What every newb should know

Great investment.
I'm a tenant in an apartment complex and my car is in the sun all day.
Double Duty post
I'm 80YO and this Prius is my last hurrah. It's my way of voting "Green". Learning a lot about DC circuits and therefore battery research. Nano tech. Multiple disciplined Life Long Learning. Also was a programmer for 26 years so keeping up with my profession

BTW, just viewed PIRATES OF SILICON VALLEY. Gates said to Jobs, it's the software Steve. One instruction can doom a whole installation. Needs lots of manual monitoring, like this forum. Industrial sabotage =. Bottom line of Capitalism.

E=M x Csq.

 

all to beginning to end.

 

I notice you reference the 2004-2009 prius with these suggestions. How does the 2010 model compare- thanks

 

I'm 80YO

Wth

 

thanks for the info

 

what newbies should know....how do i post a new thread? I just
bought a 2010 prius ii blue ribbon metallic... Has 13,000 + miles..
Drove it home 90 miles and showed 50.9 mpg... I looked at several
cars before picking this one... I have questions....i read lots of
threads on the prius chat, but can't find any place to write my
own.... Would appreciate any help you can offer

 

Hi and Welcome to PC,

1. from the top orange colored toolbar click on Forums http://priuschat.com/forums/
2. on the drop-down list click the appropriate discussion forum (eg. 2010 Toyota Prius)
3. From all the 2010 Prius forums list - click the topic / category that is applicable to your new post subject matter - eg. Gen III 2010 Prius Fuel Economy
4. click on button top 1/3 of the screen to the left side

Good luck and have fun,
Gabe

 

great info

 

Thanks for the valued info, I just bought my first used 2004 Prius and plan on using it for delivering. I run about 200 miles a day 6 days a week and took a gamble on this purchase. Got a decent deal cause it was high mileage 121,000 mls and rated 94 on AutoCheck but as we know this does not cover vehicle maintenance. It was a local new purchase and one owner.

I will be using this site a lot I think.

 

:welcome:
You can find good maintenance info at:
https://auth.toyotaownersonline.com/Owners/ssl/nonauth/registration/registration.do
http://www.edmunds.com/maintenance/select.html?zip=28791

Good reading in addition to Prius Chat:
CleanMPG, An authoritative source on fuel economy and hypermiling
John's Stuff - Toyota Prius and more
:rockon:

 

thank you,,,lots of questions,,,

 

thanks for the info....it all helps

 

SISSIES! I have scienticifically tested the blinking -- there are actually two phases -- slow blink and faster. I believe the formal daffynitions are:

Slow Blink: Think about buying gas, especially if on the interstates (where stations are 20 or so miles between, or too expensive).

Fast Blink: Better fill er up in less than 50 miles!

After the Faster Phase kicks on, you still have "about" a gallon left. I have researched this "randomly" but with consistent results. (I know that sediment and moisture can be issue, but only happened 2-3 times; not like Kramer from Seinfeld -- remember when he was test-driving a car w/the sales guy?!). Have found that the tank refill, plus the "reserve" gallon, magicially adds up to the capacity of the tank! Not great if you are far from gas station, and yet, knowledge is POWER.

 

ok...a newbie who has a newbie question

Bought our new Prius Monday. I think my main concern is battery waste. Traffic in our fine town can suck at time, especially at the bridges and tunnels. They can be backed up for miles in the afternoon. Even though I am not part of that commute, at times you have to travel that way. Also,I attend Redskin football games ( no jokes please). There it is not unusual to sit for some time waiting to get out. Am I right to assume the best thing to do is leave it in drive with my foot on the break while waiting to move....or should I leave it off completetly ?

 

Re: ok...a newbie who has a newbie question

As a Prius 2010 owner for a year and a few months, I think you'll find that if you are stopped the car will appear to shut off, so you'll not be using the battery or at least using very little of its power. So I suggest that you simply keep it in drive with your foot on the brake.

 

Shifting into Neutral

I share two experiences for others to learn by:

1. While driving on a freeway, my new 2010 Prius appeared to lose power, so I coasted to a stop. Only then did I realize that I must have inadvertantly pressed the shift lever into neutral. I think that I had the DC power cord for my iPhone draped over the shift lever with my iPhone laying on the console just below the shift lever.

2. When using a drive-through car wash the attendant directed me to place the car in neutral. I kept tapping the lever over to the "N" position but my Prius was determined to stay in drive. The attendant reached in and held by shift lever left in the neutral position for the required few seconds (and no doubt wondered about my competence). I later read in the manual, "Keep the shift lever in "N" for a while after you shift it to that position." So tapping the lever to the left, even doing so repeatedly, is futile.

 

Re: ok...a newbie who has a newbie question

Bridges and tunnels, eh? Either NOVA or Tidewater, I assume.

Schafer49 is partially right ... for certain conditions. In mild weather without the cabin control running, there is minimal battery power consumption. But there is some consumption, even with all electronic devices off, so if you're sitting in a five-mile backup on the Beltway or approaching the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, the ICE (internal combustion engine) likely will light at some point(s) to recharge the battery. And once you get past the stop-and-crawl, the ICE will run harder to bring the battery back up to its optimal charge.

In mid-summer with the AC running hard, the discharge rate is considerably faster, so expect the ICE to light considerably more often. In mid-winter with the defroster running, it might run continuously. So if I'm in a traffic jam in these conditions, I do what I can to avoid running climate control: windows open in the summer (until the heat becomes unbearable) and bundling up in the winter. I also crack the windows as needed in the winter to provide natural ventilation to help clear a foggy windshield.

These are near worst-case scenarios for fuel economy, for any car. If you're concerned about fuel economy, however, take comfort in knowing that you're still getting better FE than virtually any other car on the road. The Prius is one of the few whose ICE routinely shuts off in normal driving.

Meanwhile, if you're worried about the battery's health, don't. The car goes to great lengths to protect the battery from excesses of either charging or discharging. In other words, to directly answer your question (after a long-winded preface), just drive it.

 

I operate a lube shop and every once and awhile a dealer throws me a curve I have not seen before. I changed the oil on an '06 prius and it stalled for the customer short time later in a fast food drive thru. Oil was full. she towed to dealer and was told it was 1/10 of quart over full and that caused it to stall. $400. Really? I service these vehicles weekly and have not had an issue. What are the other possible causes?

 

As a new owner (3rd day) of a 2010, I thought I had found THE thread for a newbie but, alas, after sifting through 40 pages of "thank you's", questions from other newbie and potential owners, and off topic entries, I think a full edit by a moderator is sorely needed (on a rainy day of course).

This thread should be limited to owners listing the good and not so good things they have learned while living with their Prius'es. Questions should be asked in new threads. With some simple moderation, this thread could easily be MUCH shorter and the mother of all stickies!!!!

In keeping with the spirit of my request, I must add some "signal to the noise" with some things I've quickly learned the hard way.

I turned the headlight switch from "auto" to "off" while the car was powered on and parked in the driveway so I could play with NAV system. I turned the power off and while getting out of the car I switched the headlights back on the auto position. Yes, you guess it. They remained on after the usual one minute cutoff. Luckily, my neighbor came to the door to inform me.

The other thing I've embarrassingly discovered is that the switch for the solar panel/vent is only selectable while the car is powered on. I pushed it in/on while leaving the car that was all ready powered off and later I came back with a co-worker to proudly show off this great feature. After sitting and beginning to sweat a bit inside a closed and very hot car in the 93F afternoon sunshine, we both concluded it wasn't on! :embarassed::nono: