Low Traction Battery Problem w/ Prius at my Car Wash

How does the conveyor belt move your Prius. does it requires the wheels to be rolling? If not, putting it in "Park" is actually safer for you.

It sounds like your Prius was simply draining the Traction Battery low for "idling" there in the car wash with full power on. In fact, if the wheels are not required to roll freely, turn off the power might be even better. I don't see why you have to keep the power of the car on while it's in the car wash. In fact it sounds down right dangerous to me. Nobody keeps their car's power on in the car wash. Was it a requirement of the car wash?

 

Are you turning off your a/c and electrical stuff during the wash?

 

The car washes I've been to that pull you through have you keep the car in neutral. I don't think park will work at all as one of your wheels will end up being locked up.

The HV battery CANNOT charge while in neutral. Just don't use the AC while going thru the car wash to keep it from draining the HV battery too rapidly.

 

I take my Prius to the car wash (and every one I've used pulls the car along a track, so the wheels must turn), and never had an issue. The only thing I turn off is the audio.

 

Agreed, usually the engine will kick on to charge the low HV battery with A/C on, but apparently not in neutral.

 

if you're on a conveyor belt, surely your wheels DON'T need to turn? my guess is the sign says put it in N to stop stupid people forgetting they're in D and destroying the car wash.

 

so how does it make your car move? blocks behind the wheels or something?

 

If the state of charge on the traction battery is low enough it won't be used for acceleration when you start moving. The delay would be the amount of time it takes for the car to spin up the ICE and start it to provide the needed power. Once your SoC is high enough you lose the delay.

 

i think they guide one of your front wheels onto a conveyor belt that has ridges lrge enough to catch the tire securelyl like when you pull onto a lift at the mechanic.

 

Just turn off the headlights, climate control, and audio system when in neutral and it will be OK. Might help if you can arrange to arrive at the car wash with 5 or 6 bars in the battery.

 

If your car wash is a roll through wash, like alot of $20+ washes are, you can't have your power button off. That will automatically place your transmission in Park, effectively stopping the wheels from rolling along while pushed from the converyor rollers behind them. Others posters advising to shut down uneeded devices are correct in helping save the battery. The car has to remain in neutral to roll freely. Of course for a "touch free" wash where the car remains stationary and the equipment moves around the car, do as you like. (Personally I have never had a really good wash from a touchfree.)

 

I actually avoid ALL car washes and do it myself in my own garage even in the sub-zero winter here in Canada. It's not for saving money but to save the paint from getting swirling scratches that looks ugly in the sun. I use a bucket of warm water (no soap)and half a dz of microfibre cloths and just wipe the car without having to actually hose the car with water first. Always turn the microfibre cloths to use a clean spot. Reusing a dirty part of the microfibre may scratch the paint.

No soap, no chemicals, no mess, no scratches, no fees, no problems. Good workout and yet less than 1/2 hour, less time than going to those automatic car washes and line up and driving back and forth. Can do it in your jammies and or boxers or bikinies

Did I mention NO SCRATCHES to the paint?

 

I actually experienced this same issue a few days ago. I usually wash my car myself but it was 106 degrees outside here in Ft.Worth, TX and I just couldn't get up the energy to go outside and wash it. Besides, when it is that hot, the darned water tends to evaporate before I have a chance to rinse the soap off.

Anyway, so I took it to a full-service car wash and they told me to put it in neutral. Everything was okay until about half-way through and I got the warning message and a constant annoying beeping from the car telling me the HV battery was low and to put the car in drive or park.

I wasn't sure what to do at first because I didn't want to do anything that would lock up my wheels since only one side of the car was on the conveyor. So I just turned off the A/C and anything else that was using power and waited until I got through the wash.

 

Never seen one that moves the car here, they all have moving rollers/jets etc.

 

Scratches are why, after five black vehicles and two dark blue vehicles, this one is Blizzard Pearl.