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The 12v Battery


zetor
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My Auris Hybrid is coming up to 6 years old and has been fault free but I was wondering how long the small 12v Battery lasts and should I think about replacing it? Alternative is wait till it fails and get stuck somewhere...

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My Auris Hybrid is coming up to 6 years old and has been fault free but I was wondering how long the small 12v battery lasts and should I think about replacing it? Alternative is wait till it fails and get stuck somewhere...

Since the hybrid 12v Battery doesn't have to power a starter motor and you have no symptoms. Then I would leave it.

The problem is when you have the car in accessory mode and keep draining the Battery without giving it enough time to charge up while driving.

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A Gen 1 Prius I had which was notorious for flattening the 12V Battery (higher drain when parked than later models) still had the original Battery when I sold it at 9 years old with 163,000 miles on the clock.  Other people had had theirs replaced much sooner.  It really depends on what sort of use it's had, whether it's been completely flattened a few times and a certain amount of luck.

Just to be on the safe side, I keep a RAVPower 500A/12000mAh Jump Starter (about £40 from Amazon) in the car - it's only the size of an old VHS tape, but packs a big punch.  A couple of days ago I used it for the first time, to help out someone else who had flattened their Battery.  It was most impressive.  It comes in a small case with leads to charge a micro USB phone and or iPad/iPhone, and has a built in torch.

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I'm a low mileage user and I keep a similar device in the car. I also make a habit of sticking a trickle charger on the car once a week.

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8 hours ago, Sagitar said:

I'm a low mileage user and I keep a similar device in the car. I also make a habit of sticking a trickle charger on the car once a week.

At least with your PiP when you plug the car in it charges to 12V Battery too.

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Pete - do you have an authoritative source that says the PiP charges the 12v Battery when the car is plugged in? I've never been able to find one.

Various comments in the handbook lead me to infer that the 12v Battery does not charge when the car is plugged in. But I cannot find any direct statement in the handbook so I readily admit that I may be drawing the wrong implication.

The two handbook statements that I find telling are:

"The 12-volt Battery recharges automatically while the hybrid system is operating"

"Confirm the following before charging (i.e. charging the traction battery) - The POWER switch is OFF"

 

With the power switch off, the hybrid system is not operating and therefore I infer from the first handbook statement above that the 12v battery is not recharging.

My own experience in running the car seems to confirm this. I have on several occasions found a low state of charge in the 12v battery after doing a full charge of the traction battery.

 

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5 minutes ago, Sagitar said:

Pete - do you have an authoritative source that says the PiP charges the 12v battery when the car is plugged in? I've never been able to find one.

Its documented on here somewhere, some one has tested it with a multi meter. When charging the hybrid system is 'on' to a certain extent to run coolant pump on the charging bits under the bonnet etc.

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On 22 October 2016 at 11:47 AM, zetor said:

My Auris Hybrid is coming up to 6 years old and has been fault free but I was wondering how long the small 12v battery lasts and should I think about replacing it? Alternative is wait till it fails and get stuck somewhere...

First symptom (from my reading rather than personal experience) is that central locking problems and strange error messages on switch on are more likely before you get a total refusal to start. 

This is because the 12v Battery just powers the systems that allow the big (traction) Battery to start the petrol engine, not like a conventional car where the 12v Battery has to power a motor to start the engine. 

 

There are 'jump start' connectors under the bonnet (so the systems can be powered, and the car started), but there is no way to 'bump start' the car. 

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My Auris Hybrid is coming up to 6 years old and has been fault free but I was wondering how long the small 12v battery lasts and should I think about replacing it? Alternative is wait till it fails and get stuck somewhere...

First symptom (from my reading rather than personal experience) is that central locking problems and strange error messages on switch on are more likely before you get a total refusal to start. 

This is because the 12v Battery just powers the systems that allow the big (traction) Battery to start the petrol engine, not like a conventional car where the 12v Battery has to power a motor to start the engine. 

 

There are 'jump start' connectors under the bonnet (so the systems can be powered, and the car started), but there is no way to 'bump start' the car. 

I'd contradict that, when I had a discharged battery. Everything appeared to be normal, with the exception of not being able to get ready to show.

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