Prius 12v Battery Replacement - dealer or independent auto shop?

This one is an exact fit, comes with 3-year warranty and is an easy DIY, EverStart Maxx Lead Acid Automotive Battery, Group Size H4 12 Volt, 480 CCA - Walmart.com

 

Anyone can replace it. But first, get a free load test at auto zone

 

Welcome to the forum!

IMHO: the difference between 230cc vs 295cc is nominal. As long as the battery has enough juice to close the heavy-duty relays to the traction battery - the traction battery takes over virtually all functions. I've know people with aux. Prius batteries down to 10VDC or less and the car still starts up.
Since you don't drive much, have your mechanic install an automatic battery maintainer. They use these on motorcycles, boats, and RV's - So when you want to use them, the battery isn't dead. You should be able to avoid battery replacement for years to come. Don't forget to check/top-off the battery electrolytes yearly - that's why those 'sealed' batteries die after a certain amount of time. I personality get at least 10 years out of a non-sealed lead acid battery, on average, all it takes is annual maintenance.
If your dead set on replacing the battery, any shop can do that. You may lose some of your presets and the car may run funny for a day - ECU relearning engine/sensor set-points.

Hope this helps....

 

In your case, I would get a cheap jump pack and read the section on, or bookmark - How to jump start your car. A lot of the roadside assistant people aren't familiar with how to properly jump-start a Prius. Going into the cold winter months, this would come in handy - even with a new battery.

Hope this helps...

 

FWIW: The “nothing sacred about a Toyota battery” is somewhat true. However, the Toyota battery installed by the dealership comes with an 8 year warranty (compared with a 3 year warranty) PLUS the first 2 years of the warranty is 100% (meaning if it were to fail it wouldn’t cost you anything to replace it), which the Walmart battery won’t come close to that (neither does the Interstate). So for $60 you get more than double the warranty.
Have the mechanic you used before test the battery. If that test shows the same results as your dealership test then I would have it replaced. As the temperatures drop the battery will loose capacity so if it fails you it will most likely occur on a cold winter day. I am not positive, but I believe the Toyota battery warranty includes them coming out and getting you going. Walmart DEFINITELY won’t.

 

What's your parking situation; are you garage parked with AC power outlets, or no?

If yes, I'd get a good quality, smart charger, around 4 amp rating. Use it 'round the clock when the car is is sitting idle for more than a day at a time.

If not, I'd look into a battery cut-off switch, to stop the steady drain any 12 volt battery experiences, in a modern car. The downside of the latter is you will loose stuff, radio presets for starters, and "maybe" auto-up on the windows. I was just musing, if it would be possible to wire in a compact, easily removable battery, that would supply enough voltage to retain memories, when the 12 volt battery is disconnected.

 

I believe she provided the answer to your question when she stated “Unfortunately, I live in a big city and park on the street…”.
But then again, maybe I’m wrong on that point.

 

I just did a lot of comparison shopping for a replacement 12V battery for my 2017.
I linked to a spreadsheet I made for the batteries and suppliers I checked in post #8 here: https://priuschat.com/threads/2017-12-volt-battery-replacement.245304/#post-3409998

12V battery replacement is a trivial task for someone with modest mechanical experience.
I'm going to order the AC Delco AGM from Summit Racing in about 2 minutes. It's a superior battery to a traditional flooded lead-acid battery, but you do need to have a charger that is designed to properly charge absorbed glass mat (AGM) batteries, or they can be damaged.

 

I’m not that up on it, but on my CTEK the only diff is a slightly higher charging voltage, for “spiral wound” (looks like a 6-pack) AGM’s. Rectangular AGMs, and reg batteries charge the same, just voltage a few tenths of a volt lower. If you charge a spiral wound AGM without the higher voltage, no harm, maybe just not as fully charged.

 

I definitely don't fully understand the differences between these battery types. Most of what I've read says AGM batteries use a slightly higher charging voltage (a couple tenths of a volt, like you said), but that they can be damaged by going much above that. Where a flooded battery would electrolyze the water into gas at higher voltage--which could be refilled--an AGM battery would blow its seal from excess gas pressure, which would doom the battery.

I just ordered the AC Delco from Summit, so I'll be the $166 guinea pig here. My OEM Toyota Yuasa battery has a sticker right on it that says it's an LN1, 45 Ah, and a measly 295 CCA. A caveat for anyone else ordering online: lead-acid battery returns are a hazardous materials shipment, which means it could be somewhere between complicated to economically impractical to send a shipment back yourself. And come to think of it, that might complicate the warranty, which I didn't think to ask about before I ordered it. EDIT: I just spoke with Summit Racing, and they said if there were a warranty claim, they'd ask me to have the battery tested somewhere and send them a photo of the test results, then they would have me recycle the battery and ship me out a replacement. That's good to know!

 

John Kelly of Weber University addressed the issue of using the wrong type of battery in your vehicle (sorry, but I’m not going to try and find which video it was in, I figure if a person is interested enough they can find it). Additionally, the Battery University addresses this issue. FWIW it might be worth the time to check out the facts.

 

$275 to install a $180 battery sounds crazy, especially for returning customer. But I guess when a Shop does it they've got to do some sort of systems check so you don't just run down or fry the new battery. When I worked at a gas station installation of batteries, wiper blades, etc was free.

Someone mentioned Toyota Dealer new battery comes with 8 year warranty. What about the factory Toyota battery in my 3yr old 2020 Prime???

 

Perhaps reading your Warranty Maintenance Guide might provide that information.

 

Go buy the battery from AutoZone and the guy will probably swap it for you. Give him $20 and call it a day.

 

I haven't found any sources that said not to use an AGM battery in place of a flooded battery, including searching on Battery University. In fact, several sources (Consumer Reports and some battery sellers have said it's a better performing battery and isn't a problem.) The only real caution I've seen is to take care when using a battery charger--specifically in the bulk charging phase, where a constant-current flooded battery charger might hit as high as 17 V to maintain a constant charging current. That voltage is no bueno for AGM batteries, which could cause too much electrolysis and pop their seals. The regular charging system in the car shouldn't exceed 15 volts, so that's less of a concern in situ.

BTW, I just received my AC Delco LN1AGM battery today from Summit. Very well packaged and at $166 incl tax, put on my doorstep for less than a Walmart flooded battery, where I'd still have to return the core. Pretty pleased with my first experience with Summit.