4.5 years 95k miles - new battery?

It'll only cost you $200 if you do decide to do it, why not

 

Bought my 12 volt battery off amazon for 100.00 it is a ac Delco and yes it is made for the prius perfect fit

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I've typically seen my batteries die around the 5 year mark, so replacing yours at this point is a smart move. Nothing's worse then having to deal with a dead battery away from home at an inconvenient moment.

I've purchased my batteries from Walmart for my cars. They've been completely reliable for me, and are more competitively priced.

 

no, mine is the same age, only 47k, but i check it once in a while, haven't drained it, and am in it for the long haul. why pile good batteries on the recycling heap?

 

@letsgobobby This is the 12 volt battery you're talking about?

 

so long as it is a S46B24R battery, you should be able to buy it from several vendors.

Costco does not seem to sell car batteries online, so I have no idea what is in store.

 

I'd suggest to test it first. At a minimum monitor it's voltage with a digital multimeter, a digital load tester is better, test the cold cranking amps.

 

Go buy it at CostCo, its a lot cheaper and has better warranty. Battery's only last 5 years and below. So if you want, drive it until you feel like it's about to die and replace it.

 

^ Yeah, it is getting up in age.

 

2012 with 107k miles on original battery. No issues thus far, but I plan to replace it before January.

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In my mind, whatever additional life you might wring from a 4.5 year old battery will be mitigated by replacing it now, instead of at a less convenient time and circumstance. In fact it could end up being more costly if you have to use a road service.

I'd rather be under my hood while it's sunny and 72F, than dreary and sleeting.

 

I replaced mine and it was 6 years old, and still working fine, but I did not want to push my luck. Installed a new Toyota battery, one made in Japan. Most new batteries come from Mexico and don't last.

 

Get one of these three. Toyota or Bosch IMO.

AC Delco, $117, 2yr warranty, no proration.
Amazon Link

Bosch, $143, 4yr warranty, no proration; Car Batteries | Pep Boys | Battery Installation | Car Service

Toyota True Start, $181; San Bernardino & North Hollywood Toyota online. Ask local Toyota dealers to beat or match.
Toyota Parts - Discounted Toyota and Scion Parts and Accessories
7 year pro-rated warranty Toyota Battery - Genuine Toyota TrueStart Factory Warranty Replacement Batteries

84-month service replacement warranty
24-month of roadside assistance reimbursement

Years 1-2 100% of parts, service and towing
Years 3-4 50% of Truestart MSRP*
Years 5-7 25% of Truestart MSRP*​

 

Just a data point here, not a recommendation: The battery in my Mustang was last replaced in 2006. It's garaged most of the time and usually not driven in cold weather. Also, my recently junked Chevy pickup (note to self: update sig : ) had a battery from 2004. 12V batteries can last a very long time, particularly if they're not used every day.

But that's a bit of an apples and oranges comparison. The Mustang should have minimal parasitic load (no smart fob and crank windows!) so the battery is only used to start the engine. Unlike the Prius, it gets a load test every time you crank the engine on a cold morning. When it's not eager to crank, it's time to replace the battery. Also, if the Mustang suddenly doesn't start one cold morning I'll just drive the Prius

I have a ScanGauge on the Prius which can be used to monitor the 12V voltage. To give it a "load test", press the start button twice with the foot *off* the brake. This will boot all the computers but not engage the HV battery. If the 12V voltage is still above X volts, it's probably still good. Anybody know what a good X value is?

 

That would depend on what load you put on the battery. I replaced mine when the resting voltage was at 11.9 volt. My prius was a 2013

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Walmart is notorious for telling American manufacturers that they must relocate manufacturing to China. When Trump talks about stolen American jobs, no entity has been a stronger force behind this migration than Walmart.

I hope you don't mind that I mentioned this. Here's an excellent article about the phenomenon:

The Man Who Said No to Wal-Mart | Fast Company | Business + Innovation

No doubt those jobs aren't coming back to America, and this migration may have all be inevitable, but Walmart worked hard to accelerate it.