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Prius Broke Down??!!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Mon9248, Apr 3, 2018.

  1. Mon9248

    Mon9248 Junior Member

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    Woke this morning trying to open the car doors and fob key wouldn't respond on my 2008 prius so went back inside changed the fob battery and tried again to no luck. Eventually opened the car door with the key and engine also wouldn't turn on. The whole system was dead and black nothing inside the car responded. I think this was a battery issue maybe its dead. Now what?? First time owning a car in general so confused.
     
    #1 Mon9248, Apr 3, 2018
  2. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Cars have a 12v battery which is needed to run/power up the car.

    Perhaps yours is out of power/dead.

    This can happen due to age.
    It can also happen if you leave a light on in the car for a long period of time.

    I'd be happy to walk you through replacing it.
    But you may be better taking it to a mechanic to replace. This is a simple job that any shop can do.

    A new 12v battery will be a few hundred dollars plus 15 to 30 minutes of labor.

    The one unique thing about the Prius is the location of the 12v battery. In most cars it is under the hood. The Prius has its battery in the trunk/hatchback area.
     
    #2 ericbecky, Apr 3, 2018
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome!

    do you have the owners manual? you can jump it under the hood at the jump point in the fuse box. then you don't have to climb in the back and try to open the hatch manually.

    a small jump pack can come in quite handy and are fairly inexpensive.

    my daughter recently replaced the original 12v in her 2008, so who knows, maybe yours is too. if so, 10 years is a great run for these little car batteries. most only get 4-5 years.
     
    #3 bisco, Apr 3, 2018
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  4. Mon9248

    Mon9248 Junior Member

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    Thank you for all your responses. So if I jump start my car will it be fine after?? I've been reading around and people have been saying that after jump starting I need to recharge the battery all the way up. If so how can I do this? Do I have to take my car to the toyota dealership or to a mechanic??
     
    #4 Mon9248, Apr 3, 2018
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    take the battery to auto zone. they will charge and test for free.
     
    #5 bisco, Apr 3, 2018
  6. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Jump start in the car may get it running, but it will not fully charge the 12v battery.

    You will either need to leave the car running for hours, or get a charger to charge the battery overnight. You can buy a charger at a car parts store or many other locations that sell tools.

    That said, your 12v may be too damaged and not actually be healthy enough to hold a charge.

    Someone is going to have to check it for you.

    That car be an independent mechanic, a store like batteries plus, a parts store, etc.
     
    #6 ericbecky, Apr 3, 2018
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  7. Mon9248

    Mon9248 Junior Member

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    Again thank you so much for the replies. I ended up successfully jump-starting the Prius and drove it to a local mechanic that helped changed the battery and now it's up and running again. Problem solved.
     
    #7 Mon9248, Apr 4, 2018
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 5, 2018
    Mendel Leisk and Aaron Vitolins like this.
  8. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    @Mon9248 ,
    Can you please share the approximate price paid for the repair? It would help others. Thanks.
     
    #8 ericbecky, Apr 5, 2018
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  9. Mon9248

    Mon9248 Junior Member

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    After jump starting the car, I went to my local mechanic changed the battery as it was officially pronounced dead. The cost of the battery change came out to be roughly $ 200 (tax included) as the Prius required a special different battery from that of other cars

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #9 Mon9248, Apr 6, 2018
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  10. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    $200 is a good deal for getting the battery instaled.
    Thanks for sharing the details.
     
    #10 ericbecky, Apr 7, 2018
  11. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Thats super cheap. The Optima alone is $170 online and the factory battery is $250. Figured he charged you at least $75. to install it. Unless he did it for free. Wonder what new battery he put in that costs $125?

    Hope it has a vent hole that attaches to the existing vent. Go open the back hatch and post a picture of it please.

    Hope he did'nt put a used battery in there.
     
    #11 edthefox5, Apr 7, 2018
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2018
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