Hello, Just bought a 2012 Prius 4 with the Technology Package. It has 40,000 miles and I am ready to see what this thing can do. Anyone have anything I should check for out of the gate? I need to go get the 40,000 mile check from the dealer. The navigation is pretty hard to figure out, everything else is pretty straight forward. What can you all tell me that I NEED TO KNOW? So far my first commute into work was pretty awesome. Anyone take off the hubcaps and just roll the black rims? Thanks Travis
Welcome! Here's a nice guide from @john1701a. John's Stuff - Toyota Prius User-Guide Also the stickies here: Gen 3 Prius Main Forum | PriusChat
The thing I needed to know when I first bought my car is the Prius has a Park button instead of a position on the shifter. In my first few weeks of ownership, I often tried to figure out how to put it in park before I remembered park was a button.
Did you get the Owner's Manual and Warranty/Maintenance Booklet? (If not, pdf's are available online, from Toyota Techinfo) The 40K maintenance is basically oil/filter change plus tire rotation. There's also sundry "checks" which will not be done, and are kinda pointless. There's mention of a filter change: I would do that yourself, and ONLY change if warranted. Check the maintenance history if possible, but if it's not evident they've been done, transaxle fluid change and brake fluid change are both worth considering. @NutzAboutBolts has videos on DIY for both, pinned at top of the 3rd gen Maintenance sub-forums. Neither service should cost over $100 at dealership, and with both they may or may not be competent to do them. A lot of members here have hit walls of indifference/ridicule/gouging from dealerships, on slightly out-of-the-ordinary items like these, not listed in US maintenance schedule. And both are cheap and relatively simple to do. With black rims? I would leave the hub caps on, lol. It took me 4~5 days to figure out how the touch lock/unlock was working, lol. Luckily it was intuitive, worked in spite of me.
The 'B' on the shift lever is for "Engine Braking" Use it on long downhills to avoid riding the brake pedal to keep the speed under control. OR, set your speed in the Cruise Control. It will also invoke engine braking to keep the speed under control.
Welcome! The adaptive cruise control ROCKS! Just be careful when it gets down to about 27 MPH or thereabouts -- it will turn itself off with a pretty quiet beep which is not much notification. You'll need to take control at that point. The ACC in my Subaru will go to zero and do stop/go driving, so it is definitely something I have to remember with the Prius. Also, if driving conditions do not permit ACC, remember that you can use regular cruise control.
Travis, first figure out what you bought. Here's the 2012 brochure: http://www.auto-brochures.com/makes/Toyota/Prius/Toyota_US%20Prius_2012.pdf For 2012 the only package available on the Four was the Deluxe Solar Roof Package. The moonroof is pretty hard to miss. The only package available on the Five was the Advanced Technology Package.
But to add to this discussion you don't need to use the Park button when you are shutting the car off. Pushing the Start button will also engage Park. Use the Park button if you leave the car "running" and want the car to stay in position with your foot off the brake.
They should label that button START/STOP. Yeah, can't remember the last time I used the PARK button. Or ECO or PWR.
Yes, ride your brakes on long mountain downgrades until the regen battery is full. Then use engine braking. Calipers are only being worn after regen battery is full. My 2012 has 140K miles w/ zero repairs (not even a brake job). Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
If you know you've got an extremely protracted and steep downhill stretch ahead, I would proactively switch to B at the outset, rather than wait till battery is full. That'll happen fast, either way. I only switch back to D if there are ocassional near-level zones, where you would otherwise need to give gas. The object is to forestall the car having a full charge and using friction brakes only, as long as possible.
We sold our 2008 with 163K miles and ZERO problems. It was never in the shop for anything beyond scheduled maintenance. Brakes were still original and in good condition. As a reference I spent $300 having the brakes done on my 2005 4Runner with 63K miles. We bought a 2015 Prius.
You are supposed to do routine inspection and relube of brakes, every 3 years or 30K miles. Or is that so last century?
