I never said I got the Optima lol. Actually picked one up on Craigslist for $100 and it was only bought in Jan 17 so most of the warranty is in effect and I got the receipt with it too. Haven't put it in yet. Btw it came with no handle. iPhone ?
If I can jump in: after dropping the battery in I wiggled the handle off (it's removable) and tucked it in beside the battery.
I kinda forget, but you sort of push it down an turn it a bit I think. There's an outside chance I actually took the handle off just before dropping it in, my memory's a little fuzzy. The handle is much more needed for lifting out than dropping in. And it's easier to install the handle than remove it, IIRC.
If the surface is flat, consider a suction cup type holder. Other tasks like picking up sheets of glass use tools like that. Hope this link works. Industrial Suction Cup S-17535 - Uline
The battery handle was also pushing up on the negative battery cable. I cut and removed ( mostly) the Optima battery handle and the battery negative terminal wire lies flat as designed with the looped section fitting flat against the compartment side wall. Every thing lies flat went trim reinstalled. Take home message, the Optima (Optima Batteries 8171-767 (DS46B24R) YellowTop Prius Battery ) is the correct replacement at $159 via Amazon.After inserting battery cut off handle then complete install. My battery was suspicious at year 5 so it made sense to give it a shot after the dealer quoted $400 to replace which is absurd.
Toyota dealer depend on the average owner to never consider changing a battery, (they the dealer always like to remind customers how complex the Prius is to scare off doing it yourself).Business model.
The mechanics do not keep up either. I took my Gen 4 Prius in for 5K checkup. There was an area for battery check. They said that the Prius s different so they do not fill that out. I then reminded them that the 12 Volt battery is now under the hood for Gen 4. It appears to be a standard lead-acid battery.
I don't go there often, but I'm liking my nearest dealer more every time I read about experiences like yours. I had mine in for something else and needed a new battery, too. It was something like $300 give or take a few $$.
Your local dealer is rare indeed. The Toyota dealer I would sort of trust is 150 miles away. That's where I bought the car from a Gen 1 Prius owner salesman.