2005 Regular battery problem?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by cairo94507, Jun 29, 2009.

  1. cairo94507

    cairo94507 Active Member

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    OK, I love my car; it has 114,600 miles on it now with no problems. Today I got in it and pushed the power button and nothing. Completely dead after being parked for ten minutes after a 45 mile ride to work.

    I pushed the power button a few times and noticed the dash would come on faintly and the power indicator light would glow faintly. I also noted the dome light was really dim.

    I went back inside and came back out five minutes later and pushed the button and the car came on with a couple warning lights and no AC. I elected to drive directly (and quickly) to the Toyota dealership about 1.5 miles from my Redwood City office. I believed my regular battery, being the original, was probably toast.

    I meet with the service adviser and explain the symptoms; he agrees with me re the battery and quotes me $265 to replace the battery. I think this is high; as far as I know it is just a car battery right? I am thinking $100 at Sears for a Die Hard Gold or something like that. Anyway, a $265 estimate seemed high.

    I just got a call telling me my car was ready and they tested the battery and it tested "low" so they replaced it and the cars runs fine now. So I said, "So you guys pulled a code or something and that confirmed the battery was the problem and it is now corrected and I am not going to get stuck on the San Mateo Bridge or something. The service advisers says, "Yup; the car is fine now". OK.....

    I will pick it up in the morning and keep my fingers crossed. I really want to trust they found and corrected the problem. I will post my results and the actual cost when I pick it up.

    They did tell me they could not believe how clean my car was - I am anal that way.

    Oh, and they gave me a new Camry rental car for $9.95 per day; that was nice.

    I want to buy a new Prius V but really want to wait until 2010 or so unless my car begins to act up and requires earlier replacement.

    Overall, if it is just the battery, I am totally fine with that. The funny thing is that I had been thinking for the past month that the car was about 5 years old and it was time to replace the battery. Unfortunately the car apparently made the call for me before I could get it done.

    I am still impressed that the car did not leave me stranded and I was able to drive it to the dealership. :cheer2:
     
    #1 cairo94507, Jun 29, 2009
  2. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Ouch! $265?

    I guess if you were stuck you were stuck but it would have been nice to save $100 and do it yourself. I'da walked you through the install mate. :)
     
    #2 F8L, Jun 29, 2009
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    The price at the Toyota dealer parts counter should be ~$160, so you paid $100 for labor. However you saved ~$30-$40 on the rental car, so the net price isn't too bad.

    You are not going to find a drop-in replacement at Sears or anywhere else for that matter.

    If you want to use an aftermarket battery you would at minimum have to install new terminal connectors since the original battery terminals are smaller than standard. If the battery case size differs then you would probably have to insert a wood shim or use some other means so that the battery clamp will hold the battery securely.
     
    #3 Patrick Wong, Jun 29, 2009
  4. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    So much esier to simply buy the Yellow top Optima with conversion kit wouldn't ya say Patrick? :)
     
    #4 F8L, Jun 29, 2009
  5. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Yes, the Optima and conversion kit result in a very reasonable alternative to buying the Toyota battery.
     
    #5 Patrick Wong, Jun 29, 2009
  6. Rokeby

    Rokeby Member

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    I've seen the $265 number before here for the battery at a dealer.

    IIRC, ~$90 of that is the actual installation, which seems rapacious.
    I think that's the 1 hr. shop rate. Come on! Even if you count the time
    putting the battery on a charger to top it off, the tech doesn't stand there
    and watch the gauge for 45 minutes... or does he?

    Oh well, when you gotta get a new battery right now, you pays through
    the nose.

    It is best to remember that the typical life of the 12v battery is about 4
    years; even less if the car sees very high or very low temperatures for
    long periods.
     
    #6 Rokeby, Jun 29, 2009
  7. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    No, its fully automatic. Push a button and walk away, charging stops when battery is fully charged
     
    #7 jayman, Jun 30, 2009
  8. cairo94507

    cairo94507 Active Member

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    OK; got my car back and everything is perfect. On top of that it only cost $221 instead of $265. I am very satisfied. That was Toyota 101 in Redwood City by the way.
     
    #8 cairo94507, Jun 30, 2009
  9. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    Happy to hear it worked out for you
     
    #9 jayman, Jul 1, 2009
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