12v battery maintenance, issues, etc.

[Derek.w]

Best informed discision thats a laugh this is all the infomation on the 12 volt Battery in my handbook

  

No mention of type of batterys or even its electrical amp hour rating or max amps output.

[Hibird]

Do we have any members who have decided to jump ship from a Toyota Hybrid and go elswhere because of Battery issues ?

[Yugguy1970]

Not me, what happened with the missus car was my own daft fault, still love the way Toyota hybrids drive.

[Max_Headroom]

14 hours ago, Hibird said:

You can't please all of the people all of the time

Amen to that.

[Max_Headroom]

14 hours ago, RickyC said:

If I need to use a CTEK or a solar charger to keep 12V efficient, there's something wrong, and I think it's the limited power sent to battery bat DC/DC converter compared to a traditional car alternator

You can also charge the Battery using "Ready"  if i was a once a week driver i would as has been said elsewhere sit in the car in ready mode while the wife did the supermarket shop by the time the shopping needed bagging  the job would be done.

(especially if your wife is like mine and faffs about) 😄

[TonyHSD]

Lately not only Toyota but pretty much all car brands seems to have issues with 12v batteries, that includes ice cars, hybrids and evs. Kia & Hyundai, vw, ford, if you just type any brand or model in Google followed by 12v Battery problem or draining, you will be amazed. Tesla has switched to li-ion small 12v auxiliary Battery and problems were solved once and for all, however we are talking about £000000 car price. Perhaps more manufacturers will follow. 
The major issues with 12v batteries is lack of use and the accessories that simply overload the Battery capacity., and particularly when the car is off. When the car is ON the battery does provide power to everything except e motors and AC however the power is delivered on demand directly from the inverter to the battery so here it’s not the problem. And I will agree with members that pointed the larger battery will also die but just in two weeks not one week if the car has its 12v system bleed. 

1. Connected services 

2. Auto function like folding mirrors, lights, wipers, parking brake, brake hold, radio, anything that uses 12v power each time the car is on or off- turn these into manual operation when needed only 

3. Unnecessary lock and unlock, opening drivers door to activate brake booster also adds to the problem 

4. Cameras 

Think about these points and what can you do right or better to reduce unnecessary battery drain. 
When a new car been collected/ delivered it will be super beneficial to fully charge your battery before use of the car. Especially when 12v drain its a known battery issue. No need to worry about if you gonna drive often and on longer journeys. I am going into year 13 with original battery, or if ever been changed it will be a year 8, but looks old and original to me 👍

[Roy124]

30 minutes ago, Max_Headroom said:

You can charge the battery using "Ready"  if i was a once a week driver i would as has been said elsewhere sit in the car in ready mode while the wife did the supermarket shop by the time the shopping needed bagging  the job would be done.

(especially if your wife is like mine and faffs about) 😄

Lidl is better than ASDA. 

Lidl only has 90 minutes free parking. 

[Roy124]

15 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

Unnecessary lock and unlock, opening drivers door to activate brake booster also adds to the problem 

With my Corolla there was a clearly audible sigh as the brake booster says oh, not again. 

This is not apparent on the Yaris Cross. 

[TonyHSD]

Just now, Roy124 said:

With my Corolla there was a clearly audible sigh as the brake booster says oh, not again. 

This is not apparent on the Yaris Cross. 

If you open the drivers door it will greet you again 👍🙂

[Marjan]

I didn't know about 12V Battery issues until I found this forum. I still kept the reservation of the car,because i want to drive/try something diferent. Lets see how much trouble will have if any. 

[Hibird]

21 minutes ago, Marjan said:

I didn't know about 12V battery issues until I found this forum. I still kept the reservation of the car,because i want to drive/try something diferent. Lets see how much trouble will have if any. 

I don't think you will have anything to worry about, just enjoy the car after your long wait

[Hibird]

Marjan I have travelled to Nova Gorica many times, where are you located.

[Marjan]

45 minutes ago, Hibird said:

Marjan I have travelled to Nova Gorica many times, where are you located.

Really? Wow,i hope you enjoyed the stay in my country. I live in Sezana city,near border of italy 😁
 

[Hibird]

Just checked out Sezana on google maps. I always arrived via Venice by air and always enjoyed your country.

Hope you get that car soon 🙂

 

[Marjan]

7 minutes ago, Hibird said:

Just checked out Sezana on google maps. I always arrived via Venice by air and always enjoyed your country.

Hope you get that car soon 🙂

 

Still long to wait. December is my delivery month

Iam trying to not think about the car so the time goes a little more fast hahaha

[Roy124]

5 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

If you open the drivers door it will greet you again 👍🙂

It makes no noise. 

