Hello everyone, my wife and I are planning a backpacking trip across Asia for about a year. Now, this means our 2002 Prius will be stopped for about a year as well. We are giving our other car to my in laws. We have a carport, not a garage, so I was hoping I could get detailed steps as to what I should do to make sure she will be in good shape when I get back. Do I disconnect the 288v battery? Just the 12v? Stuff I should do to the interior? Cleanup procedures? Engine and gas tank preservation? Rust proofing before I go? Stuff like that. All your inputs are appreciated.
There's one of four things that you should do: 1. Have one of the in-laws drive it daily. 2. Install a 12v Battery Minder/Tender and have them drive it every so often, at least monthly. 3. Disconnect the 12V and throw a tarp over it. 4. Sell the car. #3 is the worst case scenario. A car that sits for a year is susceptible to problems. The HV battery will not discharge all the way, but there is some risk that the pack will be imbalanced enough that the car will code and not start the ICE to recharge it. Disconnecting the HV battery will not help that at all. The ICE itself may suffer from sitting for a year...valves may stick, throttle body may seize, gas goes bad (use Stabil), etc. Rotors and drums will rust. If you can't get #1 or #2, give serious consideration to #4.
I agree with #4 if the car will not be used periodically. There is a reasonable chance that the nine-year old traction battery will be dead after one year of non-use.
