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12V battery for Camry Hybrid

Maintenance/Repairs
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#1

Original battery is failing after 4 years and 95k miles. It is a Panasonic Group 24, AGM, 450 CCA.
An OEM replacement is available only from dealer, $316 with one-year warrantee. I looked further.

Traditionally, I have bit the bullet on weight and replaced my batteries with much higher capacity batteries. I found that the heavier batteries last much longer. Plus, starters draw more current the older they get. The Camry does not seem to have one of those exotic computer-controlled charging systems, so I am pretty sure that I can put virtually any battery in there that fits the box.

Considering an X2Power battery. Reviews look good, made in USA. 840 CCA, 60 month. Costs about $260. Weighs 58 lb, compared to 37 lb for the OEM Panasonic battery. That is a lot of lead to lug around.

Anyone here have experience with X2Power batteries, or high recommendations for something else?

Thanks

#2

With the very specific service the hybrid’s 12V battery provides (powers the computers, not the starter, etc.), I would (and did) replace it with an exact factory-spec battery. Not necessarily from the dealer, but one that meets the factory spec.

#3

56 dollars different in price , why take a chance ? This is a Hybrid vehicle not an old simple gas vehicle.

#4

Gee I love this forum. I had looked up the car on an aftermarket auto parts site and it listed a conventional 12V starter and alternator for this hybrid car. This surprised me, but I believed it. Texases’ comment sent me back to the parts book. I checked the Toyota dealer’s on-line parts book and found that this car has no starter and no alternator. The hybrid motor/generator handles those duties.

I clearly need to rethink my battery selection.

Thank you!

#5

I bought a Duracell AGM battery similar in capacity to the original Panasonic.

RELATED QUESTION
Now I have been advised that because the battery is in the trunk, it is important to use a vented battery so that if the battery ever off-gases, it won’t be releasing hydrogen into an enclosed space. The Panasonic had a vent hose connection and the Duracell does not.
I have been putting batteries in the trunks, and the back of my wagon, and below the back seat of my BMWs for 30 years, with no regard for whether they were vented.
Anyone want to weigh in on whether it is really dangerous to use an unvented battery in an enclosed compartment? Is that common knowledge? Should I find the flame arrestor vent on the new battery and figure out a way to attach the hose to it?

#6

I seem to recall that Duracell has a vented version.

#7

For anyone interested in this matter, I can save you time by reporting that the various forums on the internet have the full spectrum of answers to this question. At one extreme are folks warning that batteries of any chemistry (even gel) that do not have vent hoses MUST be placed in a well ventilated area. On the other extreme are calculations that it would take days of continuous overcharging to hit the lower explosive limit in an air tight 100 cf trunk, and reminders that trunks are not air tight. They are ventilated so that odors don’t accumulate. In the middle are confused people like me who have driven VWs and Miatas and BMWs for decades without ever thinking about this.
I don’t trust the LEL calculations because I have seen failed flooded batteries that gassed like crazy.
This forum often has someone who really knows their stuff on almost any topic.

1 Like
#8

It just seems that buying a factory spec battery would be the best way to go.

3 Likes
#9

That is a good point and I certainly considered it, but $316 plus tax is a lot for a battery that they are willing to warrantee for only one year when I know that the last one lasted only four years under optimum (new car, mild climate) conditions. I am accustomed to paying half that much for batteries that last me twice as long here in Sacramento. I just have to believe that there are better options.

#10

This is an OEM battery, and the manufacturer’s warranty of one year is not unreasonable. Comparing the specialty battery used in your hybrid vehicle to the lead-acid battery used in a 1998 Camry is like comparing a commuter train to an airplane. I do not think the price is unreasonable, and I am someone who likes to save money as much as possible.

#11

Thanks for bringing up this topic.
Did you need to deal with resetting the PCM?

“Replacing the battery on some vehicles requires entering the new battery info into the PCM with a scan tool (type of battery, battery serial number and CCA rating). This is necessary because the vehicle’s charging system is programmed to gradually increase the charging rate as the battery ages. If the charging rate is not reset back to that for a new battery, the battery may overcharge and fail - or vent toxic hydrogen sulfide gas into the passenger compartment if the battery is located inside the vehicle.” - Battery Disconnect Problems

– Thread Pirate Robert

#12

Thanks.

I checked the owners manual and the service manual and found no mention of registering a new battery in this car. I am familiar with the concept because the wifemobile requires that a new battery be registered.

The store that sold me the Duracell contacted their HQ and the official word was that they could not recommend any battery they sold for this Toyota Hybrid because none of their AGM batteries are vented like the original battery. Turns out that vented AGMs are hard to come by and therefore very expensive. I decided to keep the Duracell when I noticed that the 12V battery in our Tesla is an unvented AGM charged by a DC/DC converter, and sits right next to the HVAC air inlet.

1 Like