How long do I have with this dying 12V battery?

Charger costs $40. Electricity ain't free... So now he's down to saving $20 bucks and left with a very good likelihood of failure away from home.

 

Another thought on surviving a marginal 12V battery. If you just go shopping and leave the car turned off for a half hour or so, don't turn it off. Leave the car in Ready. Turn off everything you can, and lock the car with the mechanical key. People have actually left a Prius in Ready for multiple days during a power outage or while camping. About the only time you really need to turn the car off is at the gas station. And even that could be bypassed with a gas can at home. Now we get to discuss the dangers of filling the tank in Ready mode...

 

Try the big box stores, preferably one with a decent web site, and identify your "preferred" nearby store. Search for batteries, fill in you car info, see what it comes with.

We are a bit of a backwater up here, comparing to the States, and our Canadian Tire has Prius compatible, rebadged Exide, under their Motomaster label. Exact fit, good specs, slightly better than OEM.

Most of them I think would have a pro-level electronic load tester, and be willing to verify the battery's condition at time of sale. There's usually a core charge, maybe $20. The most efficient way to swap it right in the store parking lot, carry the old one back in to get your core charge back. Or take it home, do the swap in piece and quiet, return the old one another day.

 

The original question asked "How Long?" - well, until you either replace the 12V AuxBattery, or at least invest in a Maintenance Charger. …and as far as Jumping a Prius AuxBattery goes, there are numerous threads containing methods (and heed the warnings!) on PriusChat - search can be your best friend! Good luck!

 

(Snark on) I admire your desire to buy a locally grown, organic "artisanal" battery! Why not just drive the car without a 12v? Jump every time! Save the entire $160! (Snark off)

But let's agree that there is plenty of grey area shopping between hyperlocal and SuperEvilMallmart. Your local Toyota dealer for example. FYI: Menards also carries a line of batteries that fits a Prius, but it, too, is a special order item.

Back to the original question. 11.4v is the minimum voltage recommended here at priuschat.com. It would nice to know the exact voltage at which the Prius fails to start, but no one knows that. To be clear: your car is failing (thus the warning lights).Your 10v is the lowest I've heard to start. Please report back as your battery dies and your car still starts.

 

Check out your local Pep Boys asap, or whatever you have in your neck of Massachusetts. Looking up Springfield location:



And:



I've set local store as Springfield, but not sure if it's embedded in this link:

Car Batteries | Auto Batteries For Trucks & SUV's | Pep Boys

Below my cut-and-paste there's some notes about SKS vs non-SKS, check in the link. I would go for the Bosch.

 

I just put in the same Bosch battery from Pep Boys. It seemed like a good deal to me. I would not trust them to install it though. It's not difficult to do but it is a bit more involved than most cars. When I got my car (well used), it had a AAA-installed battery that had been kinda jammed into place and the breather tube was not installed, so it is possible to screw this up (though it WAS functional in that state)

 

I hope your Pep Boys experience will be better than mine. The Cinnaminson store wanted an outrageous amount for the "free" battery installation because the slacker thought he could get electrocuted. Check the voltage before installation and ensure it is fully charged.

I ended buying an Optima from eLearnaid and swapping out the battery in my driveway. I agree with you, the only thing worse than maintenance in the winter is maintenance in the winter in the dark.

I have come to realize that it is easier and cheaper to shop online than to just run out to the store hoping that the item is sitting on a shelf. Buying an item on line for store pickup has worked well for me at Best Buy and Walmart. You still have to deal with the traffic and parking but you probably aren't standing in a long line.

 

maybe I missed something, you ordered a battery on line and had it shipped to the house???
so when it goes bad you have to ship it back and they will ship you a replacement in a few weeks?
why didn't you do a price match with a local parts store like autozone or advanced.. I got my yellow top locally with a print out of the cheapest on line price, they did charge me local tax but matched the price of $147.99

 

I ordered that same battery deal from Jegs. Delivery date was February. I didn't wait and picked up the Optima at AutoZone for 202 with tax. This way I have a receipt and I'm in the computer for the warranty. With Jegs you can't mail it back. The Exide battery I bought just over a year ago was very weak under a load. Bought online as well. That got me screwed for warranty.

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That's a good approach, assuming they're careful/competent. If there's a significant problem with fit, they will see it from the get go, better than you just picking it up, heading off, and then have to come back and explain. I appreciate what you're saying about working with bare hands in the cold, have the same issues.

Just look it over, make sure the hold down bracket is secure and stable*, the clamps are tight, and you're good to go. It wouldn't hurt to put it on a smart charger (3~4 amp max charge rate? Check owner's manual.) right away too, one that'll run a charging session, monitor as it goes.

* If hold down bracket is similar to third gen, it's a piss-poor design, cannot accomodate ANY variation in battery height. When I swapped in an Optima on ours, I ended up having to shim one end of the hold down bracket with a washer, to accommodate a very slight height increase.

 

Man! You have gotten a lot of good advise. What are you going to do? My advise is just make sure whatever battery you decide on using make sure it is the right fit for your Prius & will be installed properly with no mistakes that will damage your Prius electrical system! I like the Optima 8171-767 (DS46B24R) Yellow Top Battery best, but Bosch & Excide have excellent batteries too. You would not be going wrong any of these there. My vote is battery maintainer at home & take it with you when you and when you are parked & can connect it in order to keep your old battery fully charged & turn off all battery use when possible when driving until your Optima arrives.

 

Hello C R,
Our 4Wheel Drive Hardware experts have answered your question.
You asked: How does the Optima Battery 8171-767 compare to the Exide Edge FP-AGM51JIS Flat Plate AGM Sealed Automotive Battery? Both these battery fit my 2012 Toyota Prius Plugin is one better than the other. I know that Optima gives a 3 year 100% warranty, but Exide gives a 4 year 100% warranty other than that what is there pro's and con's? Price I can buy the Optima 8171-767 from you for $141 and the Exide 51JIS for $144 from carid Which is my best purchase or wises purchase?
We answered: Unfortunately we do not carry Exide so I am not sure on how they are built but the Optima is a great battery with a tough housing.

 

What I've read, but I really don't understand the import of these two factors: the Optima has higher cranking amp, but lower amp hours, than the Exide. I get the sense the Exide is closer spec to the OEM, that the higher cranking amps of the Optima is overkill.

I have Optima at present, but if there's a next time might well go with Exide, albeit rebadged as Canadian Tire Motomaster brand.

 

Well the Exide didn't work out for me. Buying it online screwed me of my warranty. Less than a year old if put under a load it dropped to 9 volts.
The Optima is designed better for discharging and charging and stable output from what I understand. Stable output for powering the computer makes sense. The Prius likes to drain the battery it seems too.
I've just installed the Optima. Since I have the smart key it drops in as a perfect fit. I picked it up at AutoZone for 187. Receipt and the warranty.


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Woa. Way to go to make the most of having a "green car".

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