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Vampire power drain?

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Cybergooch, Aug 6, 2024.

  1. Cybergooch

    Cybergooch Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 30, 2017
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    Location:
    North Bend, Oregon
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    About 4 years ago I got a new 12 v battery. For the last few months, I'm having an issue where my car will not start if it's been sitting idle for a week or more, and I have to put a charger on the battery. (I work from home, so the car sits for periods of a week or more on a regular basis.)

    I have an appointment tomorrow for a new battery, but I'm also wondering if this is a standard problem

    The only thing that's using any power is the little red flashing light that shows the alarm is on. Is that enough to drain the battery? Is something else going on?
     
    #1 Cybergooch, Aug 6, 2024
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
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    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
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    Plug-in Base
    there is a constant drain on the 12 volt when the car is off from electronics.
    if you aren't going to drive more, put a battery maintainer on it.
     
    #2 bisco, Aug 6, 2024
  3. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius c
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    Two
    It's a fairly standard problem. It's worse if you keep your smart keys near the car, because the computer can get faked into thinking you are getting ready to depart, which wakes up a few other circuits and thus draws more power, at least for a few minutes until it realizes you aren't getting in and going somewhere.

    You can always hook up an ammeter and check the actual draw, but if you aren't driving much you'll likely want to invest in a battery maintainer.
     
    #3 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Aug 6, 2024
  4. Cybergooch

    Cybergooch Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 30, 2017
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    Location:
    North Bend, Oregon
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    Thanks for the replies, I'll look into a battery maintainer.
     
    #4 Cybergooch, Aug 7, 2024
    Brian1954 likes this.
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