My 2001 Prius with 220k needs a 12v battery replacement for Panasonic S55D23L. Dealer wants $280 plus old battery! Is there a cheaper alternative? Optima says no.
If cost is a concern, there are some here that are using batteries that cost under $40. Or if you are looking for something that is less expensive and on par with the OEM option read this: Fitting mobility 12volt AGM battery. | PriusChat
Yes. I have found a local battery shop that can get me factory blems for less than 1/2 price. Check around!
I bought 3 of them a couple of days ago, and put 1 in today. It was the larger size battery, rated at 325cca. It was putting out 395, as seen on his tester and mine. Voltage appeared normal when I put it in. I guess time will tell.
Amazon sells an Optima D51R that is the correct battery for our Prii. $159 shipped, I believe. Great battery! Or, for a whole kit there's Optima battery and installation kit for Prius 2001 to 2003
In Tucson, we have a place that reconditions sulfated batteries. They sell blems, too. They peel all the labels off and brand it "blem." I'm running one in one of my cars. Just as good as a Deka (it is a Deka) and it only cost $55. Pretty cool.
The one in my Prius, installed last fall, seems to be just fine. Lots more affordable than the OEM one from Toyota, too.
Probably they can't get you a factory blem of the Prius battery. Prius battery is a very specialized one--quite small and a deep cycle. Most of the major battery distributors don't carry anything like that. Sorry. I wonder if a
1 of the 3 had the decals removed. The other 2 looked like they came from the dealership. All tested great. Not sure who his supplier is. I've sold all 3 of them and waiting for him to get me some more.
How much are you charging for them? AGM batteries can be shipped UPS or Fedex. In my past post, before I was pulled away for something else, I was wondering about using a Harley-esque motorcycle battery. Shorai makes really impressive LiFe Po batteries. The best answer is to maintain the 12v battery with a Battery Tender, I think.
You can easily use a different size battery. There are threads about converting the post using a marine post terminal with screw on wingnut adapter, and using a standard universal negative post type cable. All parts can even be found at walmart, cheaply. Take out the oem battery hold down brakets and make your own out of either some wood or rigid foam to fit your new battery. I did this on mine and am using an old optima red top i had laying around. The original Prius battery was tiny, only 27mah. Alot of uninterruptible battery backups have more capacity!
