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Toyota Prius Electrical and Lighting Questions
i have a 2007 prius, after my trip outside town for 2 weeks, the 12v battery went dead. this has happened twice. The dealer said that it is usual. the only solution is to unplug the battery before and it will take about 1/2 hrs to do so.
is that right?
is that right?
0
Comments
We're very near to deciding on getting a Prius. In Europe, the vehicle does not have HID headlights, not even as an option. Having had a positive experience retrofitting OEM HID headlights to a Mercedes ML, I would like to know if any US owners have been down that road, and if they could share their experiences.
On the ML, with the help of a couple of "pigtail adapters" ist was a plug&play operation, and the result was absolutely stunning.
TIA for your feedback.
Birger
and thanks to the people who have answered the original post. Meanwhile our new Prius:
has been ordered, and will be here in a couple of weeks
However, it seems to me that some of you have not really understood what our intentions regarding HID were. What we were thinking of was - like we did on a 2000 Mercedes ML - to purchase the complete ORIGINAL Toyota HID headlight units and replace the ones on the vehicle.
On the Mercedes this worked out perfectly, even without the auto leveling sensor - we drove that vehicle for some 6 years without getting flashed by oncoming drivers.
The question was whether this would pose problems connection- or software-wise - not whether one of the various, very dubious aftermarket HID bulb adaptions would be possible.
As the delivery date is now getting very close, we'll probably for the time being make do with a set of optimized H4 headlight bulbs from a recognized manufacturer - but it would be nice to know if anyone had done the OEM swap.
TIA,
Birger
Seeing that retrofitting OEM HID's to our new Prius will not only be quite expensive, but could also be downright impossible due to the electronics involved, we've decided on the second best solution:
When we get it on Friday, a set of Philips X-treme Power H4 bulbs will be fitted - they're supposed to be 80% brighter than the stock H4 bulbs, yet still legal.
Birger
1. She parked, hit the P button and the Power button. She unplugged her iPod from the power adapter but left the adapter itself in the 12V outlet. (Simple adaptor with no apparant capacitors or power draw.)
2. She exited the car, and pushed the exterior lock button on the door. Her key was not left in the car, so it could not have been left inadvertantly running all night.
3. When she got to the car this morning, about 16 hours later, the car was unlocked. No interior lights came on. Nothing happened when she hit the power button. She was unable to start the car using the manual key.
4. There was no visible damage to the car (other than below). Her iPod was still in the center console.
5. Last week, she was hit on the driver's side by a guy turning left from a side street. We are still awaiting the insurance resolution to get the damage repaired.
My only theories here are:
1. Mechanical failure within electrical system: I haven't seen any other reports of this problem on Priuses, except when they have been left idle for a couple weeks.
2. The Alarm was going off all night, unbeknownst to us.
3. The damage to the door caused some short circuit which is draining the battery, perhaps by repeatedly locking and unlocking the door.
Any ideas?
Happened to me last week. When I closed windows for the evening I'm sure I did not push the PWR button the last time to turn off the system.
The "smartkey" outsmarted me. In our previous Prius we had to put fob in slot.
BTW you can connect a battery charger to the spots. Mine was Ok in 15 minutes.
Of course your damage may be the cause.
Carl
We had just pulled into the parking lot of a local (Vegas) nursery, and the dash displays went stupid when I attempted to shut off the car. Nothing worked, and there was a bad/ strong (hydrogen sulphide like) smell in the car. Can't open the back hatch when the 12V system is dead, so it was difficult to get to the battery, buried in the back end. It was also hard to move the car onto the tow truck since the system has to be powered up to shift into neutral. We finally used the under-hood jump point to bring up the computers and switch into neutral. It took about 3-4 tries. The dealer confirmed the 12V battery had gone bad, and they replaced it. Everything works fine now. Just not happy about the cost, and I wonder what would have happened on the open (out in the desert) road or in traffic. :mad:
Here are what I see as design deficiencies: 1) 12V battery location in the passenger compartment, with potential for noxious fume generation and lack of ventilation; 2) lack of a remote, mechanical release for the hatch; 3) difficulty in placing the car in neutral should the 12V battery be disabled, or at least, lack of driver manual guidance for this situation; and 4) little or no warning that the 12V battery was going south. (In most conventional cars, we all know the symptoms: slow cranking, especially when cold; lights dimming). Had Nothing on the dash by way of warning.
Toyota Customer Service was pleasant, but basically read me the standard responses, and would not allow me to talk with technical/engineering personnel. Said they would pass my concerns along. Offered reimbursement (which I passed on) to "re-establish my lost confidence in the car." (I had expressed the concern about this happening on the open road or in Las Vegas traffic. Paying for the repair had nothing to do with them addressing the technical issues and my shaken sense of confidence.) I am really curious whether other owners have had the same thing happen...