[TonyHSD]

16 minutes ago, Roy124 said:

It makes no noise. 

Hm, that is strange. Do you think the software is set not to activate brake booster when opening drivers door but only when you seat inside and step on the brake then? 
 

[RickyC]

I never heard the brake booster noise when I open the driver door.  Maybe because I open the left one and you the right one 😉

[Roy124]

26 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

Hm, that is strange. Do you think the software is set not to activate brake booster when opening drivers door but only when you seat inside and step on the brake then? 
 

I think that might be the case.  Of course many parts of a cars operation are just happen without you noticing.  The brake operation in the Corolla was an unexpected noise.  In the Yaris, without specifically check, the brakes seem to activate as I press the pedal and press Start.  

Next time I will do it slowly and check. 

[TonyHSD]

I noticed recently a fiat 500 has the similar electric brake pump because the driver opened the drivers door and the car made exactly the same sound as my car and I was surprised, the fiat was just a petrol manual, not hybrid or electric. Try to make a note on your cars. Unlock and open drivers door. 👂🎧
Anyone else on Yaris or Yaris cross, do you hear a brake pump noise when you open the drivers door or not? 
Let’s see if Toyota did indeed made a change. 

[Dala]

I also don't hear any sound when opening the door

------------------------------

before unlocking the car

----------------------------------
unlocking the car

----------------------------------

opening the driver's door

---------------------------------

pressing the brake

---------------------------------

[Derek.w]

29 minutes ago, Dala said:

I also don't hear any sound when opening the door

 

1 hour ago, TonyHSD said:

I noticed recently a fiat 500 has the similar electric brake pump because the driver opened the drivers door and the car made exactly the same sound as my car and I was surprised, the fiat was just a petrol manual, not hybrid or electric. Try to make a note on your cars. Unlock and open drivers door. 👂🎧
Anyone else on Yaris or Yaris cross, do you hear a brake pump noise when you open the drivers door or not? 
Let’s see if Toyota did indeed made a change. 

I dont hear the brake servo start up but other stuff comes on ie dash light up plus outside lights come I presume you can turn this off in settings but have not looked sometimes just unlock at drivers door but do not pull it open just open its adjacent passanger door to retrive or insert. items,

[Expat_Yaris]

Reading this with interest. I live in Spain 40% of the year currently. Just ordered a Yaris hybrid to replace a 20 Yr old Merc I inherited. Only replacing the Merc as I wanted a car that I could rely on when I come over and the Merc was getting a bit long in the tooth (despite it flying through its Spanish ITV test this year). The 10 year (with services) Toyota warranty was my main reason to go Toyota. 

Obviously if I am out of the country 60% of the time the Yaris won't be started weekly, not even monthly at times. 

If I am reading the post here correctly I appear to have two choices to keep my Battery healthy. 

Either a solar charger or a Ctek solution, both of which are a not ideal. 

Solar involves leaving the car in direct sunlight, which kills the headlights and eats trim.

The Ctek charger would mean the car is kept in my garage, but I have concerns about how hot it would get in the summer months being on 24/7 for a month or more. 

I am somewhat reluctant to cancel my order (deposit paid etc), based solely on what has been written above, but I must admit to being somewhat concerned about the cars reliability. 

Are the above solutions my only choice?

I noticed someone mention li-on batteries on Tesla's are these incompatible with Toyota technology. (I'm not Battery tech savvy, so apologies for my ignorance). 

[Derek.w]

27 minutes ago, Expat_Yaris said:

Reading this with interest. I live in Spain 40% of the year currently. Just ordered a Yaris hybrid 

You can have car in the garage and fit a solar panel outside on a wall or a roof.

A more drastic option is disconnect the Battery but even then if standing for six month it will need recharging before refitting.

Use a ctek charger and set it on bike mode or ctek MXS 3.8 its fully automatic and will run cool as you not pushing 5 amps out of it at any time even in car mode.  (BEST CHOICE out of the three).

Enjoy your new car.

[Catlover]

Expat_Yari said

The Ctek charger would mean the car is kept in my garage, but I have concerns about how hot it would get in the summer months being on 24/7 for a month or more. . 

I have had a CTEK 5 for 3 years now, being used on 2 Toyota hybrids, sometimes one straight after the first. I have not had any problem with over heating at all. If you were to leave it plugged in for weeks, once it is up to max charge it will just “tick over”, that is just kick in for a trickle when the Battery depletes to a set limit (set by the CTEX). Sort out the cable run and you could leave the car outside of the garage whilst the CTEX is plugged inside the garage, easy to sort.  You can always make covers for the headlamp (bulbs) using a material (your choice) and double sided tape.