Dead

i wouldn't assume anything that might leave me stranded.

 

Since it seems you don't drive the car enough to keep the 12V battery charged, or you drive infrequently, your best bet is to get the Ctek charger. It has the fused 12V battery post leads that stays connected. You then connect the other end to the Ctek charger, and supply the charger w/ 120V AC. Since the charger is fully automatic, just make the connections (battery and AC outlet), then walk away.

Just be sure to disconnect everything before starting (putting Prius in READY mode) the car.

 

If you need to rely upon an assumption, you should assume that your car's 12V battery is not sufficiently charged via your normal commute patterns and therefore you need to rely upon a supplemental charging method. That would be a conservative approach and if you act upon this, you will reduce the likelihood of another no-start incident.

I suggest that you obtain a 12V battery charger intended for AGM batteries, one that has a 4A charging position as this is needed for the GS Yuasa battery that Toyota dealers sell. In my case I use laboratory DC power supplies as my charging method, I do not use a battery charger. Use of such a power supply allows me to execute a constant current, then constant voltage charging method which works well.

You probably are aware that the MFD is a known failure item. You can buy a used unit on eBay, autobeyours.com or some salvage yards. The failure is unrelated to the 12V battery becoming weak.

 

1. If you have AC power available where the car is parked and security is not an issue, keep a battery tender connected to the 12V battery. If AC power is not available, fully charge the 12V battery prior to vehicle storage, then disconnect the battery.
2. You can either discard the failed MFD or try to sell it on eBay, disclosing the fact that it is a failed unit.

 

I would think it's really tough for a manufacturer to put any kind of warranty on a battery, apart from one that's dead-on-arrival, or physically damaged: case crack or whatever. It's so easy for a battery to get run down prematurely, what with diminutive size, and anything like an ajar door enough to toast it.

The best tact imho, is to be cognisant of the dangers, get yourself a smart charger and digital voltmeter, keep on it per Patrick's suggestions.

 

Steve at Autobeyours rebuilds MFDs. His current deal is to rebuild yours and return it to you for about $325.

JeffD

 

Salvaged units are likely to exhibit the same failure modes as the one you have. Steve will make yours reliable.

JeffD

 

as mendel says, the tough part is determining what constitutes battery failure.

 

"Unfortunately bad batteries happen.""

I remember reading somewhere that only three percent (3%) of Prius batteries have this problem. The truth is, these Hybrid Batteries were built to last eight years. Period. And the Service Writer will tell you that this is universal. It's not just the odd car here or there, it's ALL of them. Read on for the truth...

My '07 Prius was dying right before my eyes - the Big, Dreaded Red Triangle with Exclamation Point right smack dab in the middle. The Service writer was pretty jovial about it. "It's not your gas cap!" he mused after a story I shared with him about when the inspection station said I had the wrong gas cap. Dealer charged me $100 for "Diagnostic" fee and Inspection station got me for $40 for inspection and new gas cap.. Ha ha ha! No, it wasn't funny then and I got every cent back from inspection station including diagnostic fee.

So when Toyota's Service Writer sat down and told me that my battery was dead, I wondered how that could be? I just replaced it. Oh no, ha ha ha, not *that* battery; the HYBRID BATTERY. He went over a list of what needed to be done including a $4,500 new Hybrid Battery and new Hybrid Water Pump for $480! "WHAT????" But hey, no worries right? I bought the extended warranty. Service Writer found it. But Toyota itself could not. Either way, extended warranty was not what it was sold as. It was sold as "consecutive" to factory warranty but as it turns out, it runs concurrent to factory warranty (they both run at the same time). Good way to make a grand eh? So just 2 months out of warranty, I'm expected to hand over $5,500 for a new battery and water pump? Sure, no problem except, I don't got $5k burning a hole in my pocket. Found some friends with a car trailer who helped me bring it home, not sure what I was going to do.

I guess Service Writer realized he wasn't funny, and we were disgusted. We don't have a lot of cars just sitting around; that night my daughter had to buy a new car. Now I'm on the hook for another seven years. She bought the car she wanted the first time, a Honda Civic. There was no way I could find that kind of money to fix the Prius.

Then Toyota tells us that the Hybrid Warranty is subject to State laws. And in our case (Texas), it's 8 years/80,000 miles. Yep, bought it in '08, thought we were cool. Nope! Toyota's not too proud to throw a spike strip across your peace of mind when you think hey, I still got a year! Turns out that the Toyota warranty doesn't start on the day you bought it used; oh no, it stars on the first DOU (That's Date of Use for those of you who've yet to hear the term).

The truth is simple, it's not a question of is your car in that 3%? It is - they all are. It's a question of when will it fail?

This site gives some insight into the 3% Urban Legend (I just found out I'm one post shy of being able to post links. You can contact me if you want it.

This site tells what states are considered "Green" and mandate longer warranties: Again, sorry, can't post because of Forum Policy. You can contact me for it if you want it. Look up California Emission Control Warranty; that should help.

