You Know If...

[Carltona123]

You know if you were on the lookout for a Prius and an official Toyota dealer had a 3 year old T4 on the forecourt with a full service history and 47k on the clock and at a great price (£7400) would you buy it? What about if they told you they thought the 12v Battery was on the blink and they had been jump starting it and they had ordered a new one and that should sort it out? And the garage was 120 miles from your home but an old girlfriend lived up the road? And they offered you a great p/x price for your existing vehicle?

These are questions for which I urgently need answers.

[wizzlon]

You know if you were on the lookout for a Prius and an official Toyota dealer had a 3 year old T4 on the forecourt with a full service history and 47k on the clock and at a great price (£7400) would you buy it? What about if they told you they thought the 12v battery was on the blink and they had been jump starting it and they had ordered a new one and that should sort it out? And the garage was 120 miles from your home but an old girlfriend lived up the road? And they offered you a great p/x price for your existing vehicle?

These are questions for which I urgently need answers.

Guess all hinges on whether visiting the old flame will cause more trouble than you really want.

The car's a toyota so where's the issue....

[Carltona123]

Joking aside - and I use the word joking in the looseset possible sense - doesn't it hurt the hybrid system if you continually jump start?

[ian rooke]

Hi cannot see how jump starting a Prius can harm the Hybrid as any outside Battery is in parallel with the 12 volt Battery and nothing to do with the high voltage side.

[Jan&tone]

I age with whizz, depends on how ex the girl is... The cars probably not the issue, especially if it's what you want and the dealer is replacing the Battery.....

[timberwolf]

Dealers aren't fools when it comes to their profit margin, so the pricing of the car reflects what the dealer believes that they can get away with. I very much doubt that a dead 12V Battery would affect the price if it is so easy to fix (the dealer has a new one on order - even at trade the Battery still costs money that they wouldn't want to spend).

The Prius design is weak concerning the 12V Battery, because the Ah capacity is smaller than a regular car battery it is easy to drain by leaving the lights on, forgetting to shut the hatch properly, etc.

But a dead 12V battery can also be caused by a fault else where in the car, such as a short in the wiring, a poorly installed 3rd party accessory, or a fault in component such as the JBL Amp which isn't powering off when the ignition is switched off.

Without proper fault finding there is no way you or dealer can know if the dead 12V battery was just the battery or a symptom of another fault!

Can a jump start cause damage? Rare, but apparently yes it can, read the horror stories, and most will be caused by human error, jump leads the wrong way round is most likely, but occasionally you'll find a post that doesn't seem to be caused by human error.

[acetip]

Dealers aren't fools when it comes to their profit margin, so the pricing of the car reflects what the dealer believes that they can get away with. I very much doubt that a dead 12V battery would affect the price if it is so easy to fix (the dealer has a new one on order - even at trade the battery still costs money that they wouldn't want to spend).

The Prius design is weak concerning the 12V battery, because the Ah capacity is smaller than a regular car battery it is easy to drain by leaving the lights on, forgetting to shut the hatch properly, etc.

But a dead 12V battery can also be caused by a fault else where in the car, such as a short in the wiring, a poorly installed 3rd party accessory, or a fault in component such as the JBL Amp which isn't powering off when the ignition is switched off.

Without proper fault finding there is no way you or dealer can know if the dead 12V battery was just the battery or a symptom of another fault!

Can a jump start cause damage? Rare, but apparently yes it can, read the horror stories, and most will be caused by human error, jump leads the wrong way round is most likely, but occasionally you'll find a post that doesn't seem to be caused by human error.

hi timberwolf

doesnt the interior lights auto turn off after a set time if you dont close hatch properly on a prius.

does on my auris,so surley does same the same on prius.is there room to fit a larger batt.

[Carltona123]

Dealers aren't fools when it comes to their profit margin, so the pricing of the car reflects what the dealer believes that they can get away with. I very much doubt that a dead 12V battery would affect the price if it is so easy to fix (the dealer has a new one on order - even at trade the battery still costs money that they wouldn't want to spend).

The Prius design is weak concerning the 12V battery, because the Ah capacity is smaller than a regular car battery it is easy to drain by leaving the lights on, forgetting to shut the hatch properly, etc.

But a dead 12V battery can also be caused by a fault else where in the car, such as a short in the wiring, a poorly installed 3rd party accessory, or a fault in component such as the JBL Amp which isn't powering off when the ignition is switched off.

Without proper fault finding there is no way you or dealer can know if the dead 12V battery was just the battery or a symptom of another fault!

Can a jump start cause damage? Rare, but apparently yes it can, read the horror stories, and most will be caused by human error, jump leads the wrong way round is most likely, but occasionally you'll find a post that doesn't seem to be caused by human error.

That's what I was thinking - maybe it won't be quite as easy to fix as they think. And three years old seems a bit early for the Battery to die IMHO...

[Carltona123]

For info, the lovely dealer just sent me this replyto my email saying I wouldn't be going to view...

"The 12v Battery is crucial in a hybrid in exactly the same way as it is in any other vehicle. You really have no need to be worried about it. The decision is, of course, yours but it's a shame because the car is really nice. By the way, if you don't buy local, the 12 month warranty can be used at your local dealer."

I'm no expert but I would say that its role isn't exactly the same as in an ordinary car.

