Aloha all new to this hybrid thing but picked up a 2012 Prius that I bought knowing it needs a new battery pack. the previus owner said she had the cells balanced over 1 1/2 yrs ago and she has been driving this thing around with the maint. warning lite/message on this whole time. I'm thinking she has been on ICE throughout this period. So first question is should the car ICE start up when standing still in your driveway? number two... if I replace the battery pack is it a good idea to go with the Lithium ion upgrade Isaw on line that would cost me $2600 delivered here in hawaii or go with the cheaper after market ones. (did this car come with lithium in the first place) The car has 113,000 miles on it and is in generally good shape except for cracked bumpers front and back. Mahalo for any wisdom you can shoot my way.
Yes, but after a few minutes of warm up it should stop. Maybe. Probably not a big advantage. No...it came with NiMH Mike
congrats and welcome! maintenance is just a reminder for regular service in your maintenance schedule. if you don't have any trouble lights, you don't need a battery. the hybrid battery starts the engine hundreds of times a day, so you can't run on ice only if the hybrid battery is bad. you can get doc prius app for a battery health check. clean the egr circuit before you blow the head gasket. all the best!
For a guide as to when the ICE starts up, read this very helpful post. Yes, the ICE can run when the vehicle is stationary if the hybrid battery charge level is below a certain threshold, or if the vehicle is in one of the warmup modes. Invest in cat shield or some other form of catalytic converter protection as Prii are easy targets for thieves. Invest in an oil catch can to ward off the oil burning issue, and in a mini-VCI cable to be able to diagnose any issues that might come up. It may also be helpful to know about the common issues specific to this model, which are (in no particular order): failed head gasket failing brake booster and/or ABS actuator failing hybrid battery pack clogged EGR circuit