1. The 12V auxiliary battery is ventilated to the outside (hose connected to it). It is true if it bursts this would be bypassed, but that is not very likely. The battery is similar to a motorcycle battery in that it has a vent tube.
2. Absolutely, a mechanical hatch release, even on the inside, would be nice (I thought I read it could be opened from the inside but perhaps not).
3. The inability to put the car in neutral has been "complained of" before. One fellow had the car in a small garage when the battery died. Tow truck operator put the front wheels on dollies to get it out. He could have just connected a small battery to the under hood "boost" point.
4. Maybe time to purchase a "Scangauge". It is an OBDII reader that will display up to four readouts in real time (all the time) out of about 18 choices. One is battery voltage. It sticks on the dash or wherever using velcro. Very handy. It can also read codes, reset codes, and act as a "trip meter". It can also be used in any vehicle 1996 or later (standard OBDII port).
Looks like you got a good price on the battery anyway. Some owners were charged over $300 to have it replaced. As for the towing cost, a AAA membership saved me those costs for towing. Paid for a couple years membership.
I'm surprised it failed so soon. Does the sun shine on the passenger side of your car when it's parked at home or work? Heat is very hard on lead-acid batteries.
A few owners have purchased one of those portable "boost" devices. They are portable 12V batteries, and they double as 115VAC power providers, some even have tire pumps built in. Not too expensive (under $100), at Autozone or Pepboys, I think I read.
Looking back, I have had the battery die on me twice in last two years but I had blamed it on something not turned off. Now I think it was an early warning for a bad battery. Recently it died two times in two weeks and also gave a weak display some times while turning on, after which I took it to a dealer. Alas, I found out out that I had exceeded 3yr/30K warranty on the battery by two weeks.
Word to the wise: get your battery checked out if it has died early in its life and unexpectedly on you.
We finally did find the mechanical release for the hatch. It is not obvious...even after looking at the manual. You have to put the rear seats down, remove the carpet and pan, pull open a small access on the hatch, and then feel around with your fingers for a small lever that will release the hatch.
Thanks for the lead on the scanguage. I'll check it out.
The car is normally garaged, except when I'm at work. Then it does sit in the desert sun. Still, I've had other cars out here that had batteries last 4-5 years no problem. And it never cost more than $60-70 to put in a new one myself.
I would still like to hear if anyone has experienced or heard of a Prius going dead while it's in motion.
I've seen at least one other posting of a Prius going dead while driving due to the 12V battery failing. Well, all lights going on etc. and the car not going again once stopped.
For the price Toyota charges, a yellow top Optima size 51 battery would be a good replacement. You'd have to rework the mounting hardware and terminals, though.
Is there another source of supply? It's a small battery located in the right, back near the spare tire.
If the dealer offered you one for $125 go for it. That's a good price. I've seen others pay $250 and up.
I haven't seen or heard of another source, though you could check the size (measure it) and go to a battery specialty store. I know the Optima size 51 yellow top would just fit in there, but you'd have to do your own hold-down and terminal modification. It's $220 or so, as well.
If none of this helps, purchase a "battery tender". It's a small charger. You attach a lead to the under-hood charging points and plug the lead into the tender when you leave. It keeps the 12V system fully charged.
no, i checked every light before i left, and i turned of the SKS, too.
beside battery tender, what can i do then? changing a battery?
Check the battery connections. Make sure they are tight and clean. If they aren't it will never be completely charged. The 12V battery is in the right corner of the hatch area. Remove hatch floor, remove storage bin. Fold black plastic flap forward (away from hatch wall) and lift cover out. You will see the battery.
Because it's such a small battery, load testers don't work very well. They are designed for larger capacity batteries.
I also found jump starting the Prius quite an adventure. Standard sized jumper cables are to big for the battery terminal. I had to find someone with a cheap set of cables in order to jump start the car. The slot where the positive terminal is is much too narrow. Anyone have any suggestions for me?
That said I love the car.
When you turn off the car, if you sit inside, the headlamps stay on. This can kill the battery. If you turn the car on and off from the passenger side you will not open the drivers door, and again, the headlamps will stay on, draining the battery. This is how most people kill the battery. So always be sure to open and close the drivers door when you shut off the car.
I haven't needed the cable, and probably never will. But I have it ready, just in case.
Feeling it was unsafe to drive, I had it towed to Toyota. They took a look at it and told me that nothing was wrong with it - the battery had just gotten too low. First question, if the battery was low, why would it start and drive normally for 3 miles at all? Second question, would a low battery cause all the problems described (no acceleration, incorrect speedometer readings), or is it possible that the dealer just charged the battery, the computer reset, and the problem temporarily disappeared?
