replaced 12V with Optima, immediate 5mpg improvement

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by John H, Sep 3, 2012.

  1. John H

    John H Senior Member

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    My daughter drives the 07 Prius and occasionally she loans it to me to get the oil changed, refueled, washed, etc ... I noticed that the mpg seemed to have drifted down a bit and came on the forums to find clues. HV battery temperatures and battery fan seemed to be ok, 12V battery seemed ok but was under 13V so I splurged and installed an Optima 12V yesterday. The daughter saw an immediate increase of 5mpg on her 200 mile trip today. :)

    Of course it might have been the car wash.
     
    #1 John H, Sep 3, 2012
  2. ItsNotAboutTheMoney

    ItsNotAboutTheMoney EditProfOptInfoCustomUser Title

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    Grrrr @ Toyota. They really need to come up with something to determine whether the 12V battery is dying. After all, there's an advised manual procedure which is pretty much something the car could do by itself. It's causing unnecessary consumption of gasoline and leaves Prius owners vulnerable to unscrupulous servicing.
     
    #2 ItsNotAboutTheMoney, Sep 3, 2012
  3. Fleetflyer

    Fleetflyer Junior Member

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    #3 Fleetflyer, Sep 3, 2012
  4. Fleetflyer

    Fleetflyer Junior Member

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    John, did you install the Optima? What part # was it and was it a direct fit? Also, if you installed, was there any problem removing and replacing?
    Take care.
     
    #4 Fleetflyer, Sep 3, 2012
  5. John H

    John H Senior Member

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    I picked up the direct replacement at BatteriesPlus. It was a 10 minute replacement with a 10mm and 12mm socket wrench. Disconnect the ground side first when removing and + side first when installing so you don't have an accidental short with the wrench handle touching the metal frame. Ask for the Prius specific Optima with the "T1" posts, smaller than most. I would give you the PN but it's on the receipt in the car.

    The guy at BatteriesPlus offered to do the install for $10 but I just had my daughter bring it home and I did the install.
     
    #5 John H, Sep 3, 2012
  6. Fleetflyer

    Fleetflyer Junior Member

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    Thanks John. I was actually more concerned with the vehicle losing any set positions with the power being off to the
    functions that require the 12v power. If everything powered back up to normal, all is well for me to begin my purchase and R & R work with no concerns. Take care.
     
    #6 Fleetflyer, Sep 3, 2012
  7. Corwyn

    Corwyn Energy Curmudgeon

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    Disconnecting the battery DOES lose things like radio presets, power windows adjustment, and some obscure engine information.
     
    #7 Corwyn, Sep 4, 2012
  8. Fleetflyer

    Fleetflyer Junior Member

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    Thanks. As long as it is nothing critical than those presets are easy to resolve. BTW, has any experience with either the
    Optima or Exide replacement aux. batteries?
     
    #8 Fleetflyer, Sep 6, 2012
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