1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Battery dead yet again...

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by fish_antlers, Jan 21, 2008.

  1. parky

    parky New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2008
    51
    0
    0
    Location:
    montana
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Must have been the 2A setting as they had it hooked up for two days.
     
  2. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2004
    13,439
    641
    0
    Location:
    Winnipeg Manitoba
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    I agree
     
  3. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2004
    13,439
    641
    0
    Location:
    Winnipeg Manitoba
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    That's just bulls** on their part. The Toyota automatic charger is safe to use at the 10 amp setting. I guess they don't have a problem with the car being out of commission for what, a week or so?

    How does it work now?
     
  4. parky

    parky New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2008
    51
    0
    0
    Location:
    montana
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    They had it out all night, that day it went from +35F at 4:30AM to -20 at night then back up to 17 in the morning which is when I pked it up. I got the car home and the voltmeter read only 11.8vdc. This morning after being on the battery tender it reads 12.9vdc. I"ll ck again after we take it for a spin this evening.
    I found a battery warmer by Temco on Shop.com. I made a visual appraisal of the bulk/size (normal size battery) and will go out and compare that with what I see in the battey compartment.

    I hardly ever believe what the Service Dept tells me.
     
  5. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2004
    13,439
    641
    0
    Location:
    Winnipeg Manitoba
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    I can't believe the bulls*** you've gone through. Wonder if the 12 vdc battery is beyond help due to being chronically undercharged so long?

    At the very least, it looks like that battery tender had better be plugged in whenever the car is parked at your house.

    Sorry about all the troubles.
     
  6. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2007
    10,664
    567
    0
    Location:
    Adelaide South Australia
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    So you have a dealer problem not a Prius problem yet you continually attack Toyota for their choice of battery. Has the dealer replaced the battery? Surely if it fails more than once it should be replaced?
    I don't buy new cars but personally have a policy, if a battery fails to start my car once with no reason I replace the battery. What is $100 or so? I only use Century Yuasa batteries, (NS40ZLX or NS40ZL fits Prius) but the battery in my Prius is the one Toyota fitted as it is dated 2004. I normally get 5 or 6 years from a battery.

    I just priced a heavy duty Century Yuasa battery for the Prius as $139AU, no big deal is it? Hardly worth all the angst? Yes I know now you are going to tell me you shouldn't have to pay for a new battery if your car is under warranty.
     
  7. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2007
    10,664
    567
    0
    Location:
    Adelaide South Australia
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
  8. fish_antlers

    fish_antlers New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 9, 2007
    200
    2
    0
    Location:
    Ca
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
  9. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2007
    10,664
    567
    0
    Location:
    Adelaide South Australia
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    No, I am suggesting it wasn't because of the car you drive.
     
  10. fish_antlers

    fish_antlers New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 9, 2007
    200
    2
    0
    Location:
    Ca
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    So a hybrid in the middle of a parking lot of thousands of non-hybrids and my car gets spat on because vicariously someone magically knows that you think I'm "negative" on a prius forum?

    wow... you need professional help! :eek:

    is there a moderator in the house?
     
  11. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2003
    19,891
    1,193
    9
    Location:
    Nixa, MO
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Yea, I'm here, unfortunately for you it's a moderator very familiar with your hostile posting style from Priusonline so he doesn't have a lot of sympathy for you and has a lot shorter fuse that the moderators at Priusonline did. You blow things out of proportion and act as if you've been personally slighted after spending a year or more slamming and flaming the Prius and Prius owners at priusonline. Your reputation precedes you and will stick to you unless and until you change the attitude.
     
  12. fish_antlers

    fish_antlers New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 9, 2007
    200
    2
    0
    Location:
    Ca
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius

    and your bashing of me has what to do with the prius battery?

    Oh... "my reputation precedes me"? What you mean to say is that someone who was strictly AGAINST hybrids, after spending YEARS visiting forums like this one actually went out an bought one and convinced his friends to do the same, that would be accurate because yes, that's me.

    Perhaps if you have such a closed mind, you should consider asking someone who is more even handed and impartial to do the task of "moderating" a forum...

    remember... (since apparently I need to point this out) .. moderation REQUIRES moderation.

