10 days seems a little short for quiescent current draw to kill the battery, I'd expect three or four weeks, all the more reason to get a yellow top Optima. Since the battery does power a lot of the safety equipment I'd say that an Optima is a good investment and I would have your quiescent current draw checked. Does anyone know the spec on this for Gen IIIs?
------------------------------------------------------------------------- I ordered the XPC550 on 11/18/11 and I'm still waiting for it to arrive in the mail. 2 emails to "batterystoreonline.com" and they said it was shipped before Christmas. Phone call to the company today and they said it has shipped this week. We'll see. They have "4 in stock now", so the guy told me. Said, "sorry for the delay." So much for the website saying: Fast shipping :-(
Do you store the spare or second FOB in or anywhere near the car? This will drain the battery very slowly. Besides having the door ajar or one of the lights left on that is the only other thing I can think could be happening.
------------------- Another update: it's been a full 2 months and a few days now and still no battery in hand from "batterystoreonline.com". Don't buy from this company. Terrible customer service.
-------------------------------------------- actually, I ordered from The Battery Store Online, The BEST Power at the BEST prices! Battery arrived today and the battery ordered, (XPC-550) Didn't show up. Instead, a "Performance Battery Products 12vt AGM by: Rhino Batteries model SLA55-12". arrived and the adapter cables aren't right! This is really a screwed-up situation. Stay tuned.............................
Just think, you could have ordered the elearnaid kit and had a safe battery in two days. Toyota Prius 12 Volt Auxiliary Battery with install kit for 2004 - 11
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yea, After researching further, I should have stuck with purchasing a known brand (Optima) and from a reputable company. I have shipped the battery back to the company, but had to pay $41.00 in shipping charges. Free shipping doesn't mean the company will reciprocate on return Also, turns out I haven't been using the Prius enough to keep the 12vt battery charged. Turning off the key fob switch under the steering wheel helped the most. We have been using the Nissan LEAF EV for 95% of our driving needs now, so the Prius is neglected until a road trip.
--------------------------------------------------- I just found out that Batteries Are Us and The Battery Store Online, The BEST Power at the BEST prices! are the same company with different web sites! Yikes! Buyer beware
I just placed an order with eLearnaid for a direct replacement 04+ Prius at $180.00. I'll post when it has travelled across country from Cal to NC !
:rockon: I'm Yellow Top installed. Ordered Monday PM, shipped Tuesday PM, arrived Friday PM and installed Friday late PM. Took me 1.5 hrs...I know slow but I kept making silly mistakes like wrapping the Neg terminal with "duct" tape only to spend 10 mins to get the glue off later. Instructions were detailed and very useful. Should take average person or me doing it again 45 mins or less. I put my Battery Minder on it to top it off before installation and it took 6.5 hrs to go to full charge. It provides very little charge but seemed long for new. Magnetized 10mm deep socket with 5" extension really would be very usefu to prevent "dropping my nuts" into tight places and help in reaching a "submerged" nut. Used my emergency jump starter to maintain memory settings as suggested in directions and it worked like a charm. So far I'm pleased about prompt delivery and feel good about doing it myself. $180 delivered and installed high quality battery for our baby... :cheer2:
Unfortunately the Optima battery in the UK is so expensive "nearly the equivalent of $300" it is not realistic to use, but fortunately there is now a fair choice of batteries made for the Prius for less than $100 "about £60", often with 4 year guaranty. They also come with the correct size posts and vent tube.
I believe they make them in the UK but I am not sure. That price is from there UK web site. I can buy an AGM 60 AMP/HR battery for £60 or standard Prius fit battery for £45 with 45 AMP/HR capacity with 4 year guaranty in various well know brands. The Optima is 41 AMP/HR with I believe 1 year guaranty (could not find guaranty on web site). The $/£ calculations I used was $100=£60. All batteries priced delivered.
I know the Optima is a good product but in the UK they seriously need to bring the price down. If you are paying $180 shipped that would equate to approximately £108, I know taxes make a difference but not that much. Consider I can buy four of the £45 4 year guaranty batteries and have a minimum of 16 years of use always under guaranty for the same price as the Optima and more realistically 20 years of actual use.
I just ordered my Optima replacement battery for my new '08 Prius. Being in Canada and shipping to a drop spot in Ogdensburg NY, I couldn't get the $US180 deal. For logistical reasons, I ordered from: Optima Batteries - Search ....for $US199. My trip to Ogdensburg NY is in a week and a half, to pick this item (and a trunk load of other items) for my new car...... My local Toyota dealer quoted $CDN 289.00 (!) plus 13% HST for the Toyota branded 12 volt replacement.....