[Mohan Rao]

Have just received a 2005 Prius, in the owner manual it says the Prius may need recharging if not used over a fortnight , any experience on this by current owners and suggestions on what to do if away on holiday for four weeks, other than disabling the alarm ?

 

[dontcheff]

I also would like to know the answer of this question.

 

[Sanny]

I also would like to know the answer of this question.

I'd like to know how to get four weeks off in a row! Or in a YEAR, for that matter! Sigh. Merely buying a Prius doesn't seem to be enough to get the holiday.

 

[dontcheff]

I also would like to know the answer of this question.

I'd like to know how to get four weeks off in a row! Or in a YEAR, for that matter! Sigh. Merely buying a Prius doesn't seem to be enough to get the holiday.

Don't you have 4 weeks of summer holiday in the States? Here it is either 4 or 5.

 

[Sanny]

Don't you have 4 weeks of summer holiday in the States? Here it is either 4 or 5.

Yahright. :| NO, we don't. If we have been at our jobs a lifetime (or close to it), we may have 20 or 25 vacation days in a year (not counting public holidays). But it's unusual for us to be able to take more than a week or two at one time. Somehow we (or our employers) feel we are indispensible and the world will stop revolving if we are away from our desks for any length of time. How they fool little children!

 

[hyperion]

Don't the multiple indexes in the owners manual drive you up the wall? I read my manual completely through when I got the car a year ago and I'm sure there was a paragraph mentioning that if you were leaving your car for a month, nothing had to be done, but if that time period was going to be longer, it was recommended disconnecting the twelve volt. That was for a 2004 but I don't remember anything at all about any "extra" charging process. Just "how to do it if ever nesessary."

 

[dontcheff]

How do you disconnecting the twelve volt?

About the holidays: in Japan they have only 1 week. This fact might make you feel better

 

[paul16451]

Don't you have 4 weeks of summer holiday in the States? Here it is either 4 or 5.

Oh, don't I WISH! Vacation time is a scarce commodity in this country. You only get that much time off if you're a schoolteacher, and even then you don't get paid for the time, and most teacher salaries suck anyway.

Lots of corporations won't offer vacation time at all. My wife gets only ten paid "personal days" a year, that counts for both sick time AND vacation time. And even those days have "blackout times" where she is not allowed to use them...because she's a retail manager, the busiest times of year are public holidays, and she's not allowed any paid time off during those periods.

At my company, we get six "sick days" which can be used unannounced, and some "vacation time" which is required to be scheduled 2 weeks in advance. 2 weeks for new employees, 3 weeks for 5+ years service, and 4 weeks for 10+ years service, but we're never allowed to take more than 2 weeks at a time without special dispensation, which is never granted except for family medical emergencies. Even though the law here says you can take six weeks unpaid family medical leave for such situations, you can only use your vacation time to extend your period away, not take unpaid time and still have the same vacation hours when you return (in other words, it's used up first, before the unpaid leave kicks in).

It's really vicious...but then again, it's also a major reason why goods in this country are so cheap compared to the rest of the world.

Sorry for the rant...

 

[C.Rickey Hirose]

How do you disconnecting the twelve volt?

About the holidays: in Japan they have only 1 week. This fact might make you feel better

Bull, You shoul do more research before making statement like that .1 week is for the End of April to Beginning of May and it is called
the "Golden Week". We have another January "Real Year" _Oshougatsu" that no one
even public transportation Ceases to a standstill and that is 5~7 days.
We have to pre-cook everything for the January week 'cause if you don't
you will starve ! No Restaurants, no Fast Food, no Convenience Mart. Everything literally shuts down !
plus your regular earned vacation ( paid ) 1 to 3 weeks. Plus numerous more days off during the year such days as Religious days, Summer night's Moon ( Obon) gazing ritual ? and so on and so on... Oh do not forget the "Spectacular" High Tech Fire-Works from the land of Techno
marven where the PRII came to show off the Techno-Converted-To-Fireworks ! Addition: Do not visit Europe in _August_ it seems that all Europeans takes holidays in August ! Long traffic jams all over ! Reminiscent of Return home from "Memorial Day Weeknd" traffic bottlenecked road condition.

 

[firepa63]

Enough about vacations ... I don't get any vacation time or paid holidays! I'm retired

As for the battery, what about hooking up a trickle charger to the battery if you're going to be gone for more than a month?

 

[dontcheff]

That is a bit unclear to me:

http://web-japan.org/stat/stats/20LES11.html

Total Holidays, Authorized Paid Holidays Taken, Paid Holidays Actually...

