Most Obscure Gen III Facts (way out there)

If you use the remote as a remote, and click twice, the lights go out.Using the smart key as a smart key, you have to wait 30-40 secs.

 

I'm a newbi....Have the IV version w/Nav system and am trying to locate the tire preasure monitor "Initialize" button...What does the button/Switch look like and precisely where is it located?
OCMan

 

I have an obscure fact which I just noticed... In the 2010 Prius Owner's Manual, the word DEATH is mentioned 99 times.

Anyone scared yet? What a sinister automobile... (okay, maybe not)

 

It's sort of difficult to find, but I'll try to explain.

The Button itself, is a small dished out button underneath the dash, in-line with the steering column. If you'd put your hand on the bottom of the column (palm up) and run your hand directly under the dash panel, you would likely feel it with your fingers. If you have the V w/ At. there's two buttons side by side, the second is the PCS button (Pre-Collision System On/Off).

Good Luck!

David (aka Blind Guy)

 

I counted 98 occurrences of the word "death" in the OM, but there
might have been a few more in there as graphics. This is a great
factoid for my talk at the PA fest this weekend!
.
_H*

 

It's pointed out on page 443 of the manual - see that page, attached below.

 

It's way down there under the steering wheel and it's hard to see.

I had to get down with my knees on the road and then look up under the dash to see it.

 

I guess it only works on the remote/key fob and the second lock via SKS is just a remnant of that feature. I'm not sure why they decided not to program the SKS so it also turns off headlights on second lock.

 

Having read 41 pages, I note that little has written about the behaviour of the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control. So here goes:

• The radar cruise control is marvelous for city (in traffic) and country driving. Set the distance at 1 bar for city and 3 bars for country.
• Be careful when overtaking with 3 bars set. If for any reason you have to pull back into the original lane close behind the vehicle you are trying to pass the Prius thinks you are about to collide with that vehicle and applies severe braking.
• In medium and heavy rain the radar signal gets dispersed and the radar control stops working. Do not panic, it warns you if this happens and will resume radar control when the rain density drops.
• The selected cruise speed is displayed on the screen. Cruise speed can be increased in increments of 1 km/h (a quick flick of the stalk) or 5 km/h (hold the stalk for 2 seconds). Holding it longer than 2 seconds will see the speed altered in 5 km/h increments (50, 55, 60, 65 etc). Yes, the speed is rounded to the nearest 5 km/h.
• The cruise control remembers the speed setting even after you come to a complete stop. After accelerating away from the stop get up to 40+ km/h and flick the cruise stalk up. The Prius will now accelerate to the previous speed.
• When going around a curve the Prius will not accelerate to the set speed if it is below the set speed, instead it will hold the car's speed until the steering wheel is straightened.
• When goiníg around a curve the radar beam will be offset to one side to point to a vehicle further around that curve. I do not know if the antenna is mechanically moved or the results from the radar are electronically filtered.

 

When the Climate Control system is in 'Auto', and ECO power mode is engaged, it will not select bi-level vents; it's either face or floor, but not both.

 

Good point Orf, little has been said about the behavior of the DRCC system.

The bars displayed on the DRCC screen do not represent distances. The distances listed in the owner's manual page 226 are only for 50 MPH. The bars more closely represent seconds, 1 bar 1 second, 2 bars 2 seconds, 3 bars 3 seconds. But it is only approximate, at highway speeds of 70 to 80 MPH I have found 3 bars may only be about 2 1/2 seconds, for example.

On the highway 3 bars is good for following someone, but if you plan on passing you may find the DRCC slows you down to soon at 3 bars. The system needs to be managed and you may find yourself switching following times (bars) depending on circumstances as you drive.

Another thing to remember about the DRCC is that you can not reset it to a lower speed by holding the stock down in the set position and let it coast down as you can a standard cruise control. If you try that it will simply keep dropping by 5 MPH increments as Orf describes above and you will activate regenerative braking and may slow down more and faster than you wish. If you want to reset it to a different speed without using the 1 MPH/5 MPH increments it's easiest to pull the CC stock toward you to cancel then just reset it.

The DRCC is a great system and I use it a lot but it is not a "set it and forget it" system, you need to stay on top of it to get the most out of it.

 

Thanks for the additional info, Tumbleweed. The distance behind a vehicle changes depending upon the speed, so you are correct when you say that the distance seems to be a time interval. The higher the speed the greater the distance.
I have edited my previous post to add two more points that I had forgotten.

 

...Why do you suppose that is??

 

The little holes in back of the window switches on the doors (I think they are handles to close the doors with) have foam pads in them to cover up the screw heads. You can suck them right into you vacuum cleaner hose.

 

On units with NAV, if you turn off the display for nice darkness (press display button, touch 'turn off display'), the voice command button on the steering wheel won't work... nothing happens at all when you press it. In order to use the voice button, you have to first do something else that turns on the display, such as pressing the pickup phone button. Kind of annoying, but definitely an obscure fact.

 

I do not know for sure but I guess it has something to do with outputting air to both floor and head is not the best way to get and keep the set temperature.

 

Seemed like a control issue to me - when I try to control the venting with it in auto, it immediately drops out of auto... guess she figures I don't need her help if I'm picking the vents myself. do not know, seems like a fussy car thing to me.

 

I don't think it is a fussy car thing so much as a automatic vs manual thing. If you have the climate control set to automatic, it controls everything, including the vents. If you start setting things manually, that tells the computer you don't want it in automatic mode anymore. There just isn't a partially automatic mode.

 

This happens because the exterior actuation area is formed by the door oscillator, which is approx. 3ft, from the door handles and the center of the bumper (if veh has the three handle option). The actuation area is made up of a outward (from the handle) half circle.

The door actuation area is not located on the inside of the vehicle.

Once the door is opened the system tunrs off the exterior actuation area and turns on the interior actuation area.