IF that really is a conventional wet cell, then you should expect the life of YOUR battery to be on the low end of the advertised "average"......or even less. Sitting around in a discharged state is VERY bad for them. If it is an AGM, then not so much.
Maybe but that might not be inevitable. Sounds to me like exhibit A was a wet cell that probably had a "trickle charger" on it with a voltage that is a bit too high.....AND it wasn't maintained by checking the electrolyte level and it "boiled" dry. Exhibit B probably was a good quality AGM. Which one do you think gave you a better value ??
I know you are a fan of AGM batteries and that is fine. I am not for or against them one way or the other. I wouldn't pay a lot more for one though.. It seems people either love them or hate them. If you notice I have found an AGM battery in my original post as a substitute for the conventional Lead acid battery that comes in Gen 4 Prii. I am assuming all gen 4 Prii have the same battery , if someone knows for fact one way or the other they can post on this link.
I appreciate your confidence, but I should point out that the ACDelco LN1PS (88864528) flooded battery I mentioned in the last 12-volt battery thread as a possible substitute is different from the ACDelco LN1AGM (88865429) AGM battery @padroo kindly described in this thread. I don’t know of any reason the latter wouldn’t work, but it’s not the most direct replacement. (I have no personal experience with either one.) See my postings from the last thread: 12V battery group size | Page 2 | PriusChat 12V battery group size | Page 4 | PriusChat 12V battery group size | Page 5 | PriusChat
Even though you KNOW that it requires no routine maintenance. And that all the evidence points to it lasting about TWICE as long ?? I think that it is pretty simple math: If it costs less than twice as much, it is likely to be a better value........IF you intend to keep the vehicle longer than 4 years or so.
If you buy a Toyota battery at a dealership it will be a conventional lead acid battery for a Gen 4 Prius. This is my understanding that this is the type of battery that is coming standard with a new car. Are you going to go against what the manufacturer puts in the car? I personally have no problem with it that is why I am trying to be proactive in looking around to see what is available. Have you confirmed what battery they installed in your Prime? I don't like surprises like I got when my 2008 Prius needed HID headlight bulbs. Would you agree with me that this battery I have been quoting for $130 which is an AGM battery that if it would fit the Gen 4 Prius would be a good deal. To me it is a good deal as far as price and plus it is an AGM battery that would give me a long life to boot. Then there are the Optima people, there are people who love their AGM batteries and people who hate them. When I traded in my 2008 Prius I had installed one in it. I got a good deal on the internet and it was about four years old when I traded the car in. ACDelco® LN1AGM - Professional™ Battery Oh, by the way, this battery has more CCA which I always like to see. I suppose I will get into a fight about this statement too. lol
I looked up the OEM battery on McGeorge Toyota, got this part number: 00544-21171-325 They list it as no longer available, here: Battery - Toyota (00544-21171-325) | Toyota Parts Googling that number, I find it for sale here, for around $175 (US): 00544-21171-325 - Genuine Toyota BATTERY 12V That part number is mentioned in this pdf: https://www.toyota.com/toyota-owners-theme/pdf/03_Batteries2015_final[1].pdf Lower left corner of page one, starting with "***".
I noticed in this link it is a conventional battery. I wondered why they switched? Was it a move to save a buck? The original 12 Volt batteries seemed to hold up fairly well and this winter did take it's toll.
do not know. I have just ordered a few parts from them over the years. I usually compare with Amazon & order which is cheaper for oem filters, etc.
It's under the hood, so you don't have the spillage concerns, inherent with an in-cabin battery. A conventional battery will save you money, come replacement time. Why strange?
If the batteries were made here they would be a more standardized into a Group Size. It sounds like Sony and the old betamax thing all over again. lol Maybe some day they will outlaw conventional lead acid batteries because of pollution. Stranger things have happened.
Sure. They quite often don't use the best parts available. OEM tires often are crap. I use synthetic oil in engines that mention only conventional oil in the manuals. P.S. I don't have a Prime.
the lead acid battery in my dakota is 13 years old. with all the complaints we've had about prius agm over the years, it's hard to believe they are better.
Conventional battery for our son's Civic, the Honda battery, was $135. Around the same time, the Yuasa AGM battery for the Prius was $271.
My 2006 Dakota is original, what year is yours? I have heard of other Mopar batteries lasting a very long time. My Dakota is abused by not driving it enough. I don't keep a battery tender on it and has 7,200 miles and never sees snow.
wow! mine is '05 and has 27,000 miles. i started putting a trickle charger on it a couple years ago for the winter, when it's buried behind snow in the barn.