What every newb should know

Sorry to post here. Brand new. As a noob...do I lack the ability to start a new thread?

 

Nope. Just go to the forum where you want to start the new thread and click the "Post New Thread" button near the top right. There will be a delay of up to several hours before you see it because the first few posts by new members need to be moderated. This is because we were recently almost buried by a spammer. And welcome to PC!

 

thanks. it seems it WAS the case, however. Until I commented on a post...and that comment was approved, I wasn't allowed to make a post.

 

That's never been the case before that I know of. @Tideland Prius can tell us when he gets a chance.

 

So I'm considering buying a used Prius, and I've seen stuff online that they're supposed to be really reliable and such...but my sister claims that her mechanic boyfriend's shop won't work on a prius because they require 2 years of training. I thought that didn't sound right so I'd ask some place with experience in ownership if I'm really gonna pay out the nose for anything more complicated than an oil change or brake pads.

 

Welcome. Tell your sister's boyfriend that many of us here work on our own Prii ... on those rare occasions when they need work. Regular maintenance is almost the same as in other cars except not as much of it.

That said, they have some differences, but I think they are pretty easy to read about and there aren't any secrets that require going to a Toyota school -- not that the school wouldn't help. And some of the repairs can get expensive, but are still comparable to the nearly inevitable automatic transmission repairs in other cars. There are also lots of hybrid specialty shops that charge less than Toyota dealerships. Many of them, because they specialize in hybrids, are at least as competent as the dealer shops. I recently had the air conditioner compressor replaced with a used one in my 2013 for $300, parts and labor.

 

Thanks. I'd figured that since I'd seen YouTube videos on how to replace your battery pack yourself that surely it couldn't be that much of a deathtrap to try to diy so long as you appropriately disconnected the hv battery before working on anything electrical. I've not been much for wrenching on my own cars, but it's probably time I learned anyway, since I won't be able to get my dad to do it for me forever.

 

I am going to separate maintenance and repair. Any mechanic will be at home doing maintenance on a Prius. Very little is at all different, and with the exception of Brake work where you need to bleed the brakes, it is also easier. (Body shop work, like maintenance, can be done at any shop)

I would want a trained mechanic for repair. Much of the repair work will be unique to the Prius. Interpreting codes and diagnosing the underlying failure will be key to correct repair. That said, I have not needed repair.

 

Just bought a 2019 Prime Plus yesterday (Titanium Glow, no options) and super glad I found this chat site before I negotiated my deal to take advantage of the July rebate. If anyone in the SF Bay Area is one the fence on this the last day, I had a good experience and got a good deal at Stevens Creek Toyota. My sales guy Matt Behbood, who was low pressure and very knowledgeable and professional. Look forward to learning the ins and outs of this cool car.

 

Welcome and congratulations. You'll really benefit from some time perusing the manual. I downloaded the pdf version from Toyota so it's easier to look up stuff plus I then have it on both computers, the phone, and the tablet. And there's a ton of good reading in the stickies here on PC.

 

Thanks, Jerry. That’s great advice and I’ll download the pdf, also.

 

You can get an inverter. To plug in. I certainly would Never use a direct connection, because it shoots energy (for lack of better words) intermittently to the phone, which is bad for your phone. (Mine was an Iphone). So I installed an inverter that also has a usb plug, that has surge protection.

 

I just bought a 2013 V Five today. It's from the original owner. She kept religious service records. Serviced every 5000 miles. I'm new to the hybrid lifestyle. Heck, this is my first Toyota, period.
There is something I'm a little confused about. My car is a V 5 (the integrated fog/driving lights were standard and not an option on the 2 and 3), but my car has the 16" wheels, and I thought 17's were standard on the 5. The original owner sprang for leather seats, but no other options. Regardless, at just over 101,000 miles, it's in excellent condition and I snagged it for $9000.

 

17 " wheels (and tires) are standard on a Five, but you could swap them for 16" wheels to get better MPG. Some previous owner may have done so. 16 " tires will also be cheaper when you need new tires.

 

As it turns out, the seller included the original window sticker along with all of the maintenance documentation. I have a 2, not a 5. So the 16" wheels are standard. Two wheel covers are missing, and following the advice of posters in other threads, I'm going to ditch them in favor of a set of genuine Toyota 62mm center caps ordered off of eBay.

The one thing I'm kind of miffed about is that when she chose to add leather seats (for $1600), she didn't get a power driver seat, it's just a 4 way manually adjustable seat. It's not anywhere close to being as comfortable as the driver seat in my 2017 Nissan Altima.

I'm going to look into improving the audio system, too.

 

Is this a legitimate shortcoming of the prius or a problem with this specific car? Do the plugins in the prius not charge cell phones? I rented a couple last year and I thought I could charge my phone

 

In the Gen 4 the USB is designed for USB stick audio or perhaps light charging. The Prius has a Qi charger on some trim levels.

 

I can't say for sure, but I'd assume the regular Gen 4 is like the Prime and my Prime charges my iPhone 8+ just fine with USB. As for the Qi charger, it won't reach through a case that's think enough to actually protect the phone nor will that kind of case on one of the Plus phones fit down flat into the Qi charger.

 

It is. My Trim 2 does not have the charger but seems OK on my iPhone. I remember some complaints from others though. I think some Android phones want a higher charging current than the car is designed to provide. The manual does not say you can use it as a charge port.