I bought my Prius just a month ago and I have taken it into the dealership twice since. I feel little vibrations in the steering wheel and in the car. I had the wheels balanced the first time, and balanced the second time. The guy told me that the Prius 2 is a slightly bumpy ride. Is this normal? I just want to make sure my car is okay and I don't damage it by driving it with something going on. I don't know a whole lot about the mechanics of cars, especially Hybrids. He was telling me the Prius has harder more compact tires for fuel economy, is this true? Is the bumpiness normal? I won't mind, but I just want to make sure it isn't a problem or damage they aren't telling me about! Thanks
Just read your other thread... seems like everything is vibrating and bumping. Unless you switched from a high end luxury sedan with pillow cushion suspensions, and you are super sensitive to slight changes in vibrations then I would bring it back to the dealer for 3 times... if problems persist then tell them they need to replace this lemon.
On the contrary! Haha i just switched from a 2012 Honda Fit. So I know what "bumpy" feels like. I will test the car one more time tomorrow on the highway. If there is "bumpiness" or vibrations I will be driving back and demanding something other than rebalancing. They keep rebalancing the tires. They drove it 15 miles today to "see the problems" I told them about. They supposedly saw the problem. I swear to God if I have to go back in one more time I'll be so mad. I really love this car already but want to treat it right. I guess if I really have to I would use the Lemon Law.
This might be totally unrelated. I replaced the factory 15" wheels and tires on my Prius within one week of ownership. I liked the Prius 5, 17" wheels and purchased a used set. Honestly, I didn't notice any difference. I recently upped the air pressure in the tires like many here do. That made a huge difference with a harsher ride. Fuel mileage is great and I'll have to find a happy medium. Check your tire air pressure and if it's high 30s, I'd try 32 psi and see if that helps.
Check tire inflation - are they between 35 and 40 psi? If higher, lower them and check the ride. If you're still getting vibrations, take a service tech with you on a "test drive" so you are there experiencing it first hand with them so they know exactly what you're talking about. It will save you the aggravation of listening to them stating "can't duplicate the problem" when they hand your keys back. They should run the gamut of problem solving, including switching out wheels and tires - who knows, one or more of your tires may be out-of-round, and no amount of balancing will cure that.
I thought Toyota offered 1 free alignment for people that had this type of problem with a new car, due to the common occurrence of alignment issues from shipping.
Why not ask the dealership if you could take a ride in a different Prius...same model and year...and see if you notice the same thing. If they don't want to go with that, go to another dealership.
No that isn't unrelated. One of my friends I was talking to said the same thing, so I can try that. They are rated 35psi front, 33 psi back. And I check them every few days for best fuel economy, but might as well try everything.
I was actually thinking that. Each day I have thought to myself, "was this car THAT bumpy on the test drive?" Because I did test drive the car before I purchased it. So I don't recall it being super bumpy.
This is yet another thing I have contemplated because the car comes with 2 year Toyota care, no matter where you live. So I figured maybe if they don't solve the issue, I can take it somewhere else. However, if I continue to have issues I will keep returning to the same dealer in the event I have to claim a Lemon.
I'm not sure if it would be alignment because the car drives straight naturally and what not, but then again I am not the expert.
Test drive different car before you go to service department. There is also a thread about flat spots on tires, how long you have the car and how long it was sitting on the dealers lot? Just read again,with month old car check the thread about flat spots
Interesting you say that. The service tech I dealt with yesterday told me "the Prius has a harder compact tire than most for fuel economy and can have a flat spot for a bit until it rounds out." I'm not sure what that means, but I was told that. I've had the car 1 month, and I don't know how long the dealership had it on the lot. The car is a 2012, so could be a few weeks, months?
I hear ya, Buying a new car is supposed to be problem free, at least that's what we all expect from Toyota. Taking a new car back to service is like separating a newborn from its parents, I would hate that feeling! I'm sure you know the Lemon Law is especially strong in NY. Also Toyota Corp. is very serious about customer satisfaction, one short phone call is likely to fix your problem if your dealer is not willing to help.
I like your analogy! And yeah, it does suck having to take it back like that. Today was an okay ride so I will continue to see how it is for the next week. So far it seems better, but then again, as a new Prius owner, I don't even know what "normal" is yet. I test drove the Prius 2 before I had bought it, but test drives are only worth so much. There is nothing like owning and driving the car day after day and learning it through muscle memory and instinct. After a while you don't even think about all the quirks because you almost integrate with the car! So yeah, aside from my rant, I think that I will wait a couple days and see what happens. I'm tired of seeing the dealer, and I'm just hoping they fixed it. I really love this car. Don't know why I didn't get a Hybrid sooner.
The OE Yokohama S33D and Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max tires are kind of rough riding. There are aftermarket tires that ride much nicer and still offer great fuel economy. Be careful though, some non-LRR tires can really hurt fuel economy.
