I'm preparing to head out of the country for a year and will be storing my 2005 Prius in a friend's garage while away. Can anyone give me advice on any steps I should take in storing my Prius? Will the battery die if I leave it sitting for a year? If so, should I get a trickle charger? Any advice is greatly appreciated!!! Rose
1. The 12V battery should be fully charged, then disconnected, prior to storage. 2. Hopefully the traction battery will last for a year without a problem. It would be better if you could get your friend to start the Prius and leave READY for 30 minutes, at least once every two months. The purpose of that is to charge the traction battery. However this would require your friend to reconnect the 12V battery, or else use a battery charger on it 2x per month to keep the 12V battery charged up. 3. You should have the engine oil and filter changed prior to storage, and inflate the tires to maximum cold pressure per the tire sidewalls - typically 44 psi.
I agree with JimboPalmer. Sell the Prius and get a different one when you come back. Letting a traditional vehicle set in storage for a year is not too bad if you prep it right. But with the batteries involved in the Prius, it becomes a whole new ball of wax. The deal breaker would be the "traction battery". If that goes down, it may cause problems when you return from your trip. That is why Patrick Wong wrote what he did. Hope this helps with your decision. Ron (dorunron)
