New Prius/Four Touring owner here, got some questions

The GPS updates are done by the dealer and cost a lot. They do it through the USB connector.

The Sirius "subscription" will expire and you will only be able to use the one "demo" channel. They won't charge you unless you ask them to.

No apps. to delete. Though you may be able to move them off the main screen.

If you park in a garage, you can leave the windows open an inch or so to let the "smell" go away. It's "out-gassing", and can't be stopped. Sunlight and heat will speed it's loss.

If the GIV is similar to the previous gens., then messing with the A/C system (cooling and heating) will be frustrating. I find just setting it on "auto" and setting the target temperature works best. The system will want to keep "fresh" air moving into the car at all times, for various reasons, your safety is the first one.

Yes, read the owners manual. Then read it again. It should answer your other questions.

As for the dash cam I'll let others comment. The manufacturers sites are a good place to start learning though. Garmin and others.

 

I'd recommend this for the dashcam.

SG9665GC | Dash Cam Talk

I use the generic cheaper, not-as-good-nighttime A118-C version.

 

you should be able to change air flow to floor only, unless they've changed it. also, the upper vents should shut off manually if you want.

 

Bonus: if you set on auto, heat will come from the floor. AC will come from the front vents.

In other words, leave on auto in winter. In summer, manually control it. You'd want to do it manually anyway to minimize AC use. A car gets really hot when parked so even if it is a nice cool 72 degrees, AC will come if left on Auto when all you need to do is air out the car by rolling down the windows.

 

I have the Garmin Dash Cam 20 in two vehicles and am quite satisfied.

 

The 3rd gen had an "EV" indicator. If it is on then the engine is off.

If the car is in "ready" you don't need to worry about battery drain. The car will take care of that. It will start the engine when the battery gets too low and charge it back up. The traction battery keeps the 12V system battery charged. Just don't park in "N" and you'll be fine (P or D with brake applied). Read that manual.

The battery should almost never show full. First, full means about 80% charge, and empty means about 30% charge, unless they have changed it for the lithium batteries. But remember, to make sure there is room in the battery for regeneration the system has to operate it at less than full. Best to not worry about it. The HSD will take care of the battery!

EV range is quite variable and depends on a lot of things, mostly temperature. The "standard" Prius is NOT a "EV", EV mode is just a "bonus". We mostly use it to move the car around so the engine doesn't start and waste fuel. You shouldn't use EV mode to drive as it is not efficient. Probably only about 50% as efficient as using the (warmed up) engine. Losses in charge/discharge and motor generator inefficiencies are the cause of the losses.

No free update that I'm aware of. You can check with your dealer for the definitive answer though. "Dealers may sell for less".

You can get a "Scangauge II" and mount it in the car. It will allow you to display four "gauges" out of many possible. You can then have a "tachometer" if you really want to know when the engine is off, though the "EV" light is pretty good for that. The Scangauge will also allow you to read codes and reset them. It has "X-gauges" for "other things", but it may be a while before someone figures out the codes to get those extras to work. Without the "X-gauges" you can watch 4 out of around 18 parameters, including 12V system voltage, RPM, fuel use and mileage numbers, etc. My car has one mounted on the top of the steering shaft cover. The Scangauge plugs into the OBDII port on the bottom of the dash near the steering shaft. The dealer will unplug it when service is needed but you can just plug it back in when they are done.

 

This dashcam is expensive.

. Of course it includes a nav unit that you don't need, but it does have a magnetic base so its easy to remove.

I've seen those mirror replacement cams on Amazon, but they look cheap and have mixed reviews. I'm not sure, but I believe your mirror has functionality in it. Replacing you mirror won't be a good option.

 

You can either unplug/replug, or leave the wires dangling, which I think looks ugly. Since you have a 4 Touring, you already have an auto dimming mirror. Thus, you should buy a 12V to 5V Mini USB converter, and tap into the 12V that powers your auto dimming mirror and tuck all the wires/converter underneath the ceiling liner. DO NOT tap into the 12V that powers your homelink, because that circuit is powered all the time. Now your camera will automatically turn on anytime your car is in READY mode.

If you don't understand any of this, then just have the dashcam wired as I've described by any car alarm/stereo place.

 

Just what I did. I hard wired my Garmin Dash Cam and it powers up when the car in "on" and hibernates when the car is "off".

 

One thing with the satellite radio, if you do choose to continue after the trial expires, ie: get in touch with them, give the a credit card number, be ready for some push-back if and when you try to cancel. They will try all the tricks, auto-renew against your wishes, for example. I'd suggest to get a temporary credit number for dealing with them, they are pretty oily.

 

Yes. They will try to contact you.

They will do it in the morning, they will do it at night, they will wake you up at 5:00 AM, they will try before you go to bed. They will be relentless and unforgiving in their pursuit of getting you to sign up. However they will never once leave you a message. So if you don't answer unknown numbers, you'll get hounded endlessly for weeks. It's a feature I might have enjoyed, but I find the company's practices loathsome.

 

Hmm. I think the dealer forgot to notify the sat. company. I haven't had a single call or letter. I -think- the system is still working in the "demo" mode too, though I can't be sure. I don't listen to the thing when in the car. I drive.

 

No.

 

Okay.. directing vent air. Yes you can do this manually. The climate control has the AUTO and ECO buttons and A/C buttons on either side. Then the central climate area has 3 toggle up/down switches: Temp, Fan Speed, Air Direction. Its' the 3rd toggle you hit up/down to cycle thru all the standard configurations - chest, feet, chest/feet, windshield/feet, windshield only. You can hit this at any time - but it will cancel out AUTO settings.

As for battery and engine. The engine only comes on if it is needed to move the wheels or add charge to the battery. When you first power-up the car, the engine won't come on unless it immediately detects that the battery must be charged right away. No, the battery is hardly ever "fully charged" since the whole idea of the hybrid is to use the battery as much as possible (thus using the least amount of fuel possible) to move the car.

it will discharge and recharge up/down constantly and decently quickly when you accelerate (discharge) and decelerate (recharges). its' not something i think you need to worry about too much - the car manage that and will even use some gas to recharge the battery if needed if its getting low.

(I saw a video where a lady is camping in her Prius and she just "powers up" the car to help charge her phone or medical euipqment thru the car battery.. if it gets low.. the engine than turns on to help recharge the battery and then turns off when its charged. She calls it the "ideal car" to camp with bc it's an "automatic on/off generator on wheels" for her camping needs. PRETTY COOL technology and idea!!!

Go ahead and search for those "camping in my Prius" video on Youtube