGM's do in fact experience sulfication. Now, if what you actually meant was that AGM batteries are less prone to experience sulfication - that would be true. But all that would mean is that pulse tech is preventing less damage/breakdown on AGM's. But big deal. Most folks use their chargers on more than one type of battery. actually, it's not my fancy charger - it's a model that gets good reviews from the majority of purchasers ..... looking at 64 purchasers from Amazon dot com I see it averages a 4 out of 5. Consider most folks primarily use rating sites to vent their dissatisfaction - that would indicate that their "fancy chargers" work as good or better than purchaser's expectations. As for resurrecting a completely dead battery - First - that's not even the topic. Second - since you brought it up anyways, a pulse tech charger is more likely to help restore SOME usability to a nearly dead battery than a standard charger can .... but again that's sort of a tangent. One has to experience a product falling below marketing claims in order to invoke that it's marketing is only "hype". All I have is 15years of empirical results (same battery use/demand - in the same weather/temps) . Flooded lead acid cells that last an average of 6.5 years in stead of lasting only 4years. From Web site's that post users opinions - that seems to be the consensus. That said, others are still entitled to differing opinions .... no one's desireing to convince anyone otherwise. .
The point about sulphation is that the design of an AGM battery prevents the deposits that form from creating a service affecting problem; they don't accumulate in the bottom of the cells and short them out. The deposits themselves only cause a minor drop in capacity that is undetectable in normal use. And the overall point is that any kind of a smart battery tender will give you similar life extending results.......on a battery with usage patterns that requires a tender.......and at half or less of the price. What you have no doubt works just fine. The doubt is whether it works any better than less expensive models and my opinion is not; a strong NOT.
A smart charger extends a battery's life just because you're not helpless, you have an option besides battery replacement. Further, get a charger, and next you'll start getting cognisant of battery health, get a digital multimeter, pay more attention to potential 12 volt battery drainers. It snowballs.
+1, never really cared much about any batteries or their health until I bought a Prius. Now I am checking all the batteries in my house like some sort of crazy person.
+1... i take prius to most places nowadays... 50mpg for 10-year-old car is pretty darn good for me... i just installed battery disconnect switches on my other cars since i don't drive whole lot...
