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12v battery replacement cost

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Rickster, Jul 6, 2011.

  1. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    I would suggest you charge the "new yellow top" with a good "smart charger" and then run the test again.

    A fully charged AGM type battery should measure at least 12.8 volts with a digital volt meter attached to the post's with no load.

    When running the test with a new fully charged battery I saw the following.

    Accessory Mode: 12.6
    Ignition On Mode: 12.4
    Ready 13.9

    I think the battery you got is simply not fully charged. I would suggest you fully charge the battery and then run the test again after 24 hours. If it is still low, then contact elernaid about a replacement.

    FWIW, it is a good idea to always check voltage and fully charge before installation of any new battery.

    Battery SOC Chart.jpg
     
    SFO likes this.
  2. lafskso

    lafskso New Member

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    Our 2006 Prius ( 8 yrs old) with 70K original miles. No problem at all with either the Hybrid or the 12 volt. battery.
    Q: whether to Preemptively replacement the 12 volt. battery for our 2006 Prius or Wait to it to Die.
    Price Quote from a number of Dealership quotes are approx. $350 (parts & labor) plus Tax.
    One can purchase a compatible 12 v. battery from Amazon ($180) and hopefully get someone at Big O or PEP Boy to install the battery.
     
  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    You should change your battery now if you don't want to get stranded. There are many videos on YouTube that shows you how to change the 12v. It's fairly easy, just need a socket set with 10 mm and 12mm sockets. An extension would be helpful to have to reach the hard to reach places. I'm not a mechanic and I can do it in about 20 minutes

    SM-N900P ?
     
  4. lafskso

    lafskso New Member

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    Hi JC91006:
    Thanks for your quick reply.
    We have had Great Luck with our multiple Toyota's over the years.
    My web search agrees with your suggestion that the 12 v. battery in Gen. II Prius can be problematic to replace once it dies.
    Seems like Gen III (2010+) 12 v. battery would be easier to replace.
    Will decide this weekend whether to Replace the battery myself vs. taking it to the Toyota dealer.
     
  5. Tony D

    Tony D Active Member

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    If you are any way handy you could do it yourself. I did mine in about an hour not long after I bought my Gen 2
     
  6. Easy Rider

    Easy Rider Active Member

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    I would suggest that replacing an 8 year old battery is a good move.......if you intend to keep the car.

    I have seen prices quoted for batteries before and wonder what makes them SO EXPENSIVE.
    Larger AGM batteries can be had for ~ $120; why is the small one so high ??
     
  7. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    The GS Yuasa battery sold by Toyota dealers is manufactured in Japan (which adds to cost) and the dealer MSRP is ~180. Further, there are few direct substitutes: the Exide and Optima brands are the only ones that I am aware of that produce batteries with the correct JIS sized terminals. Hence there isn't much need for price competition.
     
  8. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    DIY and save the money. Instructions are detailed in my signature file. I changed the Gen II Prius battery easily on my own. The Gen III is even easier. No plastic duct work to work around.