hi all, i keep my prius in portland, where i go to school. two or three times a year, i leave my car in a lot while i fly home. usually, the car is unused for about a month. i do not disconnect the 12 volt before leaving the car. wondering how much of a discharge the 12volt goes through in a month. the first time i drive the car again, i try to take it out on the freeways (to keep the ice going) for a consistent half hour, at least. is this a necessary thing to do any recharging? should i take my car into a shop and test battery level? would more and more month-long abandonments have some detrimental affect on 12volt? unrelated q: is there a reason for the snowflake icon to begin at 37F? seems an arbitrary temp. thanks.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fortheanimals @ Jan 13 2007, 08:50 AM) [snapback]375122[/snapback]</div> As long as your not draing the battery to near dead, it is not going to make a very noticable difference on the life. You also don't have to run the ICE to charge the 12 volt, it will charge from the hybrid batteries. For a month of storage, as long as you turn off the SKS system (button under the steering wheel) if you have it, there should be no problem. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fortheanimals @ Jan 13 2007, 08:50 AM) [snapback]375122[/snapback]</div> Basically it's warning you when the temperature is getting close to freezing. A lot of weather stations use the same temperature. 37°F is 3°C. After taking out 1°C for error, that's only a 2-4°C warning.
I got at auction for about $30 each the older generation battery minders from VDC http://www.vdcelectronics.com/batteryminder_12117.htm I sure wouldn't pay $70 for one though. I was having problems with my 12 vdc battery so got into the habit of plugging in the battery minder every night. Works fine now, but I also have secure underground parking to keep the car in too. If you will be parking in a garage or other secure environment, then some sort of battery tender will help you feel better and not worry about a flat battery. A solar charger may also work, though keep in mind the cigarette lighter plugs are *not* live when the car is powered down. You would have to hook directly to the 12 v battery in the hatch.
You can increase battery life during your absence by disabling the smart key system. There's a button under the steering column on the dash. If you don't have smart key, then that's one less thing to think about.