 

[hyperion]

Doncheff, This is one of the only things you can find in the index under "battery" ......... PAGE 298

 

[Mohan Rao]

Prius not used for long periods - Continued

Don't the multiple indexes in the owners manual drive you up the wall? I read my manual completely through when I got the car a year ago and I'm sure there was a paragraph mentioning that if you were leaving your car for a month, nothing had to be done, but if that time period was going to be longer, it was recommended disconnecting the twelve volt. That was for a 2004 but I don't remember anything at all about any "extra" charging process. Just "how to do it if ever nesessary."

The latest manual just says says that if the vehicle is unused for more than two weeks, recharge by starting the car and running it for thirty minutes with all accessories swithched off. But if you are away that really doesnt address the problem. The only other ereference I have is how to charge the auxiliary battery used for the electric windows and the trunk. Elsewhere it specifically states that the main batteries located under the backseat should not be charged from an external source under any circumstances

By the way, the intent of my question was not to launch a debate on holidays paid or not but to get some help from those who have encountered such an event. I am self employed and am between countries at times so the cars I have risk not being used for extended periods of time.

 

[Sanny]

Re: Prius not used for long periods - Continued

...By the way, the intent of my question was not to launch a debate on holidays paid or not but to get some help from those who have encountered such an event. I am self employed and am between countries at times so the cars I have risk not being used for extended periods of time.

You're in luck! This week there's a sale at PriusOnline - debate and unrelated comments come free, yes FREE, with every post! However, a constructive response to your question does cost extra.

 

[DanMan32]

Treat the 12V battery like you would in any other car, other than it is smaller than a typical car, and therefore the accessories in the car would drain it faster than on a typical car. so, put a battery tender on it and you should be fine. As for the HV battery, unless you are leaving it for months, don't worry about it.

 

[Mohan Rao]

Treat the 12V battery like you would in any other car, other than it is smaller than a typical car, and therefore the accessories in the car would drain it faster than on a typical car. so, put a battery tender on it and you should be fine. As for the HV battery, unless you are leaving it for months, don't worry about it.

That's useful input, many thanks, if I understood the manual correctly the only risks with aux 12v battery being run down is that the electric windows and trunk opening will not function. My real worry was the HV battery because if that is down, the car won't start anything including the main petrol engine.

 

[hyperion]

And if it makes you feel any better about it, that statement is not in a US manual. At least not that I have found yet in a years reading. I wouldn't even think about it until you get back and then have a friend with some jumper cables. (which I am sure you will never have to use.) The new small 12 volt batteries can hold a charge for a year plus, and the "smart key, anti theft monitor" drain can hardly be measured.

 

[Mohan Rao]

And if it makes you feel any better about it, that statement is not in a US manual. At least not that I have found yet in a years reading. I wouldn't even think about it until you get back and then have a friend with some jumper cables. (which I am sure you will never have to use.) The new small 12 volt batteries can hold a charge for a year plus, and the "smart key, anti theft monitor" drain can hardly be measured.

Could be they put it in just as a precaution, and to avoid calls to their 24 hour a day three year free assistance service. I have a 12V charger in my garage, hopefully will not have to use........

 

[mrv]

1. Make sure that your headlight switch is turned off, and all other internal map/courtesy lights are off.
2. If you have SE&SS/SKS, turn it off using the Smart button under the steering wheel.
3. Make sure that all doors are closed and locked (so that no interior dome light is on.

Assuming that you haven't run down your 12v accessory battery before and it's relatively healthy, 2+ weeks undriven shouldn't be a problem.

Otherwise, follow Toyota's directions to dealers if the car is not to be driven for 10+ days:
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/toy ... 001-01.pdf
US TSB PG001-01: Jan. 12, 2001, Revised Oct. 2, 2003. Maintenance for HV & Auxiliary Batteries at Port & Dealers, 2001-2003 Prius. Replaces TSB PG009-00.
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/toy ... 007-03.pdf
US TSB PG007-03: Oct. 9, 2003, Revised Sept. 16, 2004, Maintenance for HV and Auxiliary Batteries, 2004-2005 Prius
(For the Classic, disconnect the negative terminal on the 12v battery. For the 2004+ Prius, disconnect the wire harness from the fuse box jump location.)
(of course, this'll leave you without your alarm on, and will reset your radio stations and clock, erase stored error codes, maybe erase your consumption screen MPG/odometer, and also disable the auto-up feature on the driver's window...)

You could also go for a 12v battery tender/minder, but make sure you get a "smart" one that won't overcharge the battery, and make sure it provides the proper charging voltage.

There are snowbirds out there that have one Prius up North and one down South, so one sits idle for about 6 months of a year. No problem with the hybrid battery on those times, but the 12v has to be attended to, as does old oil and gas, wear spots on tires, potentially sticking rubber on wiper blades, etc...

 

[Astrowoman]

Should I ever get the luxury of taking more than a week or two off at a time... I suppose I'll see if my cat sitter can be talked into turning it on...

So no one here actually has left their Prius alone for two weeks? Scary!