A bit of history before my Question. Father-in-Law bought new and always had serviced at dealer where he purchased. He passed late 2018 and I acquired the car with around 48,000 miles Presently has 139,800 miles. Only things it has ever needed since I acquired the car are: Tires Routine oil changes, full synthetic @ every 5,000 (or pretty close to that) miles Wiper blades Headlamp bulbs Front brake pads and rotors L & R drive axels & CVT axel input seals with Toyota OEM parts (around 85,000 miles). Was chasing a vibration that stupid turned out to be a bad new tire with less than 5,000 miles. R/front hub bearing (around 87,000 miles), was chasing vibration before finding out new tire was bad. CVT fluid changed (around 90,000 miles) - Toyota OEM fluid Spark Plugs changed (around 101,000 miles) - Forget brand but they were exact manufacturer and type as OEM. Cabin Filters Other than the services my father-in-law had done I have performed all work mentioned above, other than mounting & balancing new tires. Question. How long does a typical OEM Toyota 12v battery last? I looked at it recently and it is a "Toyota" battery. Surely it couldn't be the original??? "No way, right". I don't recall seeing (in the online service records I obtained via VIN) that the 12v battery was replaced. It has been super cold where I live since September and typically doesn't warm up till sometime in late March, there are infrequent warmer days low 40s to mid 50s. I don't want to disconnect it to remove and see if there's a date code on the side that I can't see with it installed. I've had other manufacturer autos with original batteries that have lasted 7 years. But... I'm hoping someone can share: What 12v battery, other than Toyota OEM, have you used and how long (years & miles please) has it been serving you? I'm pretty certain but just need to ask, whether you're going down the highway, or car is parked, if the 12v battery gives up the ghost you will out of commission = sitting on the side of the road, at home, or in a parking lot somewhere. Right? Thanks, Joe
Guessing it's a 2011 Prius??? Doubtful it's the original 12v battery, it's 13 years old. It won't last that long. Average life is about 7 years. Some get a year more, some get 1 or 2 less. Everyone has tried different batteries, but the Toyota seems to be the best. Jack has a 12v Sodium battery, but I have not used it, since it's new and my Toyota one is only 2-3 years old. Just put a charge on whichever battery you choose of 5 amps or less for at least 6 hours because none of the places ever charges the battery, they just sit on the shelf. You probably should pull the battery out and check to see if it has a date code on it. Or maybe a receipt for it on the battery or in the glove box...
It might. My car is 11.5 years old (manufactured 9/13, I bought it new 2/14) and still on the original 12V battery.
ASRDogman, Thanks for your reply. Yes 2011 Prius. You mentioned "Jack has sodium battery". Never heard of Jack? I'm in N/E Pennsylvania. Due to fact I've had car going on 7 years and I know I haven't replaced the battery, it probably be best to get a new one. Hopefully temperatures will warm a bit and I can pull battery to check for date code. I have every receipt my FIL kept and 1st thing upon taking ownership was to go through every inch of car. Thanks again
My original OEM battery was changed in my 2011 at 9-1/2 years. It was still working well when I replaced it, but I did not want to take the chance of my wife being stranded somewhere. I tested the battery, and it still had a fairly good state of health. I wonder how long it would have lasted if I had not replaced it.
