Just looking to compare prices, direct from Japan or a North American Unit. Also looking for a possible larger/cheaper option that is properly cooled, especially as it's under the rear seat. I'm very interested in your comments and the options that are presented. Thank you all for your replies!
You should NOT trust anybody who claims to have a higher capacity battery that will fit and work correctly in your C. There just aren't any. And if you plan to keep the car very long.......like more than a year....... you should not consider any "rebuilt or reconditioned" batteries unless they have ALL new battery cells. ALL of the C models were made in Japan, so I would suspect that all Toyota batteries would come from there too.
Oops, my apologies for not being 100% clear, I was talking about the 12v/starter battery, not the Hybrid battery.
Any Toyota dealer and most auto parts stores will be able to sell you one that is perfectly good. The battery itself has nothing special for cooling. There is no need to get one from Japan. Just look for one that is "exact fit". Note: the 12 V battery just boots up all the computers. It does NOT actually start the engine.
The last 12V battery I got from my local Toyota dealer said it was direct from Japan and had dates on it showing that it was a "new" battery. I'm just looking for something with more power than the tiny Prius C 12V battery, I like listening to music and Satellite Radio but my battery only lasts for so long in comparison to a regular larger standard car battery and I'd rather not be limited like that... I have a volt meter plugged into the cigarette lighter so I know when my 12V battery is running low.
What do you mean by "only lasts so long"? How long did the original last? And are you now looking for the second replacement 12v for your 2013? Listening to music and Sat radio is pretty normal activity and shouldn't age a battery too quickly. Most Prius owners are getting at least 5-7 years from their 12v. I got 6 from my original. If you are not getting that long, could there be something drawing a little juice you are not aware of that stays on when the car is off? . Either way, when I comparison shopped for mine a few years back, the dealer price/warranty was hard to beat, although not all dealers quoted the same; so if you have more than one within a reasonable driving distance, check them all. Price was a little higher than the auto parts stores, and while some (O'Reilly) do battery installs at no charge, I don't think any of them will do the rear seat kind. And Toyota dealer warranty is 84 months, with 4 years full replacement and prorated after that. None of the parts stores could match that at the time.
If you have it in ready mode, the hybrid battery powers everything instead of the 12 volt. You can listen as long as you want, without running down the 12v. Much better, and there isn’t that much else on
I'd rather not run the engine and waste gasoline just to listen to the radio, why I was originally inquiring about this. I read long ago about people using a standard 12V car battery, which provides more power, underneath their rear passenger seat, but I know that's not safe in any manner. There must be a larger battery I could get, there is plenty of room underneath the rear passenger seat, I would just have to secure it down, which should be easy enough... I'm going to guess, that the regular Prius uses a larger 12V car battery in comparison to the Prius C?
unfortunately no, and suffers the same problems. the engine won't come on much if you are only using the radio, give it a try
