Flat 12V battery on 2007 hatchback: do I have the right plan?

Hi everyone,

Excuse me if this question is redundant, but this is a bit of a « straw that broke the camel’s back » situation, and I have sifted through as many threads as I can. I hope it’s OK to reality check my decision with you.

My new-to-me 2007 model went un-driven for about a month and this is probably the reason the battery went flat. I found thisbout 10 days ago, when I got a jump start from roadside assistance. I drove it around for a couple of hours, but from what’s been said here I guess I should have driven it for 10 hours. Due to a combination of extreme workload and family emergency, I haven’t had a chance to drive it again since, and you guessed it the battery is flat again.

In this situation I think (correct me if I’m wrong) I have the following choices:

Get a jumper pack, start it that way, and drive it for 10 hours.
- I’m in the UK and am having trouble choosing a jumper pack, as I’m not sure of the minimum amperage and capacity, all I know is it has to be 12V.
- Part of the extreme workload includes job hunting, so I can’t afford to spend over £100 for the wrong device. If anybody has a suggestion for the best and cheapest jumper pack available on Amazon right now, that would really help me, as my brain broke on the 9th or so YouTube video.

HOWEVER just jump starting it is not going to be enough, right? I need to drive it for 10 actual hours? Supposing I did that, would it be enough? (It’s on road parking where I live, no garage or driveway.) Isn’t it likely I need a new battery?

If I need a new battery, I’ll have to get a mobile service to come over and do it as I don’t have the capacity to try to learn and attempt it myself. Halfords don’t have a suitable 12V battery in stock, and I rang them up only to be told I need to take the car to the retail shop and/or ring them up for advice… I can’t deal with going round in circles like that.
- If I have to source the battery myself, which one should I get?
- If I can get a mobile company to supply AND fit a battery, can anybody recommend a company?
- If I can get a mobile company to fit but not supply, does that change the recommendation?

Finally, do I need to do both these things immediately, or just one?
- To me, it looks like I need to get the battery replaced as I’ve probably killed my existing one.
- It also looks like it would be a good idea to get a jumper pack, but as I can’t afford to do even one of these two things, I therefore can’t afford to do both at once. Can I put off getting the jumper pack for now, or should I suck it up and accept having to pay for both a battery replacement and a jumper pack?

If anyone has answers they’d be willing to write in words of one syllable in crayon, I would be mosf grateful. We look for things that make us go.

 

thanks for getting back.

From what you say, sam spade 2, I need to replace the battery, and the jumper pack is not a luxury, but it does sound like it can wait.

AGE AND CONDITION OF BATTERY: The battery I believe is no more than 3 years old. It was inspected before I bought the car, and also last December by the local Toyota dealership. Both said it was OK.

HOW MUCH I WILL BE DRIVING IT: When I get a full-time job I'll have a clearer idea of how much I'll be driving it in a context of regular routine. I need to drive it to an interview on Wednesday because if I don't drive, I'll have to spend over £100 on public transport to get there. Because of this constraint, I don't have a lot of time to spend selecting and procuring parts.

BATTERY TENDER: Not sure what a battery tender is, but no, I don't have access to power where it's parked, so it's moot.

SFO, thank you for the link. The linked post seems to be recommending the Ritar RA12-55, which I can only find listed at a cost of £10,000 and up. I see there's a long list of other brands in there, some of which turn up some semi-related results, but I am concerned about ordering something with the wrong dimensions or otherwise with the wrong spec. Because I'm under extreme time pressure I just can't handle that level of detail right now, unfortunately.

CONTEXT AND A BIT OF VENTING: Right now I'm working 20-hour days from home, including job hunting, AND dealing with a family emergency. This is why I haven't driven the car very much over the past couple of months: no time, and also the hazard of driving while sleep-deprived. (Yes I will get the full 8 hours before I drive to the job interview on Wednesday.) Without going into too much detail, I have given this Prius my ALL - time, money, attention - since I got it in November, and today it is demanding MORE money and MORE time and MORE attention from me, or it won't let me go to my interview. If I take public transport, it will cost £100 and take three hours each way, so that is not even going to be a stop-gap answer. The fact for me right now is, I need the car to get a job, I need the car to do a job, and I have to get it running by Wednesday while spending the least possible amount of time and money on an adequately sustainable fix.

I don't think I have the time to select, source, and order the right kind of mobility battery AND get it fitted before Wednesday.

I have a quote from clickmechanic to supply and fit for just under £140. Is there any reason why I shouldn't just go with that? Some hidden gotcha?

 

I'm aware that both batteries need to start, but I have no reason at this point to think the hybrid battery is dead yet.

 

Hello Another, the idea of a solar maintainer sounds interesting - did you mean to link to a specific one?