Is Pep Boys lying to me about battery??

The battery can't be the correct one if it needs terminals to make it work. Get a new 12 volt battery an Optima Yellowtop is popular model #DS46B24R thats what I have or the factory battery which is a superior battery but kinda expensive.
Whatever you buy it should drop in and have a vent if it needs "accessories" to work its not the right one.

 

Bosch Premium Performance Battery Group, Size 51 | 647478 | Pep Boys

That does not inspire me.

The first photo has a handle, the correct JIS "pencil" posts and says 4 year free replacement.
The second photo has no handle, the incorrect SAE "tapered" posts and says 3 year free replacement.
The third photo also has no handle, the incorrect SAE "tapered" posts and says 3 year free replacement.
Several of the reviews mention beating the brackets into shape, this may mean they got the wrong battery or that they had a non smart key Prius, which used a smaller battery.

I wish you luck.

 

Classic symptoms of a poor/failed 12v battery.

Well that battery is dead. Doesn't matter if you replaced it 2 weeks ago. It is possible the battery can die from a dome light being left on, or keeping the SKS fob nearby. If you have to jumpstart it, the battery is dead. It needs to be replaced.

What tests? Your own admission is that you have to jump start it all the time. It can't possible "test fine".

Also sounds like dealer BS to me. In a Prius, there is no concept of CCA. CCA is "Cold Cranking Amps". Ask the dealer to point out where the starter is, the thing that cranks the engine over... Can't find it? Good, because MG1 uses the HV battery to "crank" the engine and it has absolutely nothing to do with the 12v battery. The 12v battery just primes the brakes and then flips a couple relays. If you had a non-hybrid, then yes those statements could be correct. But this sounds like the tech looked in the back, saw the terminals and said, "yeah that doesn't work to crank the engine!" completely oblivious to how a Prius actually works.

You need a new 12v battery. No ifs, ands, or buts. Then the question becomes why did a new battery only last 11 months? Did you get a lemon battery? Do you constantly listen to the radio with the car off? Leave lights on? Doors open? Store the SKS keys in the garage on a hook by the car? Is your inverter dying (akin to a bad alternator in a "normal car")?

 

Optima batteries are junk batteries, don't buy them!!! Just look at their BBB ratings and online reviews if you want to know how bad their fake batteries are... 12v Mobility/home Computer back up power supply batteries from Batteries Plus are only $140 and have 55 amp-hour capacity, which adds to their lifespan way more than all the other options.

As for the terminals, please share a picture of them... I think Toyota Stealership is saying it's way worse than it really is, especially if you got 6 months out of it. Their diagnosis has more to do with making an excuse to move on to the next car to repair and go home early. We're not talking high voltage here, just a simple 12v battry connection with no cranking amps load. You'd have to be pretty goofy at car work to mess this one up in the way they said. Please let us know more details with pics...

 

+1 for the OPTIMA Yellow Top. Mine is still working even after 5+ years of rough and tumble, dare I say, abusive operation. A good competitor to the OPTIMA would be the BOSCH AGM 440 (51-440BAGM) found at Pep Boys. These are two great brands at an unbeatable performance and reliability rating. Everything else is strictly a gamble.

None needed. If you examine the 3 photos located in the above link closely with the zoom function, you will notice, discover, and realize that Pep Boys uploaded the incorrect photos (2nd & 3rd) for the BOSCH battery model 51-440BAGM. I say this because I actually bought one of these from Pep Boys to keep on standby as an emergency spare and it performs marvelously. No modifications needed.

 

pep boys is lying. demand a new, correct size battery. you should never have installed the incorrect one, but it doesn't affect anything except that you had to change the terminals, and will have to change them again.

 

My guess, is this is the problem.

 

Me too. You might have corrosion at the point the battery terminals connect to the wires. The battery could be perfectly fine but the power cannot make it to the rest of the car. You should pimp slap whoever told you that was the correct battery for the car. The correct battery would never need the terminals replaced to work due to a different size.

 

Until you see pics of the battery terminals and how they've been mounted you're simply siding with the way too often dishonest Toyota Stealership rather than OP...

 

All you clowns need to wake up! Friends don't let friends use garbage batteries on a car that's 12v needs are so much more minor than most cars that they make people think garbage batteries are great...

FYI:
Optima batteries are junk!!! - Hot Rod Forum : Hotrodders Bulletin Board

Optima battery double failure | IH8MUD Forum

Odd (and alarming) failure mode of Optima 12V battery | PriusChat

New Optima battery failure | PriusChat

Yet another thread about a dead Optima battery | PriusChat

 

I’m making a suggestion based on experience and the information on hand. I’ve seen this happen before. You on the other hand are just knocking dealerships and Optima battery’s as usual. Who is actually giving helpful information here? It ain’t you. Also why would a parts store sell someone a battery that you have to change the terminals to use? If that’s not incomptance I don’t know what is.

 

I am trying to correctly imagine the situaion in lieu of photos of the installation. I imagine the husband used some kind of adator that clamped onto the new battery + and - terminals and in turn had terminals that he could get the wiring harness + and - clamps to hold onto. If so , there are 4 connecting surfaces , any of which may have either oxidation or just a loose connection that would cause too high resistance and thus low effective voltage into the car’s circuit, and thus the low voltage problems.
1. Getting a new , correct size and terminal placement battery is the simplest and safest solution.
2. But if the current battery can be successfully recharged to the correct voltage and you are determined to make it work, you could try very carefully cleaning ALL of the mating metal surfaces on that adaptor and the clamps, and then reassemble taking care that the surfaces match up properly and the clamps are all clamped down at the correct torque. There are tools specifically made to clean battery terminals and clamps, but you can also clean off the oxidation with copper or steel wool as long as you are VERY careful to avoid shorting out the battery or yourself whilst doing so , and then clean up meticulously to avoid the metal particles forming an alternative ground circuit which would drain your battery.
3. But please make absolutely certain the battery is correctly vented as having hydrogen and oxygen gasses released into the car cabin during the charge cycle is as dangerous as a natural gas leak in a home.

 

Kind of glad I only buy the Toyota TrueStart for $190.

Great warranty, and it all fits. I am to the point that the potential cash savings is not worth the potential headache.

 

Yikes, I’ve never seen a battery thread turn into an oil thread. Lots of passion over battery choice…

My only thought is that five years on a battery isn’t anything to brag about. I just replaced the factory battery in my ‘06 last week, and I was still working just fine. They can last a long time if they stay charged.

 

There's a lot of options for batteries... Just because the battery you choose doesn't have the same terminals doesn't mean you can't reconfigure how it's set up... Every battery I've ever put in a Prius requires modifying the battery terminals because I believe in putting the very best battery in the car, not a lower quality battery that happens to have the right terminals. And granted, you could screw this process up if you don't know what you're doing, but we haven't seen OP's pictures of how it looks, yet.

As for Optima, there's more than enough documentation in links I provided above as to what's wrong about Optima...

In addition, one of Optima's more absurd claims is that bad 12 volt batteries aren't bad they just need re-charging and people throw away perfectly good Optima batteries just because the voltage can get lower than normal car chargers can handle and you need a special charger for Optima batteries. That's so dishonest... And granted they were the very best batteries you could buy back in my car stereo installation days decades ago, but they're total junk now.

 

I noticed my 6 year old battery was showing 11.9v and I thought "Do i want to be stuck somewhere to see how long it will go?" and had it changed out.

 

Haha, the coincidence is awesome. This was my exact thought and voltage when I replaced my 12-year-old battery.