Let me quickly introduce myself and my car: I worked for Consumer Reports for 33 years, retiring almost 7 years ago. One of the benefits of working there was that staff got to bid on CR test cars after they were finished testing them. I was fortunate to get the first hybrid that CR tested--the 2001 Prius. I've had it ever since, and it's now got 177,000 miles on it. I love the car, and have had very little trouble with it. I did have to replace the traction battery, at about 140,000 miles, due to a short.
The original 12-volt battery lasted about 14 years. The replacement, now about 5 years old, is giving me problems--If I don't drive it every day I have to jump it. So here's my question: Is this probably due to the battery being near the end of its life, or could there be an electrical leakage somewhere that's draining it? Is there a way to check that?
Thanks very much.
Dan
The original 12-volt battery lasted about 14 years. The replacement, now about 5 years old, is giving me problems--If I don't drive it every day I have to jump it. So here's my question: Is this probably due to the battery being near the end of its life, or could there be an electrical leakage somewhere that's draining it? Is there a way to check that?
Thanks very much.
Dan