I've been lurking for a short time but wanted to get a first post under my belt. Have been a 3 week ownner of a 2008 Prius, Pkg #6. 198K miles. I replaced the 12V battery just to be safe as it was 4 years old by the date code. I went with the Exide Edge battery (ordered from Rock Auto). My cold weather mpg in 10-15F weather has been 35-37mpg. With a recent "heat wave" in the midwest I am seeing it increase to ~40mpg. So, I am not panicked about overall performance as of yet but will be interested to see if I can get up to 42-43 mpg in the warmer spring-summer months. Using Hybrid Assistant it appears my HV battery is doing OK. All packs/modules appear to be fairly close and uniform in their charge/discharge patterns. I'll keep an eye on this as with the miles on this vehicle that is a concern. Wish I could find a Prolong Charge/Discharge system used. I wouldn't mind getting this set up but considering the overall value of the vehicle I don't see myself paying $700ish. My current concern is the brake actuator. No codes or performance issues but an occassional "bark". Only at idle and only on random days. Any advantage to replace sooner rather than later? I feel I can wait at least until warmer weather to consider tackling this project. My big question is: If I buy used on ebay how do I know that I am buying a good brake actuator (ABS pump) and not simply buying one with the same issues? Anyway, thanks for a great forum with lots of helpful info. Paul.
I can tell you your mileage at those temps is somewhat to be expected. I’m seeing 38-40 average with morning temps in the sub-teens to -5. Last summer June-July I was seeing 50-52 quite frequently by not using A/C whenever possible by Lowering opposite corner windows about an Inch. It creates a nice cross flow breeze that kept the car plenty comfortable in the upper Midwest. I figured not running A/C was worth about 5 mpg. Typically 45-48 was normal with A/C running depending on Wind conditions. My 05 has 270k w Original pack. Actually, issues with the ABS pump are probably very rare and there are tons of good Salvage cars out there. The chances of getting a defective used one is pretty low. iPhone X ?
Welcome to your first post on Prius chat. I share a Prolong setup out here in te Bay Area. Maybe if you let others know where in Michigan you are located, you might have some success getting someone else to go in with you on the equipment . Buying used parts is risky, especially given how important brakes are. Some salvage yards will give you a 30 day warranty, so that might be one avenue. The tough part is to know how many miles have been logged on the part . Good luck.