Toyota told us that because we purchased a "Certified" vehicle, the extended warranty didn't matter because "Certified" cars were not covered. The second link tells you which states are considered "Green" based on California's laws and what is covered in the warranty under "California Emission Control Warranty"

I'm not sure if he did it out of Goodwill, or if he did it out of fear of a looming Class Action (If there isn't one, there should be) but he called and said he had arranged for a FREE Hybrid Battery. My cost out the door was $1,000. Now that I could manage. Had it towed back to dealer at mighty discounted rate (Service Writer has some pretty good connections) and next morning it was done.

Now I've just replaced the tail light and I'm going to find the guy who wrote that awesome tutorial and thank him cause I'm a 56 yo disabled mom who, until recently, had not touched electronics, but there are some good things on the net and this site is one of em.

Now just got a little detailing and cleaning and that car is on the market with brand new Hybrid Battery and Pump, new tires, (won't mention new taillight) and lots of extras. Because even though it has a whole new life to live, and less than 100k, I don't trust it. The day that Toyota mailed out a recall notice for the water pump, I was living it while the car heaved and lit up like a Christmas tree. I figure it's a beautiful car (as Prius' go), it's been very well cared for and maintained, but I don't think I'm going to hang on to it. I love it, I loved everything about it. It's just too costly to fix and Toyota isn't shy about shining you on unless someone feels bad for you and makes the decision to help you out.

If you wait and it fails (and it will because your problems sound exactly like what happened to us), you're looking at a whole lotta money. I didn't even know there was a Hybrid Battery that costs a fortune and separate Hybrid Water pump that's not cheap either. Toyota doesn't tell you that. But you have options. PriusRebuilders sell rebuilt hybrid batteries under $1k, or you can pick up a brand new one on eBay for $2,500.

Signs your Hybrid Battery is dying: Battery not holding a charge. After you've been driving for a while, you still can't get the bars into green. Braking/driving feels different at times. All of this happens for a couple weeks or so before you get the BIG RED TRIANGLE OF DOOM and CHECK ENGINE lights.

Just wanted to share because if you don't know about it, you won't know what to look for if your car isn't holding a charge or getting into green bars.

So, anybody want an '07 Prius, Driftwood Pearl with pinstripes, chromed wheel covers, back-up camera, tinted windows, and lots more?

Lisa

 

Post number 5 - because post 4 was just that, post 4. I can't post links until after post 4.

 

Now this should be my 5th post and I 'should' be able to post those links

This site gives some insight into the 3% Urban Legend - Hybrid Battery Replacement: When Can You Expect It? - Autotrader

This site tells what states are considered "Green" and mandate longer warranties: Toyota Hybrid Warranty Coverage

It really doesn't matter if you take it in now or wait. The outcome will be the same. When it goes, it goes and you should (from my last post anyway) have a pretty good idea what happens after that

Lisa

 

1) ALL auto manufacture warranties START from the day of 1st service, by the very first purchaser/leasee/etc. Never heard of "DOU," but I obviously understand it. Whatever car you decide to get next (New or Used), you will find ALL auto manufactures have the same policy, as Toyota.

2) The OP (Original Poster) was talking about the 12V battery, not the HV Battery.

3) Thanks for sharing your experience of the dying HV Battery. It follows what many others have experienced, in many other threads.

4) Although you feel otherwise, you will be hard pressed to find another car that has such a low cost of ownership as the Prius. Ownership being: maintenance, gas, and insurance.

5) Another way to look at an expensive repair, which all vehicles will face, if you keep it long enough, is to amortize that repair cost. Yes it sucks to have to shell out that much money, but lets put it into perspective.

The original HV Battery lasted 8 years (previous owner + you). The average cost of a new HV Battery, dealer installed seems to run $3500.
$3500/8years = $437.50/year or $36.46/month ($437.50/12months)

If you were able to DIY and buy a NEW HV Battery from a Toyota Dealer Website, your costs would be even lower. New HV Battery from Toyota Dealre online sites can run as low as $2200. However, you will have to make sure the dealer will sell to you, as some have experienced dealers refusing to sell to the public, pick-up the HV Battery, and bring the core at the same time (to save on the core charge and a return trip of returning the core).

6) Moving forward, you should read through the warranty manual to understand exactly what is covered and not covered, and for how long. Ignorance is expensive, as this poster found out: Toyota Prius Battery | PriusChat
Its a good idea to read through the owners manual too.

7) Reference Edmund's Total Cost of Ownership for your next car. Sadly, few people do this.
True Cost to Own® (TCO®) Calculator on Edmunds.com
This calculator isn't exact, but it gives you an idea of what to expect at the very least.

8) Do your own maintenance cost calculator based on the manufactures service schedule, which is a minmum by the way.

9) You found out the hard way that extended warranties are worthless. You are better off putting a few dollars a month for future repairs into a savings account, than buying an extended warranty, with whatever deductible. Yes, sometimes people make out and the extended warranty saved them a ton of money (ie engine or transmission was replaced under extended warranty), but these cases are rare. Why do you think dealers like to sell extended warranties? ITS PROFITABLE. If extended warranties paid out more than they took in, that industry would cease to exist. Think Vegas, Lotto, Powerball; someone will win, just not you.

 

Directly to the 12V battery. Should mount under the clamp nuts of the Positive and Negative canle clamps.

Excellent choice of charger.