O.K....so my wife and I aren't very 'high tech' people. We've never had a car with so many standard electronic features, and the manual was a bit unclear on this one: Our indicator light for the theft deterrent system stays on ALL the time when the car is shut down, whether the doors are locked or not. I think this is a way to scare off would-be thieves whenever the car is unattended, so it flashes constantly. My wife thinks the indicator light should go off after a time period (30 minutes...an hour...) and that the flashing could take its toll on the battery charge. (by the way...first 'joy ride' on day one yielded almost 50mpg! Awesome!)
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(scottw07071961\";p=\"81072)</div> Welcome to the wonderful world of the Prius. The indicator is nothing to worry about. It doesn't draw much from the battery. In fact I did a check of the battery drain on a 1st gen and 2nd gen Prius. The 2nd gen ( 04> ) only draws about 12-18ma. This is the lowest reading I have ever seen on any Toyota in the years I have been here. So don't worry about the light draining the battery, :wink:
It stays on for 30 seconds then flashes to tell you it's armed. A flashing light such as that won't drain the battery.
Actually, most theft deterrent systems have flashing lights once armed. Lets the thief know he better not mess with your car, though these days, many cars have blinking light dummies.
Thanks Dan, Rick and Tideland. I'm sure I'll have more questions over the next few days and I appreciate the feedback. I got 54.7 mpg on the way to work this morning (9 miles) and it was 37 degrees (F) out here in Waukesha County, WI. WOW! And I haven't even gotten 200 miles on the car yet! I'm really happy in my new Pri!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DanMan32\";p=\"81494)</div> This is why I want Rattler to put out a SS/SE-compatible alarm, so when someone taps the car it'd let them know there *is* an alarm, and I wouldn't have to go through broken window replacement when someone decided the current light is a fake. SS/SE-compatible, since it'd suck to have another fob to carry around. Maybe it's time to try again to get someone to build one. Can't recall if I ever heard back from them last time I tried...
Yeah, it would be nice if car alarms (stock) nowadays come with a beeper to tell you someone tapped the window or sth. It's also works if someone wants your car to move and can tap the window to get your attention.
I don't usually have good luck with aftermarket alarms. When I have them in the shop,some of them just go off for know reason,echoing thru the shop. I would stick to factory alarms any day, :lol: . This is just my opinion tho.
