I just got back from the second Prius Workshop that was put on by Sunnyvale Toyota in the middle of their beautiful new maintenance bay and I want to say thank you for setting this all up. They gave a lot of good information and tried their best to answer some hard and interesting questions. Questions/concerns revolved around the Smart Entry System, the main battery, actual MPG vs EPA rating, gas gauge inaccuracy, tires/road noise, XM radio availability, sunroof, availability of the car, etc. I'm glad to see a local dealer trying hard to help educate the general population on the Toyota Prius. Way to go Sunnyvale Toyota!
Smart Entry System If the battery dies in the FOB you can still run the car by using the mechanical key to get in and inserting the FOB in the slot on the dash to start the car. If your x year old throws the FOB out the window while the car is running, the car will continue to run until you shut it off. It will not start again without the FOB present or in the slot on the dash. Smart Entry uses revolving(?) code system so it would be difficult to crack. Main battery Smaller battery that the Classic Prius, with fewer modules. The battery has many failsafe systems built in to protect the driver and rescue workers in the case of an accident. Car will not operate if the main battery fails, since it is needed to start the ICE? The main power cable is orange to help rescue workers indentify it. Sunnyvale rescue teams have been trained in Prius rescue techniques. Actual MPG vs EPA rating The main message here was that Toyota has no control over the EPA testing and they are not allowed to use their own results. Toyota research has shown that the number one reason for low MPG is driving style. I told the group that I'm getting around 50MPG and the biggest killer to me was short trips since the MPG is always lowest while the ICE warms up. Gas gauge inaccuracy Toyota is working on the problem and should have a fix available sometime in the summer. Tires/road noise Make sure that any replacement tires you buy meet the load rating for this car, since it is heavier than other cars using the same tire size. XM radio availability Toyota has this as an option, but the Sunnyvale dealership has not installed any. Sunroof Not expected for this car because of the odd roof shape. Availability of the car Toyota was surprised at the equal demand across the country since the Classic sold mainly in California. They also stated that the demand in Japan is much higher than expected as well. Demand in Europe is very low. EV Button Response was mostly confusion
"Rolling". Boiled down, it means that a different keycode is transmitted by the fob to the Prius' ECU each time you use it. A malefactor "capturing" a transmitted keycode and then re-transmitting it, to break into/start the car, won't work -- the ECU is now expecting a different keycode. So, Toyota will/is offering an XM Radio accessory of their own for the Prius? (Just to be clear -- accessories can be added on at the dealership, as opposed to options like SS/SE, which must be installed at the factory, when the car is built.) Facinating! That also explains why the total number of hybrids in the US is so high in Californina -- all those Classic Prii. (Though there are a heckuva lot of Classics in the North Seattle area -- lots more than '04 Prii, at the moment.) Lots of interesting speculation as to why the car is so popular in Japan (since there are a lot more hybrid options to choose from) and why it's less popular in Europe (more gas-economical options, like the Smart cars?) Thanks very much for summarizing these meetings, VintageBob!! I wish one of our local Seattle Toyota dealers would do something similar!
I wonder if Toyota will retrofit the gas task / bladder fix onto the 2004s If not, all the more reason to wait for a 2005 If it's not a safety issue then I guess that they are under no obligation to do a recall?? Chris
If I were to buy a car in California, and then register it back in my own state, do I still get the Californian longer warranty on things like the battery? Chris
This was discussed and what I remember is that Toyota won't decide on how to the address (letter/service visit, etc.) the problem until they know how wide spread it is. My advice is to let your dealer know if you are having an issue with the accuracy of the fuel gauge now. Don't wait for the fix and then take it in. Toyota needs to know the extent of the problem.
This was also discussed and the Toyota representative felt that Toyota would honor the California Warranty (Don't take this as an official Toyota position though). If you do that, I would keep copies of your purchase documentation for warranty purposes.
