So today I just got my first vehicle, a used 2007 Prius(92K) miles. My main question was about the battery, I know that the failure rate is very lower generally and all that, but was wondering if the battery itself needs any sort of specific maintenance care when working(my father asked about it and I didn't really know). Any other basic Prius owning advice anyone wants to add that I should watch out for I'd love to know. Thanks in advance for the answers, and glad to a new member!
welcome! you may want to consider a prolong battery balancer. at 10 years old, a florida battery has seen a lot of heat, and that maybe more detrimental than miles. some experts here recommend a tranny fluid change, even though toyota calls it lifetime. check your cabin and air filters, change the oil and filter if it has been over 5,000 miles, and see your maintenance manual for everything else. all the best!
it charges and discharges the battery, bringing all the modules closer to the same voltage (balance) theoretically, this extends the life of the battery. a battery goes bad because one or more module voltages falls out of spec, and has to be replaced at that point.
Welcome to Prius Chat . Here's a link to the company @bisco is referring to: Prolong Battery Systems. Extending the life of your hybrid. – Hybrid Automotive Once the harness is installed, it is easy to perform battery maintenance . Where in the state of FL are you? If near Tampa, @TampaPrius.com is a great resource and can speak of the technology. Hope that helps.
Ah thanks I'll have to check it out, might be a couple months before I can afford one in the budget, I'm in the West Palm Beach area, their's this place in the area called "exclusively hybrid". Seems like they could be good, don't know if anyone else in my area knows of them on here.
The battery is essentially maintenance-free. It will, like any battery, wear out (chemically) and need to be replaced at some point. The conditioning/balancing products discussed can help to prolong a marginal battery and delay the inevitable failure, but there's no guarantee of how long a used pack will last. Factory new batteries run about $3K installed at a dealer and would be good for another 8yrs/100K+ miles, minimum. No need to replace early, but know what's in store when failure happens. There are aftermarket rebuilt packs for cheaper, and places that will sell used individual modules, but read the many threads here on their varying success.
Ah thanks, I figured it was maintenance free really, Im hoping that with my Prius having 92.5k miles on it and me only driving about 10k a year that I can at least get 5 years out of it before any sort of failure.
Normally one can expect a battery to be maintenance free for 8 to 10 years. Your 2007 is now 10 years old. To want another 5 years out of the battery is possible, but you would have to prepare for the possibility of failure anytime in the next 5 years. This is one of the biggest drawbacks of buying a used hybrid. The "unknown".
Welcome I'm also new to this and these were questions that I was wanting to ask too so thank you I too have a 2008 with 97,000 on the clock I'm hoping mine will last a long time fingers crossed
I bought my 07 with 83k on the odometer last August for 6500. My uncle said it was a good deal at the dealership and told me it was a touring (which recently I found out it wasn't due to the 6 spoke wheels and color coded suspension on the rear axle.) After changing both coolants, transaxle fluid, and spark plugs, I decided to drop another couple hundred dollars in interior mods. I now have 8 k invested in this car and never knew how many batteries failed, as my uncle said they usually last the life of the car and very rare. If I had known better I would have passed, but paranoid minds like company right? One practical maintenance thing for the battery is always keep the cold air flowing (I once thought that I should create a custom shaft from the floor vent under the seat going up to the intake of the battery fan, I'm not sure if that would be problematic for the battery but It would have to be much better to get direct access to the cool air). Invest 60 dollars in a custom windshield shade and tint the windows if they are not tinted yet. Park under shade trees if possible if not garage kept.
Ah mine was 6100 with 92k miles, a custom shade for the rear window or front window you mean? My windows already seem somewhat tinted at least.
It sure is! Welcome and congrats. One of our members here, @john1701a, has a nicely done "User Guide" for the Prius. It won't cover everything, but it's very helpful for getting started. John's Stuff - Toyota Prius User-Guide (Iconic)
The battery fan always runs a very low speed when car is on. It's multi speed. The day you actually hear the fan turning back there is the day you may need a new hybrid battery. In the meantime cooler the better and always use ac and don't let cabin temp get bad. It has a huge windshield so shade is a must, buy a weather tech shade it's form fitted and insulated. If out of car more that 5 minutes the shade goes on. Also extend the rear fabric hatch cover. I cut an insulated foam board to fit that rack back there and covered it with foil tape. Keeps the sun from beating on the rear battery area. And dark tint is a must.
Check the date on the 12v battery in the "trunk" on the curb side far-rear corner. If it is older than say 4 years, either replace it now, or at least keep $200 handy and have it done BEFORE it dies. When the 12v dies, all sorts of very weird symptoms can occur, which in many cases costs more in Diagnostic fees than the battery costs including installation. The HV battery is the single biggest expense risks and I believe the option to charge it from the grid is a real cost-benefit win, IF you can swing it. We have no outlet close enough, so my HV battery maintenance will be to ensure all the bussbar connections are clean and correctly torqued. Regular maintenance as prescribed in the Owner's Guide is your best defense against unscrupulous repair shops (STEALerships or INDY garages), while providing piece of mind that your vehicle is getting all the attention it requires.
