12v battery maintenance, issues, etc.

[CPN]

...and this what mine looks like just now...

(many thanks to @Chas G for the monitor!)

[CPN]

I can now join the "let's bore everyone to death with a load of graphs" crowd! 🤣😉

[Graham47]

1 hour ago, CPN said:

I believe that yours is the Launch Edition

@Cykerhas an Excel version but I have no way of knowing if that’s a different Battery make…

[Cyker]

I'm assuming they all have the same Battery!

[anchorman]

On 2/20/2024 at 4:43 PM, Countryside said:

Many people are on their knees praying the new 2024 revised Yaris has a Yuasa battery fitted Don including me 

It’s a satisfying notion but I’m sceptical about it.  As an atheist, I can make Dawkins and Gervais look like Choirboys so I’ll have to rely on yanking the seat out of a new one asap.

[anchorman]

12 hours ago, Mojo1010 said:

That's about 1 hour each way, so yes. 

If they put a Mutlu 35Ah in 2024 cars, and in future it gives problem, Don will install the Yuasa battery free for forum members, even make u a free cuppa and give a head and shoulders massage in the process for good measures. 

It’s true ☕️

[Jasper.]

6 hours ago, Graham47 said:

@Cykerhas an Excel version but I have no way of knowing if that’s a different battery make…

My Excel had a Mutlu...

[Countryside]

1 hour ago, anchorman said:

It’s true ☕️

Well Don your very close I’m in Leicestershire I’ve been to Derby many times to the pride park area down Brian clough way from the M1 👍

[Roy124]

16 hours ago, RickyC said:

Or you can park the car close to a tea room or a pub, lock it with manual key and have a warm cup of tea or chocolate with butter cookies, or ( if you prefer ) a pint of cold beer 😉 

I wonder:

Do this by all means but lock the car normally.   Now use remote conditioning and it will light up for 20 minutes.

Now the ICE will obviously fire up to warm the car, but if you set the temp low it will need to start less frequently  if at all.

Would the car go to Conditioning Mode if the heating is switched off?  It's raining right now so I am not about to check

[Roy124]

QaThe next thought on conditioning is an Oh siht one.

What happens is you initiate remote conditioning when the Battery level is insufficient to put the car in Ready Mode?

Will it respond to the command from the Server to try to go to Ready Mode?  Will it then hang in that Blackpool illumination Mode until the Battery dies completely?  Will it give up and shut down?

[anchorman]

1 hour ago, Countryside said:

Well Don your very close I’m in Leicestershire I’ve been to Derby many times to the pride park area down Brian clough way from the M1 👍

I’m actually right at the northern tip of Derbyshire near Buxton but if you fancy a run up you will be made very welcome and I’ll get you the Yuasa Battery at trade price (a bit over £75 inc vat I think the last one was).

[hind]

13 minutes ago, Roy124 said:

Will it then hang in that Blackpool illumination Mode until the battery dies completely?  Will it give up and shut down?

If the car fails to engage Ready mode, the Battery dropped under 7V already so nothing would work anymore, no DCM so no communication with a car. Using physical key to access car would be necessary. 

[Countryside]

1 hour ago, anchorman said:

I’m actually right at the northern tip of Derbyshire near Buxton but if you fancy a run up you will be made very welcome and I’ll get you the Yuasa battery at trade price (a bit over £75 inc vat I think the last one was).

Many thanks Don that’s very kind of you indeed but my new car I can order anytime is on motability for 3 years and I don’t think they would let me change the brand new Battery ? Very few days I wouldn’t use the car so I think I’d be ok still waiting for Lexus LBX to appear on motability says shortly online then it’s choice between new 2024 Yaris excel hatch , Lexus LBX , Toyota Chr new model or Honda ZRV all hybrid on motability I just put petrol in 

[Chas G]

6 hours ago, anchorman said:

I’m actually right at the northern tip of Derbyshire near Buxton but if you fancy a run up you will be made very welcome and I’ll get you the Yuasa battery at trade price (a bit over £75 inc vat I think the last one was).

Cat and Fiddle for a few pints followed by fast m/bike ride to Macclesfield. Lovely dry stone walls with big drops on the other side 😱.

[Bob66]

4 minutes ago, Chas G said:

Cat and Fiddle for a few pints followed by fast m/bike ride to Macclesfield. Lovely dry stone walls with big drops on the other side 😱.

Stop taking...the big blue ones !  🙂

[Roy124]

6 hours ago, hind said:

If the car fails to engage Ready mode, the battery dropped under 7V already so nothing would work anymore, no DCM so no communication with a car. Using physical key to access car would be necessary. 

7v, true,  but I know from experience that failure to engage Ready mode can occur with much higher voltage.  The first time I experienced it was shocking.  Everything lit up, external lights flashed and controls took on a life of their own.  As Eric Morecombe might have said, everything worked just not in the right order.  This happened each time.

[anchorman]

5 hours ago, Countryside said:

Many thanks Don that’s very kind of you indeed but my new car I can order anytime is on motability for 3 years and I don’t think they would let me change the brand new battery ? Very few days I wouldn’t use the car so I think I’d be ok still waiting for Lexus LBX to appear on motability says shortly online then it’s choice between new 2024 Yaris excel hatch , Lexus LBX , Toyota Chr new model or Honda ZRV all hybrid on motability I just put petrol in 

I doubt they’d ever know but it’s up to you.  Always welcome for a brew if you’re up this way.  

[anchorman]

39 minutes ago, Chas G said:

Cat and Fiddle for a few pints followed by fast m/bike ride to Macclesfield. Lovely dry stone walls with big drops on the other side 😱.

I can hear the bikes on the bypass here doing 500mph on the way to Matlock.  

