12v battery maintenance

Toyota: advice on battery maintenance during lockdown or lack of use. - General Discussions - Toyota Owners Club - Toyota Forum

Trickle charger for only £13 from Aldi. Just ordered one for myself. If anyone interested. 👍https://www.aldi.co.uk/auto-xs-car-battery-charger/p/813260585046300

I had my five year service last weekend and as part of the checks it said the 12v Battery needed replacing.  As yet I have not had any warning messages on the dash and I did use a smart charger during the lockdown.  I also always carry one of those small jump packs with me, so I don't want to replace it until I really have to.

If I was to do this myself, would I loose any settings?  I have researched and some people say yes and some no.  The one thing I do not want to lose is my lifetime consumptions etc.  I understand the the PCS? has to be recalibrated, but that is a case of driving in a straight line for a shot distance?  I also know about the dongles that can save settings, but don't want to buy one if I don't have to.

Halfords do a Yuasa HSB012 Silver 12V which is the same brand as in my car for £103.00, but I will get a quote from Toyota too.  I know they will be more expensive, but then I guess I won't have to worry about losing anything.

Stephen, if I were you I would continue as you are in relation to the 12v Battery. You have a slow charger, and I small jump start thingy, you are well covered.

You might be surprised at the price Toyota gives you. Have you had the car serviced at the same dealer, try for a loyalty discount if you have.

There it is my charger from Aldi. Looks good, quality made and very similar to ctek 5 for only £12.99 👌

I have no idea how good will be but I usually find Aldi and Lidl stuff often better quality than typical no name eBay or Amazon things. 

38 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

There it is my charger from Aldi. Looks good, quality made and very similar to ctek 5 for only £12.99 👌

I have no idea how good will be but I usually find Aldi and Lidl stuff often better quality than typical no name eBay or Amazon things. 

@TonyHSD: Agree re quality. Do you need to plug this into electricity or can be plugged to the 12V socket in the vehicle. just wondering what do people do who do not have access to electric power socket near the vehicle?

1 hour ago, Spo2 said:

@TonyHSD: Agree re quality. Do you need to plug this into electricity or can be plugged to the 12V socket in the vehicle. just wondering what do people do who do not have access to electric power socket near the vehicle?

Hi, this has a 3 pin uk plug and needs to be plugged into a wall socket, has a long cable but an extension would be helpful. The manual says to keep it dry and never expose to rain or water. I also have xs torque wrench that works better than some big names I used to have before so hopefully the charger will be ok if I ever need to use it👍

On 2/25/2022 at 10:28 AM, Catlover said:

Stephen, if I were you I would continue as you are in relation to the 12v battery. You have a slow charger, and I small jump start thingy, you are well covered.

You might be surprised at the price Toyota gives you. Have you had the car serviced at the same dealer, try for a loyalty discount if you have.

Hi Joe

After writing the post, I have had the same thoughts as you and will carry on as I am for now.  I do not go far and I have Percy on my smart charger now as I won't be going out for four days, so I am sure that will help.  I have gone to the same dealer since my first service and have always been very impressed with their service, so I agree, I will definitely get them to quote on a replacement when the time comes.

Stephen

21 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

There it is my charger from Aldi. Looks good, quality made and very similar to ctek 5 for only £12.99 👌

I have no idea how good will be but I usually find Aldi and Lidl stuff often better quality than typical no name eBay or Amazon things. 

 

Looks very similar to the one I purchased from Amazon which has been working really well for me.

Amazon Smart Charger

It's gone up a few pounds since I bought it in May 20, but still good value I think.

If yours work out as well as mine, you have got yourself a bargain.

I am just wondering what do people do who do not have access to electric power socket near the vehicle? 

I guess you could connect one of those 70Ah lithium jump packs to keep it topped up? Or drive the car more  

(Today's a good day for a drive! So bright and sunny!   Definitely an improvement on the hailstones!!  )

1 hour ago, Spo2 said:

I am just wondering what do people do who do not have access to electric power socket near the vehicle? 

Solar charger ? According to Parts-King Toyota dealers can order a suitable Ring solar charger.

Hmm, that's a point actually - I wonder if the ODB2 power pins used by the solar charger has a direct connection to the Battery, or is it only to the DC-DC like DevonAygo says the jump terminal in the fuse box is...?

