12V Aux Battery Replacement.

[tompaterson]

Has anyone had to replace the 12v Battery in their Prius. I've read in a few places that the Battery usually lasts around

4 years. Well my 4 year old Prius has just failed to start for the first time. Last week it was fine, now today the

12v Battery is totally dead. No lights, and nothing happens when you press the power button.

Really interested in the cost of replacement. I understand that the two options are let Toyota replace it, or

find an alternative and replace the battery yourself. On looking omn the internet, have so far been unable to

find a replacement 12v battery for the Prius.

So if anyone could give me an idea of costs from a Toyota dealer, or any advice re fitting the battery myself,

if I can find one..

Thanks for yiur help.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

I'd check the price of your local Toyota dealer. The Battery is pretty much specific to the Prius so an alternative, whilst available, is as rare as hens teeth here in the UK and not that much cheaper either.

If I remember right the new fitted cost is about £150 or so. Maybe negotiate with your dealers as see what they'll do for you? It'll be nice to get your car back again after - as in much better mpg's.

[Chris Dance]

Best to get the right Battery for the job from your Toyota dealer in my opinion. I agree with what GC says.

4 years is about the life you can expect from the Battery I am told by my dealer.

[zetor]

I wonder if I will need my Battery replacing after 4 years in my Auris HSD?

[timberwolf]

Under the Owners section of the Toyota web site, the full inclusive cost of replacing the Battery is given under the Fixed-Price Promise, apparently 90 quid for a Hybrid (Auris and Prius). I guess it is possible that some local dealers may have forgotten about the Fixed-Price Promise, or that the Toyota web site is out of date.

In terms of alternate batteries, it would be a case of finding one that fits and ideally has the correct venting port (if the 12V Battery is over heated it can vent gas - some owners who have fitted alternatives have taken a calculated risk based on I guess the assumption that the Prius has a rather weak charging system and is therefore less likely to vent gas!).

I would think it is likely that the Auris HSD will have the same limitation as the Prius does (all the Prius generations have so far). I think It is kind of ironic that a car that is designed to a be a little greener was not designed for low mileage and in frequent use - if you do a low mileage or the car sits unused for days at a time then you are probably going to see the 12 V Battery expire sooner.

[MLW2233]

Eurocar Parts have Bosch 4 year guarentee batteries at £55. There is also a 15% promotion offer on batteries plus free delivery.

A Bosch silver Battery is about as good as it gets. I have had them in other cars and they can start a tank.

See: http://www.eurocarparts.com/car-battery

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Well done MLW. Just looked at that site and searched for a 2008 Prius and sure enough the Battery is £55. I'd suggest double checking the dimensions and make sure the terminals match before ordering.

[MLW2233]

I've used Eurocar parts for nearly 20 years. They were wonderful in my SAAB VW and Mercedes years. Now they seem to supply for most makes, although for a Prius the range is less than a normal car. They often have a range of quality (Bosch etc) and cheaper parts, but as the prices are miles less than a main dealer, I have always gone for the best and never had a problem.

They are very good for Bosch wiperblades.

[timberwolf]

Does the Prius vent tube fit the Bosch Battery?

[ph47mf]

can this be a DIY job?

My car is 5-6 years old now and i only bought it in Nov 2011, I wonder if it's been changed by the dealer where I bought it from. If it dies tomorrow then sssssssssssugar!

[johalareewi]

Check out Optima Yellow tops. They do a Prius specific version. See also threads on Prius chat.

http://priuschat.com...th-pencil-posts

Optima website...

http://www.optima-batterien.eu/optima-products/yellowtop.html

[twohats]

Does the Prius vent tube fit the Bosch battery?

I don't know about the Bosch, but I found that the vent tube/elbow needed reducing slightly to fit a Varta B33 155 blue dynamic. Otherwise the Battery fitted perfectly. It's not AGM, but then neither is the original Toyota which it replaced.

[timberwolf]

Does the Prius vent tube fit the Bosch battery?

I don't know about the Bosch, but I found that the vent tube/elbow needed reducing slightly to fit a Varta B33 155 blue dynamic. Otherwise the Battery fitted perfectly. It's not AGM, but then neither is the original Toyota which it replaced.

How did you reduce slightly? (File it down?)

Perfect fit sounds good, does the bracket that holds down the Battery reach the floor okay?

The Optima Yellow top available in this country wasn't the Prius specific model the last time I checked before Xmas and as well as it costing at least twice as much as Toyota's fully inclusive price, it was also physically a little too tall and needed a few washers as the bracket to secure it wouldn't reach down to the floor.

[twohats]

Yes, filed it down, tried to keep it nice and smooth to maintain a seal. I think you can get a new elbow as a spare part if necessary.

Bracket, terminals all fitted fine.

Comparing pictures on euro car parts site and the Varta here , they look identical.

[timberwolf]

The Varta Battery in the picture has the terminals switched around/other side compared with the Bosch S4.

I can't remember which side the Prius OEM Battery has its terminals, all I can remember is that the neg terminal is very close to the back of the car and the pos terminal end is the end where the Battery is partly blocked in by a plastic duct.

Thanks for the info.

[twohats]

Sorry, that picture is misleading. The B33 Battery has the terminals in the right place, "cell layout 1". There is a vent hole at each end, it comes with a little stopper to block off the one you don't need. Hope that helps.

[timberwolf]

Lots of useful information. Thanks.

[tompaterson]

Thanks everyone. We got the Prius going last week and took it on a long run, as the charging circuit was fine and the batteryu holding a good voltage. When out

today and had the red triangle come up on the first attempt, sp I'll play safe and get the local Toyota dealer to look at it. I was hoping to wait until the service/MOT in June, but it's not worth the risk. I'll see what quote they come up with. My only concern is that the dealer has changed to Curry Motors who never gave a good service when I had a SAAB. The old Jemca dealership were fantasic with the standard and quality of service. Hopefully Curry Motors has the same staff with the same high level.

Thanks all.

[inspiredron]

The Battery on my Gen 3 2009 T-Spirit failed at 2 years. Symptoms were that the car was reluctant to go to Ready. Reported problem at 2 year service. Garage gave "No Fault Found" response. As I left the car did not go to Ready. Back to reception and fitter came out whereupon car took fright and performed perfectly! Fitter said that it might be Battery - let us know if it persists. Next day I had the same problem and measured Battery voltage - 10V - Angry call to dealer and battery changed within the hour! Next time it happens I will not replace with a Toyota battery. On my old Volvo the batteries lasted for 7 years (two batteries each lasting 7 years) with the beating that starter motors give.

[ph47mf]

this is worrying. my car is about 6 years old now and as far as i know the 12v haven't been changed yet. i havent checked the voltage but it goes to 'ready' instantly every time. does that sound ok?

[timberwolf]

That sounds fine.

The 12V Battery tends to go early on a Prius compared to regular cars. People with Prius who post about their 12V Battery failure seem to get about 4 years. People who don't have problems don't usually post, so how long their 12V Battery last is anybodies guess! :)