I went to test drive the Prius prime plus that I planned by today yesterday . They store the primes on the back lot behind thousands of other vehicles . Both batteries in the two primes on the lot had to be jumpstarted . Is this anything I should be concerned about since they clearly haven’t been charged in quite a while . Once they were jumpstarted they started but does this affect the battery life . Thanks.
The Prius 12vdc battery is just as susceptible to things as the 12vdc battery in any other vehicle. One night our trunk lid did not shut properly, which kept the interior light on all night. The next morning the battery was dead, and it had to be jump started. Shit happens.
welcome! yes, this has a detrimental effect on the life of the 12v. if you decide to purchase a prime, after you have made the deal, demand a new 12v. keep in mind, this has nothing to do with the hybrid battery. that doesn't start the car, and is fine sitting around.
I am not a professional at ALL! But do you live in a colder climate...If yes then that's just normal for cars that have dead 12v. It could even be a good thing! that could just mean that no one uses it which means that you don't have a car that was test driven... My second reason is the smart key always talks to the car so if the smart key was within 800m than its prob that and you should not have to worry.
At least the Li-ion pack can sit for far longer than the 12-volt before discharging becomes an issue.
Greetings, Welcome to the Forum. I ran into this as well when test driving a vehicle in Maryland, there are so many Prime's available at multiple dealers that it stands to reason some have been sitting around for some time. There probably isn't any long term damage to the 12V battery from just discharging, but as Bisco suggested I would request a new battery be installed prior to delivery just to be on the safe side.
Reminds me of our Canadian 2010 Touring purchase: there were maybe a dozen Prius on the lot, in this covered show shed, a lot with sunroof (which I don't like) and invariably with $#&!@ 15" plastic wheel covers. Then waaay at the back, covered in dust, with a lost/dead bird lying beside, was our baby: Touring with 17" rims, LED headlights, JBL sound and (useless but pretty) fog lights. Turned out it had been manufactured August 2009, and this was November 2010, lol. They got it out for us and prepped it for a test drive. When we got there they "had it running to warm it up"... Oh yeah. Anyway, went for the test drive, decided to buy, and at some point in the discussion, needed to check the km's on the odometer, and surprise surprise: it wouldn't start. 12 volt Battery dead as a doornail. We made new battery subject of sale, before signing. Maybe they were trying to recoup with the following ploy: Initial contract was written up on generic Toyota document, with "no charge" in the documentation charge field. Then they rewrote on dealership document (Open Road Toyota - Port Moody) and revised "no charge" to $295. They were "upset" when I raised a stink, lol. I guess the best defense is offense. They did cave eventually.
No, you really aren't. And no, it doesn't. While it IS cold, a battery will have slightly less capacity but when it warms back up the capacity goes back to "normal". Being cold actually is good for the longevity of a battery.
Besides @bisco's good suggestion to require the dealer to replace the 12-volt battery, I’d recommend asking them to show you, on the screen of a Toyota Techstream diagnostic system connected to the car, the value of “Number of Long Term Leaving with IG OFF,” under Powertrain > Hybrid Control > Data List. This is the number of times the car has gone more than 60 days (1440 hours) without being turned on. There are also five “Time of Long Term Leaving with IG OFF” counters, giving the number of days in the five most recent such periods. If the dealer followed the requirements in Toyota technical service bulletin T-SB-0197-17, “Maintenance for HV & Auxiliary Batteries,” they should have started the car and let it run for 30 minutes at least once every 60 days. I wouldn’t see it as a problem if the car went just a few days longer than that, but if they let it sit for six months or something without being started, it might be cause for concern.
A deep discharge, which is what a dead battery has under gone, will shorten its life. Lead acid batteries last longer fully charged with only shallow discharges before being charged up again.
The 12v is damaged by the deep discharge. On the other hand, the manual advises that the PHV battery be left discharged when sitting for long periods (so the really expensive one is probably OK)
you are somewhat correct, in that very cold temps will kill a weak battery, and often damage it beyond repair. you don't want to freeze a discharged lead acid battery.
