Optima DS46B24R Prius Specific 12v. Battery

Glad I don't need one yet! Hopefully as they become more plentiful, the price will drop...

 

This topic has been covered by a news post:

http://priuschat.com/news/optima-announces-prius-replacement-12v-yellow-top-battery-with-pencil-posts

and another thread:

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-h...-12v-yellow-top-d51-battery-pencil-posts.html

Tom

 

I think those other threads were theoretical, and lacked an actual purchaser.

The http://www.elearnaid.com/ kit is still $30 cheaper and they have been supporting Prius for years when Optima did not.

 

I got mine today too. I will install later. I got it for $169.99 ("OPTIMA15" coupon) with free shipping and no tax.

 

Does anyone know the capacity, in Ampere hours, of the OEM battery vs this new Optima?

 

There are batteries that need replacement on a 2010 car? Man, those OEM batteries either really suck or people replace them just to have the latest and greatest thing. And, oh, by the way, Optima batteries are very heavy, your gas mileage may suffer. Plus, I've never been impressed with the terrible warranty on Optima batteries. Or maybe I don't understand their warranty. From what I can tell for the yellow top you get 3 years and no pro-rated after that. Is that correct? For less money I'll stick with the OEM battery.

 

I posted this a few days ago when the battery was announced - if you click on the Optima link at the top of the Prius Chat page - it seems as though their ad is the only one that has been served for the past few days - and then use the link on their website to "like" them on facebook they give you a 15% off coupon that is good through the end of September and also gives you free shipping.

 

When I do the installation, I'll make sure I weight them both to compare.

 

Actually, Toyota has been importing the Prius since 2001, plenty of time for a battery to die. USBs Prius is a 2006. If you let the stock OEM battery completely discharge, even once, it tends not to recover.

Twenty eight pounds. It would be challenging to make a more powerful lead acid battery that was lighter.

The Optima warranty is three times as long as the OEM warranty.

I know, those are just facts, facts are not as fun as ranting.

 

Thanks for the clarifications. I don't know why I thought the new Optima battery was going into a third gen (probably because this is in the third gen maintenance section). As far as the weight, I'll be interested in a weight comparison, but in my other car, the Optima weighs about 5 pounds more than the standard lead acid.

As far as the warranty, doesn't the Toyota aftermarket battery come with a pro-rated warranty for at least 6 years? If not, then you are absolutely correct. But I've never heard of a lead-acid battery NOT coming with pro-rated warranty when you buy it in the aftermarket. It's too bad that Prius owners are kind of stuck on their battery options. I guess we can go with the conversion kit for the fatter posts, but then we still have that venting issue.

Thanks for your info. Sorry for the rant, it's just in my other car, Optima's are a rip off. But in that car I can go buy it from any lead-acid vendor, I'm not stuck with just a couple of options.

EDIT: http://www.toyota.com/pub-share/pdf/Batteries2011-LowRes.pdf

This is why I thought the Toyota batteries had a warranty, it says 24 months free replacement, 84 months total warranty pro-rated. But when you look for the Prius, it says contact your Toyota dealer. So, does that mean the Toyota aftermarket battery only has 1 year, if so, then that really sucks. Maybe a few more battery manufacturers will follow suit and make some replacement batteries with the correct posts and vent line.

 

Well, my apologies to everyone on my rant, I was very prejudice against Optima batteries because of my other car. The Optima is around 5 pounds heavier, has a worse warranty than a standard battery (even if you buy it from the dealer), and costs a lot more. But people buy it because it's "cool."

But in the Prius, Optima has found a niche market and I'm hoping other battery manufacturers follow suit. The best I can tell is the Optima is around 1 pound lighter than the OEM battery and it does have a "not so great" 3 year warranty which happens to be 3 times better than the pitiful 1 year warranty for the OEM battery. The only downside of the Optima is it is more expensive. Again, sorry for the rant. Now when it comes time to replace the battery in my 2011, I'm hoping there will be more options. Batteries die about every 3 years here in Arizona and I hate to think I'm going to spend $199 every 3 to 4 years for the Optima.

Someone mentioned that you can buy a battery from a Batteries Plus store, does anyone know more about that option?

Thanks,
Glenn

 

I don't see the reason to buy this if you are not saving any money over the genuine OEM battery.
Does it have a proven longer life?

 

Only problem I see with the Optima is the warranty, 3 years is ok, but to get warranty service, you have to send it in to verify it is bad, then they send you another one, all within a hopeful 10 day period. But in either case, you are now out the shipping costs back to Optima, on top of the cost to buy the battery in the first place, and if Optima decides that your battery is ok, they charge you to ship it back.

I don't know about you, but not being able to drive my car for 10 days because of a battery, doesn't seem like a great idea.

 

Nevermind shipping costs, even free overnight shipping both ways would be too inconvenient for most people who need to use their car every day.

 

You should not be locked out of the car even with a dead battery.