Flat battery!

[Timur]

My battery went flat with no dashboard lights. I contacted RAC who wanted to charge me £85 because I didn’t have home start, I turned it down, Toyota help line was no help. I bought a charger for £25 and charged it myself, taking 6 hours.
At the beginning I didn’t remove one of the battery connections and I got lots of relay clicking but once I detached the battery positive lead, the easiest one to remove, all worked well, the car is now up and running.
The moral of this story for those who are thick like me REMOVE ONE LEAD FROM THE BATTERY before starting to recharge.
The tip of the day is to purchase an Artex Portable Jump Starter with no need to remove a battery lead, just in case you are not at home

Hi Bill, thank you for the information,
How did you connect the charger clamps, positive clamp to (+) battery post and negative to (-) battery post or to the engine block (ground)?

[Dave D]

My battery went flat with no dashboard lights. I contacted RAC who wanted to charge me £85 because I didn’t have home start, I turned it down, Toyota help line was no help. I bought a charger for £25 and charged it myself, taking 6 hours.
At the beginning I didn’t remove one of the battery connections and I got lots of relay clicking but once I detached the battery positive lead, the easiest one to remove, all worked well, the car is now up and running.
The moral of this story for those who are thick like me REMOVE ONE LEAD FROM THE BATTERY before starting to recharge.
The tip of the day is to purchase an Artex Portable Jump Starter with no need to remove a battery lead, just in case you are not at home

Hi Bill, thank you for the information,
How did you connect the charger clamps, positive clamp to (+) battery post and negative to (-) battery post or to the engine block (ground)?

I was told when the AA came out to mine that if I was recharging the battery with it still connected to the car wiring, to always connect the Negative charger lead to the car engine block not the negative battery terminal. He said it was safe to recharge the battery without disconnecting it.

[Timur]

Thank you Dave D.

[Charlie19]

My battery went flat with no dashboard lights. I contacted RAC who wanted to charge me £85 because I didn’t have home start, I turned it down, Toyota help line was no help. I bought a charger for £25 and charged it myself, taking 6 hours.
At the beginning I didn’t remove one of the battery connections and I got lots of relay clicking but once I detached the battery positive lead, the easiest one to remove, all worked well, the car is now up and running.
The moral of this story for those who are thick like me REMOVE ONE LEAD FROM THE BATTERY before starting to recharge.
The tip of the day is to purchase an Artex Portable Jump Starter with no need to remove a battery lead, just in case you are not at home

Hi Bill, thank you for the information,
How did you connect the charger clamps, positive clamp to (+) battery post and negative to (-) battery post or to the engine block (ground)?

I was told when the AA came out to mine that if I was recharging the battery with it still connected to the car wiring, to always connect the Negative charger lead to the car engine block not the negative battery terminal. He said it was safe to recharge the battery without disconnecting it.

My position is similar to Bill's - because I don't have home start Toyota refused to help me and given that all dealerships are closed that left me stranded, albeit at home.
Like Bill, I too found my own solution, this time by jump starting from another car and it looks like the best longerm solution, assuming I keep the car, would be a portable booster jump start pack of which Artek is one of so many of varying cost and unknown reliability to choose from.
I wonder how long they store power for without degrading - it would need to be for a long time if they are to be a dependable, if expensive, 'get out of jail' card to solve a design problem that should not be there in the first place?
I remain most unimpressed with Toyota's unhelpful attitude.

[adn1962]

Hi Bill, thank you for the information,
How did you connect the charger clamps, positive clamp to (+) battery post and negative to (-) battery post or to the engine block (ground)?

I was told when the AA came out to mine that if I was recharging the battery with it still connected to the car wiring, to always connect the Negative charger lead to the car engine block not the negative battery terminal. He said it was safe to recharge the battery without disconnecting it.

My position is similar to Bill's - because I don't have home start Toyota refused to help me and given that all dealerships are closed that left me stranded, albeit at home.
Like Bill, I too found my own solution, this time by jump starting from another car and it looks like the best longerm solution, assuming I keep the car, would be a portable booster jump start pack of which Artek is one of so many of varying cost and unknown reliability to choose from.
I wonder how long they store power for without degrading - it would need to be for a long time if they are to be a dependable, if expensive, 'get out of jail' card to solve a design problem that should not be there in the first place?
I remain most unimpressed with Toyota's unhelpful attitude.

Not sure why anyone wouldn’t have breakdown cover. For £30 a year, you would have been sorted.

[Charlie19]

Please show me where you can buy breakdown recovery and home start for £30?

Better to buy a Lexus or a Honda that gives proper full unequivocal breakdown cover for the duration of the warranty?

[Anixie]

Don't get it.... My Hybrid has been standing outside for 3 weeks. Go to the car this morning, keyless go, car opens. push the starter and off I go. No issues at all with battery.

[Charlie19]

The AA called today, checked the battery, declared it duff, probably a cell failure, and replaced it with a new Bosch battery under warranty.

Shame it took a week but we seem to have got there in the end.

[adn1962]

Please show me where you can buy breakdown recovery and home start for £30?

Better to buy a Lexus or a Honda that gives proper full unequivocal breakdown cover for the duration of the warranty?

[Charlie19]

More than 1/4 mile from your home is a very different scenario to home start, which as one would expect means getting you started at home - it pays to check the definitions before deciding which you need!