I'm pissed about having to pay for the tow and the labor to recharge the battery, but I'm more concerned that the real problem hasn't been solved. The dealer explained that the battery that became rundown was the second, technology battery, so I assume he's talking about the 12V battery described in other posts above. Also, my husband does not recall leaving any powered accessories on or doors ajar, so it's inconceivable to us how this battery would have gotten rundown overnight.
Any feedback at all is appreciated.
It seems to me that the service guy relies on a diagnostic computer to tell him what's going on with the car. I asked if he visually inspected the battery to see if it was faulty or a cell had blown and he said no, the computer would tell him if anything was wrong. I think I need to get another opinion on the status of these batteries. I've read in other posts that AutoZone will check a battery for free. I will be taking it there and reposting if I find out anything new. There is just no way that we left something on in the car, and frankly I resent being blamed for it. Even if a light was left on, would this cause a battery to go completely dead after just 15 hours?
This is exactly what happened to my brand new 2008 Prius with 1200 miles on it. I realise now that I must have left the headlight on as I powered off from the passenger side. After sometime, I was told that my alarm is going off (which is supposed to happen if the 12V battery is totally discharged (sounds counterintuitive to me !). My dealer Pat Lobb Toyota of McKinney was nice enough to replace my battery free of charge although the 'dead' battery was perfectly fine.
Interesting side note: Realised that the 12V has to be active for switching the car to Neutral..
Symptoms: headlamp would occasionally dim or go out completely. Cycling the lights off and back on always seemed to correct the problem for a while.
The dealer (Bob Bridge Toyota in Renton, WA) did have to keep my car for a few days while waiting for the part. They said it was the first time they had seen this type of failure in a Prius. I didn't ask about HID failures in other Toyota models.
$400! That's unfortunate news. It's probaly correct that the bumper has to be removed to get at the headlight assembly, although it should not be necessary just for a bulb exchange.
I take this opportunity to give an update on what's happened to our Prius (light-wise) since I last posted quite a while back. Sorry for the long post following.....
The Philips H4 ExtremePower bulbs were (after having aimed the headlights a little less "conservatively") a pleasant surprise, for conventional headlights, although of course not a match for the Bi-Xenons on our then other car, a Mercedes ML 320CDI. But as a relatively cheap, easy solution, they're really OK:
However, apart from the excellent lights, our particular ML was rather a :lemon: , so it was replaced in June by a Lexus RX400h, which - like the Prius - is pure bliss to drive.
To my surprise I found out that the Lexus came with only low-beam Xenon headlights (it must be the only brand that offer swivelling, but not Bi-Xenon headlights), and driving long distances at night was something of a challenge, having been used to Xenon hi-beams for seven years or so.
Quite quickly, I found a solution via EBay - a Chinese/American company who in no time shipped me a HID replacement kit for the 9005 hi-beam bulbs on the Lexus. And now even my previous Bi-Xenon equipped cars look weak in comparison!!
The kit was really very easy to fit, of an impressive quality, and cost only around $100 (the price has since dropped radically to only $42.99). After a while, the idea of "Xenonising" the Prius too from the same source matured, and in the late fall I ordered a set of H4-compatible units from the same company. Because there's slightly more hardware and electronics involved, they are a little more expensive (the current price is $ 85.99).
Shipment was again quick, but due to work I had the kit siting around for some time before fitting it to the Prius. Again, impressive workmanship, no wiring has to be cut, and I did the installation in a couple of unstressed hours. It achieves hi/lo beam by a retracting metal cutoff shade - just like the units used on some Volvo models, IIRC.
The low beam light pattern is VERY close to the original, with minimal stray light and really no blinding of ooncoming drivers. And of course with a vastly improved output - this really is the thing to get if you didn't get Xenons from the factory, and you plan on any kind of longer distance night driving. The high beam light is very much better than standard, but not quite as much a revolution as the low beam is.
We have just come back from a 1500 mi trip, most of which was done in the dark, and it was very, very zen - no stress from not seeing enough, and no stress from oncoming drivers flipping their lights at you either.
Highly recommendable!
Birger
Just to clarify....it would have cost $400 plus labor, but since the factory warranty still applied, I paid nothing.
NW_Viking
yup - I know that. But since the Xenon bulbs/burners are supposed to last for the life of the car, a slightly premature failure would probably occur beyond the warranty period - and thus be a nasty surprise.
OT: Sometime one might wonder how many modern cars are designed: The Mercedes "A" Class (not sold in the US) requires the front bumper to be removed to replace the side marker light bulb - and these burn out quite frequently. Cost of bulb: EUR 1.50. Cost of removal/replacement of front bumper: EUR 295 !
Birger
techies ot there who can answer the question
Called the local dealer service manager who said that they would have to get the car to do the same thing in order to diagnose the problem. He says there would be no computer codes in the system that could help. I find that hard to believe.
Any help would be most appreciated.