Hi all, Been lurking on the site for the past month. Traded in a 05 Honda Accord Hybrid for a 08 Barcelona Red with package 5. Have already added the EV mod, mud flaps, and body side molding. Windows will be tinted this weekend. Average mileage is 52.8 for the past 1,400 - 22 MPG more than I was getting with the Accord. Just changed the oil with mobil 1 synthetic, waiting to see if the mileage will change - but I doubt it. Take care, GT
Hello,Hi,Howdy, Been thinking “Prius” for some time, mostly when I’m gassing up my Blazer (14 to 18 mpg) ! Four weeks ago I bought a 2010 Winter Grey Prius Four with 105,000 miles from a private party. Before completing the deal I had the nearest Toyota dealer do an inspection which no faults, except a weak auxiliary 12v battery and worn wipers, were found. I then had the dealer replace the battery and wipers and change the oil, trans fluid and coolant. Also spark plugs. The only other problem was the nav/radio which is now at HighTech in Van Nuys. After driving about 1500 miles The Prius is getting 50,3 mpg. Looks as though I’ve burnt half a pint of oil. The car has some cheap “Le Mans” tires which I”ll keep through the summer. I find the car comfortable and surprisingly responsive, It handles gusty crosswinds well but rough highways not so well. Maybe a front strut tower rod would keep the geometry and car in line better. It corners well considering the tires. Climate control works well but the weather is mild right now, will it be up to a New Mexico summer ? We’ll find out. The dashboard is informative but where are the oil pressure, coolant temp, tach gauges? I’ve owned a lot of different vehicles, I raced in vintage events for twelve years with a Jaguar XK140 and a couple of 1920s cars. I’m looking forward to 100,000 miles in a Prius, so far I’m enjoying it.
Follow up to my first impressions: The week following the dealer’s inspection and service I found the washer reservoir almost empty, it took 7/8ths of a gallon, a panel loose under the car and something else - but I can’t recall what! So lost any confidence in that dealership. HighTech returned the radio/nav and I reinstalled it and it works just fine. XM is erratic, comes and goes, I assume that is it’s nature and not an antenna fault. I installed the ScanGaugeII and set it to show”RPM, traction battery temp, coolant temp and aux battery volts”. Can’t believe oil pressure or oil temp is not available. But maybe I should monitor inverter temp. I mounted it to right above the steering wheel. I have installed Lasfit low beam LED bulbs, a huge improvement, and they give the correct cutoff thereby not blinding other drivers and a wide angle of light. Driven about 3000 miles and used half a quart of engine oil. Looking at the headlamp units, it looks as though there is a line of 5 LED bulbs above the headlights and below the parking light - what am I seeing? Enjoying my Prius.
Oil Pressure is a digital yes/no sensor, so not more info than that is available. In the summer, you may wish to follow intake air temp in F, I found my gen 2 really rose above 95F outside. (15 degrees hotter than outside air)
