With all of the snow we've had here in Minneapolis this year, I noticed that my 2008 Prius had lots of scraping noise under the wheel wells. I didn't think much of it until last night when I got into the car and was heading out and all of the warning lights came on. I quickly pulled back into my driveway and turned it off. Now it won't start at all. I'm really not sure what to do, although it has occurred to me that I should call AAA to come help me start it again. I did read somewhere last night that there is some kind of a relay switch or something in the rear wheel well that might have something to do with this... HELP????
Welcome to PriusChat !! If you have signs of working electronics (radio, dome light, dash lights, etc), then your 12v battery may be fine. When was it last replaced ? If none of the electrical is working you most likely have a bad 12v battery, do you have a way to test the health of the 12v battery ? Do you have any warning lights displayed on the dash, either now or before you turned last turned the vehicle off ? How many miles does the vehicle currently have, and how long have you owned it for ?
I have about 155,000 that I've put on myself. First owner and it's the best car I've ever owned, until now... I don't believe that the battery has ever been replaced. Yes, there are dash board lights. I'm worried that it's that gigantic battery in the back, but have no way of knowing, nor do I have any idea of what it would cost to replace that thing... I'm worried!
The odds are it is a the 12v battery....Replacing yourself is easy enough if a little different than most cars -- around $150-$220. You might get lucky and a local batteries, bulbs + outlet MIGHT install free -- around $200 for the battery. Toyota or another shop will probably charge $300+ Investiagate the 12v issue first -- even if some of your lights and things are working,,,,
