A friend of mine bought a 2005 Prius on my recommendation. His 12 volt battery failed. The dealer has no batteries and cannot get one for an indefinite period of time. The dealer will not furnish a loaner. I think this is terrible service. It is now routine in the industry to supply a loaner when a car under warranty cannot be fixed in two days. Is this really the best Toyota can do? I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has or has not been given a loaner when the car could not be fixed in two days.
http://www.elearnaid.com/priusparts.html Sells a replacement for the classic Prius. Its positive and negative terminals are reversed with respect to the new model Prius, But I am sure that with a little effort, you could succeed. Fully compatible batteries are rare because a venting tube is also. But any vented, absorbed glass mat battery of about 30 amp hours at least, and with no dimension too large for the space, would suffice. Your regional service manager ought to be able to locate for you the OEM part, if you can make it seem that thousands of PriusChat participants are watching this drama unfold. As you did not mention it, I infer that you have not yet heard the price of the OEM part (!) The loaner vehicle 'policy' would be in writing at the time of purchase? Or could be granted at the whim of the shop service manager.
Wait this is a 2005 prius? And he can't get a battery? That's current gen prius... something fishy is going on/
Any serious Prius dealer should keep a stock of 12V batteries if they are known to fail. During a test drive recently I metioned this issue to the salesman. He says they are aware of the fact that these batteries can be hard to get in a hurry. They always make sure they have stock. That made me feel better. Even if my local delaer don't have, a dealer somewhere in the city usually will.