    Am I going to be "reprimanded" for this?

    You should consider a job rejecting people's warranty claims for their defective batteries. I'm sure that Toyota would welcome you with open arms.
     
  13. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2003
    19,891
    1,193
    9
    Location:
    Nixa, MO
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Darn right you're going to be reprimanded. I'm doing it publicly to leave absolutely no doubt where I stand with you. I thought you were obnoxious at PriusOnline and would have banned you from there long ago...but it's not my perogative there and it's not my site so I stayed quiet and simply ignored your rants and your lousy attitude. But that same stuff won't fly here. You play nice with others or you find a new playground...it really is just that simple.
    You DO have a negative attitude and you express it loudly and inappropriately...you can choose to change that or not with the appropriate reward or consequence depending upon your choice.
     
  14. fish_antlers

    fish_antlers New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 9, 2007
    200
    2
    0
    Location:
    Ca
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius

    Well, I for one am very happy that I don't associate your overall bad attitude with a generally great car and the great people I have met who own them.

    It's your self appointed title that states you're "Grumpy" and "Old" ...

    not mine...


    go figure :eek:


    like I said... a job at Toyota's warranty department waits, my friend. It fits you to a "T".
     
  15. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2003
    19,891
    1,193
    9
    Location:
    Nixa, MO
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Got that all out of your system fish? Please feel free to show me up as the one with the worse attitude...not by saying so but through your actions...I welcome you to the site, but leave the attitude at Priusonline.
     
  16. darelldd

    darelldd Prius is our Gas Guzzler

    Joined:
    Jan 17, 2006
    6,057
    389
    0
    Location:
    Northern CA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Maybe we need a new "fish adjustment" thread in Fred's? I'd love to comment, but I also uncharacteristically want to keep some of these threads on topic. Fish distrubs the threads enough without his pathetic defense *OF* that disturbance. Oops, there I go commenting...
     
  17. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2007
    7,512
    1,188
    0
    Location:
    Carmichael, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    I just want to say that my car is almost one year in service and I haven't ever had an issue with the battery. Just to keep things in perspective. ;) :D
     
  18. moxiequz

    moxiequz Weirdo Social Outcast

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2007
    2,781
    19
    1
    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    I'll second that. My prius is not quite one year old (11 months) and I've never had any issue with it at all (save for having to get the alignment adjusted at its first oil change). I've left it sitting for a few days - less than a week, with SKS enabled - and have had no problem starting it up again.

    Of course, maybe I'm tempting fate by posting this....
     
  19. parky

    parky New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2008
    51
    0
    0
    Location:
    montana
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius

    I'll be nice - please note that battery problems seem to originate, mostly, in really cold (at least single digits - F - with some days down below 0)climates where the cold itself bonks the battery down to a low level that the car itself won't boot up to close relays. We are only talking 11vdc. That's not much of a drop. The cold problem is compounded by those who only take short excursions and the charging system (which I have discovered is a constant charge and not an initial spike) never has an opportunity to recharge the battery into 13+vdc range. Therefore, I am assuming, the battery begins to get near that dangerous cut off point and one morning at 4*F the car won't start. So, those of us in this predictment need to invest in a battery tender9(and I fault Toyota both on the design of the battery/charging system and lack of information in the owners' manual) , and perhaps a battery warmer which is my second investment. I already have a voltmeter and believe me I monitor the voltage on this battery. A three month old car that costs $23,000 needs to be on the road. I have had junkers and accepted the no go days. The dealer in Bozeman had fifteen dead batteries one morning. Bad PR for Toyota, and this is not a negative comment but reality!
     
  20. icarus

    icarus Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2007
    4,884
    976
    0
    Location:
    earth
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Once again, (perhaps the Moderator could consolidate the three threads going on this subject!) if you understand batteries, (Deep Cycle Battery FAQ) (battery) you will learn about how batteries work, and more importantly how they work (or don't work!) in the cold!

    You can complain all you want about the size of the Prius battery, but it is there to do a job, which it does well, and is made a small as possible to reduce weight, and therefore help with mpg. Want a bigger battery? Give up a few mpg! It's that simple.

    If it is very cold, heat the battery or keep it on a trickle charge if you are only driving short distances!

    Icarus