11 minutes ago, Cyker said:

I guess you could connect one of those 70Ah lithium jump packs to keep it topped up? Or drive the car more  

(Today's a good day for a drive! So bright and sunny!   Definitely an improvement on the hailstones!!  )

Thanks, Cyker. Is there a particular jump pack that members recommend here? 

There've been a few people posting what they used in other threads but must admit none particularly spring to mind...

2 hours ago, Spo2 said:

I am just wondering what do people do who do not have access to electric power socket near the vehicle? 

You need a small jump start Battery from eBay/Amazon/other outlets, around £50-£80. Size of a large smartphone, crocodile clips, will turn a diesel car engine so will easily put you CHR into Ready mode, from there the hybrid Battery will charge your 12v Battery. Keep your car in Ready mode for 45-60 minutes, the longer the better. Do it twice vehicle if car not being used.

I was talking about one of those lithium Battery banks that he could maybe e.g. leave in the car hooked up to the 12v to 'trickle charge' it to keep the 12v Battery in good condition if he was to leave it for a while. A main-powered one would be better ofc., but they were saying what to do if they can't use a mains one (Which is understandably tricky if e.g. parking on the street 10 mins walk away from your house!)

Solar might be more reliable tho' as I have no idea how long those Battery banks can keep a 12v topped up for unattended. Might be a week but might only be a few days...

On 2/23/2022 at 3:52 AM, TonyHSD said:

Trickle charger for only £13 from Aldi. Just ordered one for myself. If anyone interested. 👍https://www.aldi.co.uk/auto-xs-car-battery-charger/p/813260585046300

Just a point of clarification, this not a trickle charger but a proper fully automatic smart charger.  The mention of trickle charging on the box refers the final stage whereby it will trickle charge at the completion of the charging cycle.  This allows the charger to be left on the Battery to maintain it indefinitely without the risk of the Battery being damaged.

Disclaimer: Aways read the instruction manual that come with whatever model charger you buy to confirm how it operates.

Does a single device exists which acts as both a jump start pack and smart Battery charger?

On 2/26/2022 at 1:43 PM, Catlover said:

You need a small jump start battery from eBay/Amazon/other outlets, around £50-£80. Size of a large smartphone, crocodile clips, will turn a diesel car engine so will easily put you CHR into Ready mode, from there the hybrid battery will charge your 12v battery. Keep your car in Ready mode for 45-60 minutes, the longer the better. Do it twice vehicle if car not being used.

@Catlover: Joe, thank you. When I look for portable jump start pack, how much peak current the device should provide? I see products that mention different level of current like 300, 500, 600 etc) for a given engine size (petrol)?

Many thanks,

Sol

Sol,

The smallest, or cheapest, you can find should be ok. With a hybrid, you just need enough power to start up the electronics and one or two low power items. You don't need the high capacity these things provide to turn over an ICE.

You should be able to do it with a Battery box and eight AAA batteries. However a jump starter is a convenient way of supplying the 12 volts needed. FWIW, the one I bought some years ago was around £40 (and no longer available). It still works well, and has got me out of trouble twice in that time.

I got something like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ponacat-Starter-8000maH-Portable-Lighting/dp/B08XXS6G7G/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?keywords=jump+starter+power+pack&nav_sdd=aps&pd_rd_r=ab6acb5b-4adc-49a8-8af0-1aa4249ace0b&pd_rd_w=SzVOY&pd_rd_wg=wlsun&pf_rd_p=0a656226-8d1b-4008-94f0-0802acf55628&pf_rd_r=64QKQ5CKHY2C26CHQ12Y&qid=1646158873&refinements=p_36%3A304526031&s=automotive&sr=1-9

On 2/25/2022 at 1:19 PM, TonyHSD said:

There it is my charger from Aldi. Looks good, quality made and very similar to ctek 5 for only £12.99 👌

I have no idea how good will be but I usually find Aldi and Lidl stuff often better quality than typical no name eBay or Amazon things. 

Bought one too! 

2 hours ago, Spo2 said:

Bought one too! 

Well done, the only guy who left review on their side says that he bought one and then another 3 of these and he said this one is as good as ctek ones. 👍

In case anyone is looking for portable jump start pack, this seems good deal https://www.eurocarparts.com/search/551770110

I can't buy as there is no suitable delivery/collection for my area but might be okay for some other members.