Long Period of Un-Use

dup

 

be specific, how long is long?

 

if I read this right you are leaving it for about a month.

I left mine parked for 5 weeks this summer, and 5 weeks last summer. Both times the SOC dropped by one bar.

Id recommend parking on the level not applying the footbrake, but that would be it.

 

Check all interior lights closely. Sometimes it's hard to see if you left some of them on. Perhaps switching them off would guarantee they aren't accidentally left on. If you have SKS you could switch it off (switch under steering wheel). The SKS actually turns off after a few days anyway, but turning it off is a favorite recommendation here.
A month isn't a long time really. The traction battery can be left for six months without worry.
I leave my e-brake on whenever the car is parked and haven't had any problems. I'd leave the car with it applied, for safety.

If you've had problems in the past with your 12V battery you might again after a month. If it hasn't been abused (fully discharged) it should be fine. Some of us use a "battery tender" to look after a battery sitting unused for 3 weeks or longer. If you're worried you could purchase one and use it. You can connect it under the hood to the "boost point".

 

The instruction manual recommends that you disable the Smart Key System (if you have it) if you leave the car for ~month or more. Simply press the appropriate button under the steering column. SKS runs down the battery gradually because it is always trying to pick up the radio signal from your keyfob, so if you leave the car for a month or more you should disable it.

 

I wondered about un-use issues also. I am going to be out of the country for almost four months. After thinking about it...and also doing some research, I decided to see if I could sell my Prius. I HAD a 2006... sent an email to friends and family and said I would sell it for $22K. It was gone in a nano-second. I knew I could probably have gotten more for it, but after figuring in the govt rebate, I basically drove the car for three years for only the gas costs.

I have a new 2009 Blue Spectra Mica on order and my dealer said it will be here when I get home. A nice way to deal with un-use!!!

 

Wouldn't it be preferable to disconnect the 12V battery, the one in the trunk, so that all aux systems are just off for the duration?

 

I think that would not be preferable, but maybe second best for periods longer than about a month.

When the 12V battery is disconnected, then some things in memory are lost.
Also, the 12V battery discharges itself very slowly even when it is disconnected.

I think a "battery tender", designed specifically for that purpose, would be preferable for periods longer than about a month.

 

I agree with that, especially if it is inconvenient to run AC power to the battery tender and then have the tender connected to the car.

In general it is easier to open the hood, than the hatch, when the 12V power is disconnected. Hence it would probably be easier to disconnect the 12V battery by opening the main relay/fuse box near the inverter and finding the positive jumpstart terminal under the red plastic cover.

Use a 10 mm socket to loosen the nut on the terminal and remove the cable. Replace the nut, close the red plastic cover, place the cable on top of the cover, then close the relay/fuse box cover.

 

Talk to your dealer like i did. there is one fuse that needs to be removed (I can't remember which one). The dealer told me Toyota does this to each car that leaves for the US to be sure the battery is not drained during shipment. My son is a longshoreman and drives Prius' off the ships. He tells me that all he has to do is insert the fob and go, so i am not sure if the dealer knows what he is talking about. Doing this does not effect your settings, such as your radio presets. Unfortunately, i took out the wrong fuse and my 12v was dead upon my return. i jump started the Prius using the connections under the hood and everything has worked normally sense then. i'll go back to the dealer to verify which fuse and hope i get it right this time.

 

I believe that you are referring to the DOME fuse.

Ask your son to check whether the overhead cabin lights work, when he opens the door and gets in. If they don't work that is evidence the DOME fuse is out.

 

Cars can sit in dealer's forecourts for a month or more, do they do anything more than lock it? I doubt it!

 

You may be right, but the likelihood that the car will start after sitting around for one month is low. That's why the dealer also has a battery boost device on wheels that can be easily rolled around to jumpstart those vehicles that won't start on their own.

Suppose the parasitic current draw is 20 mA. 0.02A x 24 hours/day x 30 days/month = 14.4 AH/month. The Prius 12V battery has an AH rating in the low 30s, so if you are starting with a fully-charged battery it will be down to ~50% after one month. If the battery did not start in a fully-charged state at the beginning of that month, the car probably won't start.

 

My Prius had been advertised for around 3 weeks before I decided that I was in a position to enquire about it - I had to get my finances sorted out and test drive a Prius of a lower spec locally.

As I wanted model with Intelligent Parking Assist, I asked the dealer (not a main dealer) if it had got it. He did not know what IPA was! I therefore asked him to go and put it in reverse to see if it had a rearview camera. He rang back after a few minutes and told me that it had started first time and that it did have a rear picture with lines on it. This told me what I wanted to know that the car did have IPA. It was apparent from the way the dealer said it started first time that it had sat for a little while - this was just after we had had freezing temperatures and heavy snow. Both issues that can affect traditional batteries let alone Prius ones!

The main thing though in response to the original poster is that it is vital to check all doors are shut properly which will ensure all interior lights are off and the Hybrid battery is disabled. In the UK this is done by pressing the remote lock twice. The manual will give more details. Having said that I suppose that might be another varient in a model made in the same factory!