2011 Prius IV dead as a door nail.

For #a, b,e, f, the only difference between a Prius and all my past cars is that the Prius 12V battery is smaller, therefore will go flat sooner if an interior light is accidentally left on or an aftermarket accessory is installed incorrectly. So I changed all the interior lights to LEDs, with about 1/10th the drain of the original incandescents. The payback happened this morning, on vacation in another state, when I discovered that a map light had been left on all night. At home, this gets caught because the garage is dark, but last night it was not noticed in a brightly lit motel parking lot. Fortunately, it started up just fine, and the ScanGauge VLT display showed that it quickly finished its 14.7 bulk recharge cycle and entered its 13.5V float charge state. My three year old 2010 (traded in last month) hadn't been able to get past bulk charge state all winter.

Items c & d were covered by my salescritter during the delivery show and tell. Apparently other salescritters are less thorough.

Do read the threads to which Cwerdna points. Symptoms of a low 12V battery in a Prius are completely different than in nonhybrids, and are quite non-intuitive for a first time hybrid owner. And dealer checks of the 12V battery are notoriously worthless.

 

I sell Toyotas. We have prius's sit for more then a week at a time. Whatever the tow guy told you is garbage.

 

Be sure to double check before every use that you don't accidentally have the meter set to amps. I did that with a PC power supply in computer repair class once (about 9 years ago) and still have a scar where I got burned by a melting wire. I used a $5 meter (no CAT rating whatsoever), concerned that a good meter might get damaged or stolen.

If your meter is rated for CAT II or higher, accidentally measuring a voltage with the meter set for amps should just blow a fuse. Also note that the traction battery is CAT IV (might be CAT III, not sure) so don't measure that unless you have a CAT IV meter.

 

My 2011 Toyota Prius Three has been left at airport parking several times for five to seven days at a time. It has never failed to start when I pushed the button upon return. After reading this thread and a couple of others, I have added a small jump box to items that I carry but I have not had to use it. My 2008 Toyota Prius had a button that would cut off the smart key system to conserve battery. The 2011 doesn't have that button.

 

Most dealerships will abide by your request is you tell them to leave tire pressures as is. It's kind of like telling the sushi place to "hold the wassabe" tho, forget and...

You might be disappointed: I found our Prius does better in town, at lower speeds, where it's electric motor comes into play more. On the highway it does fine, but sort of hits a mpg wall. Best strategy I found is to stay right, and a little below the limit. As long as you're not going to get run over.