Does anyone have any experience with replacing the 12 volt battery in the Classic PRIUS (2003)? The dealer wants $200 for the battery and new bracket to accomodate the newer size battery, plus $100 labor to put it in. $300! But it's hard to find a replacement to do-it-yourself. There are some internet mail-order battery and kits available. So I was wondering if anyone here has used them. Thanks
$200 is the going price for the Panasonic battery and conversion kit from the dealer. I installed this battery and kit in my 2001 a couple of years ago and it worked well. Following is a link to a Yahoo PTS group photo album that compares the Panasonic battery compared to the original, and the conversion kit: http://preview.tinyurl.com/5l7mav Since you are willing to consider a mail-order battery as an alternative, I assume that this means you could buy the battery and kit from your dealer's parts dept and install it yourself, saving $100. The Mazda Miata battery appears to be a reasonable choice but this also requires installing different battery terminal connectors as well as a wood block spacer. Good luck.
Thanks for the reply. I had come across this which I was referring to as mail-order: Installtion Kit for Mazda Miata battery on a Prius 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 What do you think?
Yes, this is the Mazda Miata battery that I was thinking of. The price is $163 including the conversion kit, so this results in an 18% savings compared to $200 for the Panasonic battery and conversion kit at the Toyota dealer. The Toyota-supplied kit is more elegant since it replaces the original battery bracket with one that fits the Panasonic battery. I know of several Classic owners on the Yahoo toyota-prius group who bought the Mazda Miata battery from elearnaid.com and were satisfied with it. Either this alternative or the Toyota dealer-supplied battery will work well for you.
More importantly, this battery is actually designed with "cranking amps", meaningi it's designed to crank over a starter motor. The stock auxililary battery isn't ... so you'll be getting way more bang for your buck. More power for less coin. Loads of gen I & gen II owners have made the switch.
I just replaced the 12v battery in my 2002 with the battery & kit from elearn. Had a few problems getting the car to start afterward which I now think were unique to my car. You should be fine. Here is a link to the thread discussing my problems: http://priuschat.com/forums/care-ma.../44676-12-v-battery-replacement-wont-run.html
Well, thanks all, for the information and encouragement. I am willing to give the mail-order a shot for more cranking amps, not that I would necessarily need them. HOVZOOM, you made me a little nervous with your experience, but I am glad things straightened out for you. BTW, was it easy to change the cables or terminal clamps or whatever you needed to do? How about the vents? The website didn't go into detail about this. Did you have to empty your trunk for this operation? I am going to order my battery ASAP. Thanks again
Detailed instructions come with the kit and it is not hard. Plan for about 1/2 hour of work. Trunk does not need to be empty. Again, all the problems I had after the battery install are not typical.
