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mpg decreased a lot after "stay at home"

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by gloriarifin, May 6, 2020.

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  1. gloriarifin

    gloriarifin Junior Member

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    So I have 2016 Prius with mileage around 60k. I noticed late last year my average mpg decrease to around 50. Before it was around 53. I thought it's about the time, because of the mileages and age. So after the lockdown ( I didn't drive it a lot for a month, just a Lil grocery trip 5 miles round trip vs the usual at least 50 miles a day), when I back to work and normal. I noticed my average mpg drop to around 43. Is it normal? Is it because the car not used every day? But there was no dead battery during those times. I know it's less traffics, so of course, the mpg would decrease. But I feel 43 is too extreme?
     
  2. pianewman

    pianewman Active Member

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    How many miles have you driven after the "stay at home" period?
     
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  3. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    Yep - short trips don't equate to good economy. It'll come good once the Pandemic is over.
     
  4. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    I'd take a page from Douglas Adams and "Don't Panic!".
    43 MPG isn't good for a Prius, but sitting for a month and short trips.
    I'd just not worry until your next fill up. See what happens once you start driving more regularly. Hand calculate MPG for entire tanks for a while.
    See whether the MPG improves, stays the same, or worsens.
     
  5. FuelMiser

    FuelMiser Senior Member

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    Couple of things: 1) when cars sit, tires lose air pressure and flat spot. This increases MPG. 2) When the 12V battery sits, it loses volts and needs more recharge from the hybrid battery. I'm not saying this accounts for a 10 MPG drop in your displayed economy, but it will change it some. Don't panic over a single day's MPG. Only worry about it after a complete fill-up (Miles Driven / Gallons Used). Daily MPG estimates by the computer can vary widely.
     
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  6. gloriarifin

    gloriarifin Junior Member

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    around 800 miles
     
  7. pianewman

    pianewman Active Member

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    hmm...sooo...more than one tank.

    Have you checked tire PSI? Are you certain that your driving pattern is similar to before the "stay at home"? Ambient temps are warm enough that MPG should be optimum.
     
  8. husami

    husami Junior Member

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    The biggest issue with the stay at home is the battery draining. I am having the same issue. However, when you drive it for > 10 miles it should start to get back into the average. Check tires and battery state. I use Dr. Prius App and the OBD2 wireless dongle
     
  9. gloriarifin

    gloriarifin Junior Member

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    The tires should be fine. I just did my tire rotation during stay at home, and they checked and filled the tires
     
  10. gloriarifin

    gloriarifin Junior Member

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    I just did oil change over the weekend. While there, I asked them to check the battery. The dealer said the battery still plenty of life left
     
  11. pianewman

    pianewman Active Member

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    I wouldn't trust that they've put the correct PSI in the tires. It's always best to check it yourself, cold tires, in the morning. The general consensus around here is the doorjamb PSI is the MINIMUM, mostly for comfort, and most here put 4-6 pounds more in the tires, for better MPG. You might want to try that.

    As for your battery, a comment like "still plenty of life left" sounds vague enough for me to think they didn't even check it.

    Sorry to sound skeptical, but if you can, post your tire PSI numbers here, and then we can go from there.
     
  12. gloriarifin

    gloriarifin Junior Member

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    They gave me this result

     

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  13. Elt31987

    Elt31987 Active Member

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    Strange how low the voltage and CCA are.
     
  14. pianewman

    pianewman Active Member

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    I don't like those battery numbers, either, but I'm no expert. If this was a "load" test, I don't think that voltage should dip below 12v.

    Hopefully, an electrical expert will post a response.

    (personally, I don't like the inconvenience of a failed 12V battery, and I always replace them proactively. In this case, I'd replace it now)
     
  15. gloriarifin

    gloriarifin Junior Member

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    What is voltage test? When I was at the dealer I mentioned about the battery. And my service advisor told them to run battery test
     
  16. gloriarifin

    gloriarifin Junior Member

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    Do you know what the number range supposed to be?
     
  17. Elt31987

    Elt31987 Active Member

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    CCA should be as close to 295 CCA as possible or higher ( I know it doesn't matter for starting a Prius but could point towards a batteries health. As for Voltage, when your at 12V your battery is around 50 percent charged, so your around 45 percent or so. My battery will stay around 12.4V in between driving 2 times a week in quarantine
     
  18. gloriarifin

    gloriarifin Junior Member

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    What should I do? Bring to the dealer?
     
  19. Elt31987

    Elt31987 Active Member

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    Do you have a trickle/ float charger? And a multimeter
     
  20. gloriarifin

    gloriarifin Junior Member

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    I could buy it if needed