3 weeks, 1 check engine light and learning to get 50+mpg

First and maybe most important. I had a DUH moment of enlightenment today about getting my MPG up where it belongs. I've watched the video that stresses watching the horizontal bar graph and have been running near the ends of the "ECO" region. Having done this for a couple tanks and getting 46 indicated, 43 calculated I was getting depressed. While crawling along trying to get my MPG up, I suddenly realized that I'm trying to maximize MPG not time spend in certain regions of the silly bar graph.... So I started paying much more attention to the instantaneous MPG gauge. I found that accelerating to speed at the top of the ECO region of the bar graph, lift off the throttle then reapplying throttle to keep the MPG over 50 had me traveling at higher average speed and better MPG. Car is sitting outside at 58mpg after a 45 mile highway drive home @55-65mph... there is hope.

After heading out this afternoon I got a check engine light @ 1290mi. Got on the phone to my trusty local yoda stealership. After about 10 minutes on the phone I was informed that there was no way they could scan my codes today. So after a rather curt "OK, thanks, I'll find someone that can" I stopped at a conveniently located AutoZone they ran the codes, printed me a report and sent me on my way at no charge with a smile in less time than I had spent on the phone with the stealership. Codes are emissions, guess I'll wait to first service to get them checked out(yes, the gas cap is tight). Funny thing is I ordered a Scantool LX just before I left the house. Looking forward to more instrumentation!! My Tacoma that's still in the driveway has 280k on the clock and has never had a check engine light, a valve cover off, has never stranded me and has led many a friend into the toyota fan club.

Otherwise, I'm a happy Prii owner. Car rides and drives very nicely. Has lots of useable space. Not crazy about the solid light interior color tho. I probably drive 80% of the time on 75mph roads and many of them are 2 lane, so I do tend to haul the bacon. It's rather flat, just a slightly rolling terrain. Hoping that as I learn I can find 50MPG @ 70+mph.