Second day with my Prius

not a good idea to overfill the crankcase, a little is ok but i would have it fixed at the dealer

 

[font=Comic Sans MS:6e6863030b]Don't worry about the slight overfill on your oil, that's the way they come from the factory. The thing to keep in mind is that your Prius is well engineered and will protect itself from both high and low battery charge. 70-75 is a little fast to start, but probably won't hurt anything. MPG improves as you learn how to drive the car and the ICE breaks in.

Relax. Enjoy. You're driving the smartest car on the planet.[/font:6e6863030b]

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(yoyoman\";p=\"107886)</div>

IMO, using the cruise control for long drives on a new engine is probably not the best thing to do. The Owner's Manual also indicates long runs at constant speeds should be avoided in the first 500(?) miles.

 

Mud flaps/guards

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(yoyoman\";p=\"107900)</div>

[font=Comic Sans MS:1829d688d2]
I got mine from Metro. Genuine, made-in-Canada Toyota parts. I can't speak to Coastal ETech's guards since I didn't buy them.

Installation is easy, I did it myself.[/font:1829d688d2]

 

I bought my splash guards on eBay for about $40-45 shipped... can't exactly remember, but search on eBay and yee shall find 'em.

I'm averaging 47mpg on my Prius with only 450 miles so far... (I live in California so it's hot + i'm using A/C).

Don't push 70-75, you don't want pre-mature wear on your internals. Try 65.

 

Does the manual REALLY advise against maintaining a constant speed during the first 500 miles?

Considering that the Prius does not have a typical transmission and that the ICE is constantly changing RPM to suit the power requirements - that advice does not sound correct - or even possible.

I only recall the manual said, no hard braking, no hard starts. In other words... take it EASY...

 

and remember no cheap gas!!

Shell, Chevron, or 76 only

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusham\";p=\"107921)</div>

nope

did a search of constant speed and the only time it came up was when describing the difference between series and parallel hybrids.

obtw...besides the owners manual, i also search the Diag, service bulletins, new car features (that is where this reference is from) repair manual and campaigns.

— REFERENCE —
Series Hybrid System
In the series hybrid system, the engine runs a
generator, and the generated electricity enables the
electric motor to drive the wheels. This type of
vehicle can be described as an electric car that is
equipped with an engine-driven generator.
Equipped with a low-output engine, the engine is
operated at a practically constant speed in its most
effective range, in order to efficiently recharge the
battery while the vehicle is in motion.

 

[font=Comic Sans MS:b7f3556356]Yoyo, use the extra screws (which you need to buy) as described on installation threads. The inboard edge of the rear flaps will wave in the wind, otherwise.[/font:b7f3556356]

 

3 screws per mud flap.... no slapping so far.

 

Yoyoman,
Congratulations on your new Prius! Don't worry about the gas mileage on I-25; mine was pretty low when I started first got mine. Yesterday I drove down to Albuquerque from Santa Fe at 80 mph the whole way and got 55 mpg... of course I dropped 2000 feet in elevation. When returning to Santa Fe around 1 this morning I got around 45. Going up La Bajada hill will destroy your gas mileage and drain a lot of your battery if you try to climb it at 80 mph. Don't get me wrong, the car will climb the hill, but the engine noise increases quite a bit. I usually go into the far right lane and climb it at 65 mph if I'm not in a hurry and the car does fine. I also keep the tires inflated at 42 psi in the front and 40 psi in the back. I only use Chevron, Shell, or Phillips gas. The Phillips on Alameda and I-25 usually has pretty cheap gas and it's top tier. Your gas mileage will improve with time as the engine breaks in and you become more familiar with how to drive it.
Happy driving!
Flyingprius

 

What about Exxon Gas...I've heard the Chevron Gas or Shell gives NOTICEABLE improvement in mileage, is that true.., and is it the standard, mid grade or high grade.. and how much gas MPG savings if anybody knows or has done this before??

 

I went and picked mine up yesterday in Duluth, MN - about 150 miles away. On the way home, I started out at about 70mph on the cruise and no a/c in 74 degree weather and watched the MPG hit 49.4 for about 50 miles. Then I went down to 67-68 (after remembering reading these posts about going too fast the first 500 miles) AND the a/c needed to get on cause I think the humidity was about 1000% pct! Then I dropped down to about 47mpg. Still, very happy considering I have heard of much worse for first drives needing a/c.