[Parts-King]

I can hear them from my house going around Oulton Park in the distance

[jthspace]

Telegraph Q & A

Q Before buying our 2021 Toyota Yaris Cross we asked the dealer if it would be suitable as we frequently go abroad for up to eight weeks. We were told this would not be a problem. However, after our 12V Battery went flat, we were given an information sheet advising that the car had to be started at least twice a week. Short of imposing on a friend or neighbour, is there a way of doing this while we’re abroad? 

– JA

A You are not alone with this issue. Hybrids have two electrical power sources: a traction Battery, which helps power the car in tandem with an internal combustion engine, along with a 12V Battery which powers ancillaries such as the lights and wipers, as with any conventional car. 

The problem is not that hybrid cars drain their 12V batteries any faster, but rather that they have smaller batteries because they don’t need to work as hard as they would in a combustion-engined car (for example, there’s no hefty starter motor to operate). 

The usual slight loss of current (called parasitic drain) from electrical components that remain active while the car is locked – alarms, clocks and so on – will eventually drain the battery of any car. But because hybrids’ batteries are so much smaller, this happens sooner. 

As you have discovered, Toyota’s advice to prevent this is to ensure the car is started and run in the Ready position for at least an hour every week. Doing this enables the internal combustion engine to kick in and charge the main traction battery, which in turn feeds the 12V battery via a DC-to-DC converter (which effectively takes the place of an alternator).

Obviously, this would be almost impossible for you to do while you’re abroad. However, there is a way around it, which is to buy a trickle charger.

As the name suggests, these supply a constant trickle of power directly to the 12V battery to prevent it going flat. 

They can take power either from the mains, if you’re able to do so in your garage or driveway, or via a solar panel mounted on the dashboard. Choose the latter if you plan to leave your car at an airport – but, obviously, make sure it’s not parked under cover. 

A trickle charger can also be used on conventional cars, not only hybrids.

[Chas G]

Poor JA. He obviously didn't know that you can tell when a car salesman is telling lies, his lips will be moving.

In 2021 because of heart problems,  I did about 500 miles in my 2020 Yaris non hybrid. So low that when the car went into Steven Eagell for a service the manager commented that I would be better off selling it and going everywhere by taxi.

The car sat on the road, sometimes not moving for weeks and never once failed to start.

 

[Countryside]

14 hours ago, Chas G said:

Poor JA. He obviously didn't know that you can tell when a car salesman is telling lies, his lips will be moving.

In 2021 because of heart problems,  I did about 500 miles in my 2020 Yaris non hybrid. So low that when the car went into Steven Eagell for a service the manager commented that I would be better off selling it and going everywhere by taxi.

The car sat on the road, sometimes not moving for weeks and never once failed to start.

 

The clue here is non hybrid 👍

[Stopeter44]

The 12v problem strikes again, second time in two weeks, third time overall. I knew the Battery was weak, but yesterday caught me by surprise.

two weeks ago I had to get the car started by Toyota assistance, they said go for a nice drive it willer all right, and it was. 

Thursday, I did a 100 mile trip, Friday two ten mile trips, and Saturday - the car would only beep at me and say that there wasn't enough braking power. Same symptoms as two weeks previously. 

The car is already booked in for the DCM recall, which Toyota say addresses issues where the car does not "turn off" correctly, and hence excessive drain on the 12v Battery.

I think the Battery is shot and I will have to have it replaced, I had 4 bars on the hybrid battery graphic when I tried to start the car yesterday.

[dcweather]

23 hours ago, jthspace said:

Telegraph Q & A

Q Before buying our 2021 Toyota Yaris Cross we asked the dealer if it would be suitable as we frequently go abroad for up to eight weeks. We were told this would not be a problem. However, after our 12V battery went flat, we were given an information sheet advising that the car had to be started at least twice a week. Short of imposing on a friend or neighbour, is there a way of doing this while we’re abroad? 

– JA

A You are not alone with this issue. Hybrids have two electrical power sources: a traction battery, which helps power the car in tandem with an internal combustion engine, along with a 12V battery which powers ancillaries such as the lights and wipers, as with any conventional car. 

The problem is not that hybrid cars drain their 12V batteries any faster, but rather that they have smaller batteries because they don’t need to work as hard as they would in a combustion-engined car (for example, there’s no hefty starter motor to operate). 

The usual slight loss of current (called parasitic drain) from electrical components that remain active while the car is locked – alarms, clocks and so on – will eventually drain the battery of any car. But because hybrids’ batteries are so much smaller, this happens sooner. 

As you have discovered, Toyota’s advice to prevent this is to ensure the car is started and run in the Ready position for at least an hour every week. Doing this enables the internal combustion engine to kick in and charge the main traction battery, which in turn feeds the 12V battery via a DC-to-DC converter (which effectively takes the place of an alternator).

Obviously, this would be almost impossible for you to do while you’re abroad. However, there is a way around it, which is to buy a trickle charger.

As the name suggests, these supply a constant trickle of power directly to the 12V battery to prevent it going flat. 

They can take power either from the mains, if you’re able to do so in your garage or driveway, or via a solar panel mounted on the dashboard. Choose the latter if you plan to leave your car at an airport – but, obviously, make sure it’s not parked under cover. 

A trickle charger can also be used on conventional cars, not only hybrids.

I wonder what that hour a week would translate to in lost mpg?

[dcweather]

My wife's 2014 Yaris hybrid had this problem towards the end of lockdown so it was about 7 years old before original Battery failed which is a pretty good life anyway. Changed it for a Yusaka one and after  two years no issues. Used most days but often for just 5-10 mins. Be interesting to see how my new Cross Excel fairs next winter. I may only use it a couple of times a week but often longer journeys of half an hour or more.