[ian rooke]

Hi the Gen 2 lights stay on of the hatch is left open, done it got the T shirt, but had no trouble when starting the car with a outside Battery, I should imagine if you get polarity wrong on any car you would do damage.

[wizzlon]

Being serious- I think you should follow your gut feel. If something doesn't feel right then don't commit money to it. If the dealer is prepared to email that putting a new Battery in has fixed the problem and there is no other reason for it failing, if it then goes again you MIGHT be able to argue that they didn't fix the fault properly. But do you really want to purchase with that sort of possibility hanging over you?

[Chris Dance]

If in doubt throw it out. There are more Prius cars out there to buy. On the other hand if the dealer gave an unconditional warranty for 12 months the car may be worth a look.

I have left the rear hatch unlocked and flattened the 12v Battery. The RAC chap who got me started told me of a Prius owner who got the leads wrong and damaged the hybrid system. My son has left the rear hatch on his Prius unlocked twice and flattened the 12v Battery.He is getting to be expert at getting it going again following exactly the procedure in the manual. I do not think the jump start can harm the systems providing you follow the correct procedure.

Hope you find a good Prius soon.

Chris.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

It pains me to say this, but listen to Timberwolf ;)

The 12v is an easy and cheap fix so why haven't they already done it? The Prius can be fried if you jump it the wrong way and not just getting the leads the wrong way round. I'd be very ware on this car.

[dwilson]

Whereabouts in the Midlands are you?

Haven't you a few dealers close by that you could try?

[cootuk]

If it was Toyota Approved then that would make it an excellent price, but how long would it take to get another Battery?. One would think they could get one next day, so why continual jump starts?

If it's Toyota Approved, don't you also have the right to reject the vehicle within so many days of purchase?

[dwilson]

If it was Toyota Approved then that would make it an excellent price, but how long would it take to get another battery?. One would think they could get one next day, so why continual jump starts?

If it's Toyota Approved, don't you also have the right to reject the vehicle within so many days of purchase?

Think it is 30 days to swap to a similar one rather than reject. Also I believe a 500 mile limit which could come around quickly - I know mine did.

[Carltona123]

I live just south of Birmingham so there is quite a decent choice of dealers, but perhaps not as good as you'd think. In fact there's Toyota World Solihull just around the corner but they look at you in disbelief if you're spending less than 20 grand and don't even let you have a free go with the coffee machine. Actually that's probably not true.

Back to the test drive I was going to go to today; the sales rep, who sounded like a really lovely young lady, assured me she had got the portable power pack ready and was willing to give it a go. Hmmmm.

BTW - thanks you guys for all your input. Despite the fact that I have got chronic Prius envy of the lot of you I do appreciate your time and trouble.

[bobm]

I live just south of Birmingham so there is quite a decent choice of dealers, but perhaps not as good as you'd think. In fact there's Toyota World Solihull just around the corner but they look at you in disbelief if you're spending less than 20 grand and don't even let you have a free go with the coffee machine. Actually that's probably not true.

Back to the test drive I was going to go to today; the sales rep, who sounded like a really lovely young lady, assured me she had got the portable power pack ready and was willing to give it a go. Hmmmm.

BTW - thanks you guys for all your input. Despite the fact that I have got chronic Prius envy of the lot of you I do appreciate your time and trouble.

try Toyota at Tamworth....go there regularly for services and Chief technician is a guy called Shaun......deals with problems all ok, not sure if they have second hand at moment, they tend to sell almost immediately on part x change.....

[dwilson]

I live just south of Birmingham so there is quite a decent choice of dealers, but perhaps not as good as you'd think. In fact there's Toyota World Solihull just around the corner but they look at you in disbelief if you're spending less than 20 grand and don't even let you have a free go with the coffee machine. Actually that's probably not true.

Back to the test drive I was going to go to today; the sales rep, who sounded like a really lovely young lady, assured me she had got the portable power pack ready and was willing to give it a go. Hmmmm.

BTW - thanks you guys for all your input. Despite the fact that I have got chronic Prius envy of the lot of you I do appreciate your time and trouble.

Have a look on the Toyota website. Westlands Bromsgrove must be reasonably near you and they have a T4 for £9499. No photo but it has only just appeared on the website - probably good idea to phone first in case it isn't on site yet!

Just a thought...

I don't work for them!

[Carltona123]

Guess what! The price of that car magically increased by £1000 overnight!

[dwilson]

Guess what! The price of that car magically increased by £1000 overnight!

? Really?

Still same price on website. Have you been across?

[Carltona123]

Nope - I'm certain. It was £7400 on Friday and now it's £8400. I'll email the seller just to see what's going on - tho I don't think I'd want it for certain at any price.

[Carltona123]

On a brighter and more optimistic note, a local(ish) T dealer says that at the end of the week they'll be getting in a late 2007 TSpirit with low(ish) miles and a fully stamped-up book. £8999. I think that sounds quite promising.

[Carltona123]

Nope - I'm certain. It was £7400 on Friday and now it's £8400. I'll email the seller just to see what's going on - tho I don't think I'd want it for certain at any price.

Sorry - I meant the one with the dodgy 12v, not the Westlands one.

[dwilson]

Nope - I'm certain. It was £7400 on Friday and now it's £8400. I'll email the seller just to see what's going on - tho I don't think I'd want it for certain at any price.

Sorry - I meant the one with the dodgy 12v, not the Westlands one.

OK. Good luck with the search.