Buying Used Prius Agonizing over Details : }

FWIW, I am in the league of filling up the bladder before it gets down to the flashing pip. I recall a couple of times on cold days that I too had trouble filling it if it was on the flashing pip. But if I added fuel when it got down around two pips, I usually did not have much trouble. I also believe that allowing the system to breathe a little bit (loosen gas cap before filling about 1/2 turn) seems to aid when it comes time to add fuel. Some will say to run the fuel at the slowest setting on the pump, others will not. I seem to think that running it slowly helped me. I also found that if you try to top off that the bladder will at times belch fuel out of the tank. To get around that I usually stopped adding fuel when ever the nozzle kicked off.

I do agree that I was buying fuel about as often as before, but using less fuel like other's have stated here.

Glad to see you are getting used to the Prius Daisy. Best of luck to you.

 

The top pips last forever. The bottom pips go faster. I only had one occurrence of the "can't pump gas problem" and that was a crap gas station in Pittsburgh in August. One time, at the Shell in Delran the first pump failed to shut off. The pitch of the flow changed. I shut off the pump as fast as I could but it it still spit up. It's been 9 years & I still don't use that pump. .

Some pumps pump more. Other pumps pump less. The only time it is really an issue is on a cross country trip.

 

I can't say that seasonal gas blends have a measurable effect on fuel economy. There are too many variables that average out. All you can do is track your numbers.

It does take some time to learn how to drive the car. It took me from 7/1/06 to 5/24/07 and 12315 miles to get my lifetime average up to 50 mpg. It is frustrating hearing the numbers from others when your's isn't that good. My worst tank was 39.6 mpg but was sandwiched between 64.5mpg & 57.9mpg tanks for a 51.1mpg average. Patience. the numbers will improve.

If all you can get is 40mpg I'd believe you are are driving on unimproved roads, leaving the car on all the time, running on high rolling resistance tires that are underinflated, and driving it like you stole it.

Clips can break. Fasteners can fall off. At least you are getting things fixed on their dime. A speed bump, pot hole, or debris could catch a panel.

I don't remember hearing of any pedals rattling.

I found the bag from the pipe insulation for my lower grill: Frost King 3/8" thick polyethlene tubes packaged as four three foot lengths that fit 1/2" copper or 3/8" iron pipes. They last a lifetime.

Keep us posted. Always good to hear from you.

 

?
If you own a 2013 you don't have a gas bladder.

 

Electric Me,

I was referring to the days when I owned and drove a Gen II Prius, hence the bladder comment.

 

Got it.

 

Spillage: Water is no problem, it could have been much worse if it had been milk!!! Just crack the windows and run the A/C (another reason why my coffee is BLACK and UN-SWEETENED! …and the only thing I allow passengers to consume when travelling with me is water or gin! )
Moisture in headlight: I've noticed that occurring in most of the vehicles I've owned, usually if the weather has been particularly wet, and cold. If it's not too much I think I'd ignore it, but if it's a lot (and only in one of the headlights?) I think I'd point that out to the dealer and give them the chance to explain/fix it.
Window vibration: Obviously they didn't fix it to your satisfaction!
Vent: sounds like it was fixed (just before going-home-time) by the same mechanic who worked on the window.

Don't get disheartened, daisy555

- hope this helps - Wil

 

Ah come on Wil, Vodka is not allowed?

 

…any Vodka goes straight into the fuel-tank! (In fact during my sailing days (previous life) we used to pour a bottle of Vodka into each of the main fresh-water tanks to sterilize the water and remove all the nasties!)

 

I've learned to select "Auto" and let the car sort out what goes where and at what temp (I usually set it to 68º) the idea is to dry the air by removing the moisture, and move the air around with the fan. If there's not too much water, and you have a long extension cord, a hairdryer might also be useful. Good luck! - Wil

 

There is no eating, drinking, or other activities allowed that can cause stains.

After they reassemble your dash make sure the dimmer switch and the vents work.

I don't know why seals in the headlights fail but they do. I suspect the expensive solution to the problem is to replace the headlight assembly.

Here's another fix:

(please don't do this) and this is what you need:

 

Blinker fluid is a classic spoof but it never gets old.

 

Hi daisy555, good to hear you're still alive and kicking, and seem to be sorting your problems. When it starts getting down to the tiny details (…even though I'm a stickler, after all, "…the devil is in the details"). re. your fuel gauge story, I'm reminded of the saying "…If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" - and the 1st corollory: "…if it ain't broke, fix it until it is broke!" - and the 2nd corollory (often used in the Software Industry) "…if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features!) - Wil

PS: It's getting colder, have you blocked your grille yet? …best wishes to Kitzy-Kat!

 

It sounds like your traction control kicked in. It senses when one wheel slips, wheel speed sensors detect that one wheel's speed is faster than the other, and activates the ABS braking system to slow down the wheel(s) to regain traction.

In your case, it was probably a tight, right hand turn under acceleration that caused the sensors to report the speed differential between the outside and inside front drive wheels. Others have reported this happening in tight U-turns.

 

My only advice is to look for and remove loose stuff. Is everything tightened down and in the correct places below the deck?

"If it ain't broke, I can fix that." I'm with Wil on not touching the fuel tank. No good will come out of disassembling a functional part.

Have you found any other local Gen2 owners to share notes with? Is the local SCCA chapter nearby? Their members may have some useful advice. (One of the guys in the South Jersey chapter runs autocross in a Prius.)