Car wouldn't start - low 12v battery? Need recommendations

Hi all,

I've got a 2010 Prius w/ NAV. Yesterday morning, my Prius would not start. When I pressed on the brake, the green "Ready" button would not light up. When I pressed the start button, the NAV screen came on as did some of the dash lights, but the car engine itself was not on. When I hit the start button again, I had a yellow triangle on the left side of my screen that continued to blink.

From reviewing the forum, I believe that the issue is the 12V aux battery. I was able to get my car into maintenance mode, and the 12V battery was reading 8.6V; however, this was after my car had sat in the garage for 10 or so hours. However, by going into maintenance mode, I was again able to get my car to start. This morning, I drove my car to work (about a 15-20 minute drive). After I got to the office, I turned the car off and got back into maintenance mode. This time, it was reading 11.6V on the battery.

Am I correct that this is most likely an issue w/ the 12V battery going bad on me? I purchased my Prius in July 2010, and I have never changed the battery. It sounds like the "typical" lifespan for the battery is right around 4 years, so this seems to make sense.

Has anyone else experienced this issue? Is it the battery or something else? If it is the battery, do you guys have any recommendations on a particular brand of battery to get, as well as where to get one? On another forum, someone mentioned the Optima Yellowtop (model DS46B24R / part # 8171-767), but I am open to any other recommendations (goes for under $150 on Amazon; my dealership was charging $192.13 for the battery before tax and install).

Thanks in advance for your assistance!

 

Thanks for the quick reply. Any thoughts on Bosch-branded battery for the Prius? My local Pep Boys has this for under $200 installed, w/ a 4-year warranty (the dealership said that their battery was warranted for 2 years only).

 

Thanks for the feedback re: the battery posts and the warranty. The OEM battery will run about $250 installed from the dealership, so I may as well go that route for peace of mind.

As for the warranty, it is my understanding that the direct replacement warranty for the OEM battery is 2 years. From years 3-7, it's a prorated warranty. For the Bosch, it is a 4-year direct replacement warranty, though it is unclear whether there is a pro-rated warranty after the 4-year period.

 

Unless the guy was blowing smoke up my rear, I called Tustin Toyota and was quoted $190 for the battery and $45 for install (Autonation Toyota in Irvine quoted me $192.13 for the battery but nobody from service called me back re: the cost of installation). I also called my mechanic and was informed that $45 for installation was about correct.

I have watched the Youtube video on how to replace the battery and it looks doable, even for someone like myself w/ no experience. However, i don't own any of the tools that I would need to accomplish this project, plus, my wife would likely not be pleased if I went out and spent money on tools, and then spent 1-2 hours of my weekend changing the battery (I can guarantee it will take me much more than 15 minutes) when she'd rather have me help out with our son; thus, I'd rather spend the $45 to have someone install the battery for me. I admire those of you who have the time, patience and know-how to do this yourselves!

Just an FYI, but I did some online price comparison, and it looks like you can get the Bosch battery for about $150 installed and the Optima Yellowtop for about $180 installed from Pep Boys after applying a 25% off coupon online.

 

Turns out Tustin Toyota was blowing smoke up my rear. I got the price quote yesterday from the parts department; when I called the service department this morning to find out the total price, I was told it would be $315 - about $200 for the part and $115 for the labor (a full hour of labor). Autonation Toyota quoted me $347.50 for the same. I was disappointed with the bait and switch so I ordered the Optima from Pep Boys for $180 installed (after a 25% coupon). However, although they claim that the Optima they were trying to install was the correct model, they were telling me that it would not fit because of something w/ the terminals. I am now beyond annoyed.

I am now thinking that I should just buy the OEM battery from the dealership for $200 and have my mechanic install it for $45, or I could alternatively get the socket set as JC91006 recommended and attempt to install myself. For those of you who have installed your own battery, what do you do with your old one?

 

@JimN, why did you buy your Optima from eLearnaid v. from Amazon (the PriusDIY website linked to both elearnaid and Amazon for the directfit Optima)? Also, why did you opt for the Optima v. the OEM one? @JC91006 seems to advocate for the OEM one, so I wanted to get your perspective. Thanks!

 

Unfortunately, I am one of THOSE people who do not own a socket set. In looking at prices on Amazon, it looks like it'll run me about $20 for a Stanley socket set and $10 for the extension kit. I've got a set of adjustable wrenches, so that should work, right? Otherwise, it's $32 for a combination wrench set (or $10 for a 10mm and 12mm combinatinon wrench)....so I can expect to spend about $40-60 for all of the necessary tools, plus a portable jump starter for about $60 (or jumper cables for about $25).

I understand the sentiment that everyone should own these tools. Unfortunately, I am one of those people who don't, as I don't typically work on my car. Thus, I have to do the cost-benefit analysis of - do I spent $40-100 for all of these tools, which I can again use in the future, or do I just pay my mechanic $45 to do it for me?

 

Thanks @JC91006. I didn't understand why you were such an advocate for the OEM one, but given your experience, I now understand where you are coming from.

Given all of your feedback, I may just bite the bullet and buy all of the necessary tools and learn to do this all on my own. Even if I end up spending more money now, I'm sure that the other tools will come in handy in the future.