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'08 vs '05 mileage

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by greenjack, Jun 18, 2008.

  1. greenjack

    greenjack New Member

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    Hi guys. I just purchased an '05 Prius, but not new to it. I've been driving an '08 for the past 5 months and have been averaging 52mpg. By the time I hit the last block when it begins to blink I am right at about 500miles. With current gas prices, we decided to sell the truck and found a very clean '05 (with the stickers) at a little over 100,000 miles. The first thing I noticed with the '05 is that I am averaging 43mpg with the same driving style and route. The dealer showed me that on their computer the car was serviced with them throughout the previous ownership, so it was well taken care of. By the time I hit the blinking block, I am at 380 miles.

    Can someone help me with this? The dealer looked at it and said there's nothing wrong. Has anyone experienced deteriorating mpg overtime? Thank you for your time.
     
    #1 greenjack, Jun 18, 2008
  2. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Tyres, tyre pressure, park brake, wheel align, oil level, oil grade, fuel in car, um that's all I can think of for now.
    Find the search function in the top left corner of each page of PC.
     
    #2 patsparks, Jun 18, 2008
  3. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Depending on many factors it is common to hit the blinking pip at about 380 miles. I usually only get about 380-420 before refilling at 2 pips but I get almost 10mpg better than you did on that tank. My car is one of those tht even after driving down to 1 pip I can still only put no more than 9 gallons in the tank.

    Read up on the "how to get better mpg" threads and practice your driving and route selection and the milage should come up. There is no reason why an '05 cannot match the milage of an '08. :)
     

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    #3 F8L, Jun 18, 2008
  4. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I apologize for not catching the first part of your post where you mentioned driving an '08 for the last 5 months. If all other factors are exactly the same then maybe something is indeed wrong with the '05 you have. Have you done the obvious things like check the alignment, tire pressure etc?
     
    #4 F8L, Jun 18, 2008
  5. greenjack

    greenjack New Member

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    Alignment was supposedly done by the dealer right before I made the purchase because new tires were needed. Oil level is accurate. I'm using the same type of gas, the route is exactly the same, both cars are running at 40psi, and my driving style has not changed.

    I'm really perplexed to this and the dealer does not know. I'm suspecting it might be the battery, but how can one go about troubleshooting this? I've done the search, but I have not found any similar issues. Any help is much appreciated.
     
    #5 greenjack, Jun 18, 2008
  6. jlowen

    jlowen Junior Member

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    I don't know if it's relevant, but my 2006, which I believe is rebadged 2005 (bought in December 05) gets Avg 41mpg (Summer -air conditioning) and 45mpg (winter). I'm in Washington DC and I drive normally not to slow or fast.
     
    #6 jlowen, Jun 18, 2008
  7. greenjack

    greenjack New Member

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    I'm just out of ideas as to why the mileage is so off between my '08 and my '05 Prius. The route is nearly identical and all conditions of the car are accounted / checked for. Anyone?
     
    #7 greenjack, Jun 20, 2008
  8. tesla440

    tesla440 Junior Member

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    Assuming that you checked all of the stuff above I would start by eliminating the battery or engine.

    I would do the engine stuff first since that's stuff that most people can do themselves. I would put in new clean air filter, plugs and wires with dielectric grease on the sparkplug wire connections. After that I would check the O2 senor to find out when that was changed. Typical no one changes the O2 out until they fail completely & the car is running rough.

    I personally am leaning tward the engine stuff more since electrical stuff normally works or it doesn't work. Not that it decreases slowly over time. The only thing that I would have the dealer check is the 3 phase battery for driving the main electric motor.
     
    #8 tesla440, Jun 20, 2008
  9. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    I distantly remember someone mentioning that in '06 when some other work was done (badging, headlights/taillights, hi-res MFD) Toyota worked on the computer algorithms. Personally, I have always felt that some of the owners of newer-model Prii have an easier time hitting 55+ mpg than I did "out of the box." Of course, that could just be personal.

    Perhaps you can see it as your personal challenge to bring that mileage up. Inflate those tires, pulse and glide, and see what you can do with it!
     
    #9 TonyPSchaefer, Jun 20, 2008
  10. greenjack

    greenjack New Member

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    Here's my latest observation:

    '05
    *last block - 412.2 miles driven
    *last block blinks at 435 miles
    *screen shows mpg at 47

    '08
    *last block - 532 miles driven
    *last block blinks at 570 miles
    *screen shows mpg at 59

    my route is the same, driving style is identical, tire pressure is the same @ 40. I am going into the dealer next week. Any further assistance is greatly appreciated.
     
    #10 greenjack, Jun 25, 2008
  11. ranchogirl

    ranchogirl New Member

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    The 10th digit of your VIN number will tell you for sure. If it's a 5, it's a 2005, if it's a 6, it's a 2006. VIN's don't change so your 10th digit will tell you for sure. (I work in the auto industry - specifically, with title work)
     
    #11 ranchogirl, Jun 25, 2008
  12. rickasmith98

    rickasmith98 New Member

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    I have an '05 and found that I get 44 mpg pretty consistently, no more no less. If it's colder weather, my car gets a little less as it seems the gas engine is the only way to generate heat. Had no idea anyone was getting that much better with the 08 models.
     
    #12 rickasmith98, Jun 25, 2008
  13. Flying White Dutchman

    Flying White Dutchman Senior Member

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    wy dont put those new algoritmes into the pre 2006 models
     
    #13 Flying White Dutchman, Jun 25, 2008
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