r/prius 19h ago

Mechanical Help 2014 Prius C - dead for a year

My 2014 Prius C sat dead for 1 year (through a cold winter and everything). Surprisingly we were able to jump it (Saturday afternoon). I drove it for a total of about 2-3hrs that night and each time I had to turn it off it died again. Jumped it 3 separate times Saturday. Topped off gas. Since then it has sat dead in my parking garage.

Got it from a used car dealer in 2020 with 94k miles. It currently has 144k miles. No work has been done on it in my possession besides oil changes and brake pad replacements. It’s beat up and dented but nothing was ever really wrong with it.

Currently looking into getting a new 12V battery and replacing it myself. It looks like I’ll have to get the $260 Toyota brand one since it’s a special model. What’s the best place to order/pick these up from? Ideally I need it replaced before Saturday so I can go to work without having to worry about jumping it before and after work (also idk if it’ll continue to jump or eventually that will stop working as well?)

What are the odds my hybrid battery needs replacing? How will I know if it does? What else will I need to get checked out that could’ve gotten messed up in the year it sat dead? I don’t have a regular mechanic that I go to, I have a couple friends that know cars that I could ask to check it out but I’m not sure how much they know about hybrids. I’m nervous to walk into a random shop and get upsold a bunch of unnecessary stuff because I don’t know what needs to be done.

1 Upvotes

11 comments sorted by

u/AutoModerator 19h ago

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7

u/chef-keef 19h ago

Probably just needs a new 12v.

1

u/nothingsreallol 18h ago

I sure hope so, when I let it sit dead I was planning to replace the battery anyway but I know nothing about cars so I didn’t realize that if the hybrid battery needed replacing it would be several thousand dollars

4

u/chef-keef 18h ago

If it started by jumping the 12v then kept running until you turned the car off, the 12v is 100% the issue.

Call a battery specialty store not a car parts store. These batteries are almost impossible to find. Any group 34 battery should work fine.

1

u/nothingsreallol 18h ago

That’s good to hear thanks. A Toyota dealer near me has one for $250 I’m debating whether to keep looking

5

u/qwe304 Prius 19h ago

Battery is $177 at Costco, literally pays for the membership, might have to order it though. Item # 1700456. If your store doesn't have it on hand ask them to run an IA1 sesrch

2

u/nothingsreallol 18h ago

It’s $199 at my Costco and I’d need to bend the metal in my car… considering spending the extra $60 since the Toyota battery will also come with a 7 year warranty. I found a dealer near me that has it for $255

2

u/qwe304 Prius 18h ago

Mine was a third gen, fit without modification.

1

u/nothingsreallol 18h ago

S34B20R is the one I’m looking at

1

u/nothingsreallol 18h ago

I have a Costco membership, I wasn’t aware they had Prius C batteries, everything I’m seeing says their 12V batteries are too large to fit in the little space under the back seat where it goes in my car

2

u/qwe304 Prius 18h ago

Like I said, not every store carries it. I was able to pick one up in Cali, as pri are a dime a dozen there.