Fill up at a 1/2 tank! or pay $159.12

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Catskillguy @ Aug 3 2006, 06:37 PM) [snapback]297435[/snapback]</div>

Hey...I dint say there wuz nuthin' wrong wit bein Italian from Joisey...just cautioned about the likeliehood of a piece nestling next to the <strike>Nestle's</strike> Godiva...

Fuggeddaboutdit awredy.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mdescher @ Aug 3 2006, 06:23 PM) [snapback]297426[/snapback]</div>

That is the reason you are being charged for all that diagnostic work, not because you ran out of gas. You should have stopped immediately and had someone bring you a few gallons of gas before restarting the car.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IsrAmeriPrius @ Aug 4 2006, 02:56 PM) [snapback]297909[/snapback]</div>

No, the question STILL is why the CAR'S COMPUTER claimed it ran out of gas, when it HAD NOT. GAS WAS REFILLED. CAR WOULD NOT START. CAR WAS TOWED FROM GAS STATION.

Or did I miss something here?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Aug 1 2006, 02:12 PM) [snapback]295879[/snapback]</div>

Insanity!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ServoScanMan @ Aug 1 2006, 02:45 PM) [snapback]295910[/snapback]</div>

11.9 i think. I believe toyota has it at their website under specs for the Prius

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mdescher @ Aug 4 2006, 03:08 PM) [snapback]297913[/snapback]</div>

I am confused. Didn't you write that your HV battery was empty and that the car needed to be towed to the dealership? AFAIK, the HV battery supplies the power to start the ICE.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mdescher @ Aug 4 2006, 07:34 PM) [snapback]297970[/snapback]</div>

I've been following this thread from the start and have suspected all along that you have an unethical dealer who is playing a game with false reports of computer readouts. The trigger is being towed from a gas station. Did you see the compuer display? Was there a printout? Has he indeed pulled the same ripoff on the other five cases he claims?

Wonder if you can get chat member TMS USA, who monitors the steering recall thread, to weigh in on this.

 

run out of gas... put in 3 gallons and the car should start right back up.

run battery down by trying to run in EV to next gas station... potential for big bill to recharge HV battery.

did you refuel on an incline? yes, there is indeed an inclinometer and it can be screwed up by filling the gas tank on an incline.

will see what the husband has to say whenever he makes it home tonight.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Aug 1 2006, 02:20 PM) [snapback]295779[/snapback]</div>

One time (coincidently after refueling) the car did something which might be described as "hang-on-startup." The dashboard looked normal except that the READY indicator did not light up. I tried to turn the car off so that I could turn it back on but pressing the power button did not do anything. After trying unsucessfully a couple of times, I tried pressing and holding the power button for about five seconds. The car shut down and when I tried pressing the power button again, it started up normally.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Aug 5 2006, 11:03 AM) [snapback]298259[/snapback]</div>

How many gas stations force the vehicle to park on a significant incline? I've seen this bit about the inclinometer before - and I guess if you have your own barrel of fuel at home where you park on a mountainside... that this may be an issue. And maybe I don't have enough worldly experience in gassing up. Yet after driving half a million miles in 20 US states, and six other countries, I have yet to have an option of gassing up a car while it is parked on an incline. Did I miss all the places with sloped gas stations?

 

DH's analysis of the situation: it's a well known phenomenon known as 'anal rape by dealer'

as in, you got screwed, unfortunately.

the only way to "reboot" the computer is to either disconnect and reconnect the 12v battery, or to reflash it which is covered under the 3/36 warranty, and it wasn't your fault that the reflash was needed.

what you need to do is called "remove boot from service manager's posterior end after insertion for recovery of diagnostic fee and towing fees."

what dealer was this? if this was in his region, he'd talk to the field rep about it but it's not around here. the field rep for this region would NOT tolerate that kind of BS, hopefully the one in your region feels the same. this definitely needs to go over the dealership's head if they're uncooperative.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Aug 6 2006, 11:40 AM) [snapback]298607[/snapback]</div>

they are very rare but they're out there. there's one in green bay, wi near the store where DH used to work. don't know of many around here. all newer construction stations are flat to contain spills- it's been an EPA requirement since the mid 80's.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Aug 6 2006, 09:11 AM) [snapback]298614[/snapback]</div>

Interesting. Thanks for the reply! I'd think you'd want the place flat to prevent roll-aways as well.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Aug 6 2006, 11:40 AM) [snapback]298607[/snapback]</div>

Actually, there was an Exxon station around here (closed about a year ago) where two sets of pumps were on an incline. The incline wasn't parallel to the pumps -- it was sloping down towards the pumps, causing the gas in the tank to tip towards the opening. You could never get to fill up completely because the pump would detect it as being full before it actually was.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Aug 6 2006, 09:11 AM) [snapback]298614[/snapback]</div>

galaxee, you and dh are HYSTERICAL!

Next party youse guys are at...I want an invite, pleeze! B)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mdescher @ Aug 6 2006, 05:13 PM) [snapback]298767[/snapback]</div>

Yet another lie. When you put the boot up the posterior of the jerk whith whom you have been dealing , leave it there for a while. TMS_USA is an active member. See his profile here. I've just messaged him. I know we are not supposed to bug him too much, but this is way beyond absurd, and bordering on criminal.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mdescher @ Aug 6 2006, 05:13 PM) [snapback]298767[/snapback]</div>

Dealer is Northridge Toyota in Northridge, CA

Sounds like for the sake of $160, the dealer is risking bad, bad publicity on a very high-profile Prius website... It's becoming very obvious that people looking to either buy a hybrid, or get their own serviced would be better-off looking elsewhere. Hell, the dealers around here know that people who regularly visit and participate in Prius websites are often more informed than most of the sales staff, and are often nearly as knowledgeable as many of the technicians about their vehicles.

As many others have mentioned, if indeed you run out of gas, you just need to refill the tank and restart the car. There is no lasting damage, and no need to "reboot" the computers through a dealership as they told you. It also does NOT happen to all new Prius owners. I've had mine for coming up on 3 years and haven't had a single issue, especially with the fuel system.

It sounds like they tried to perform some diagnostic routines to see if there was anything wrong with the car, and that's what they're charging you for.

Dave

 

please keep us posted and maybe even mention you are part of a chat board who will all hear the outcome. If anything toyota needs to take the lead here, encouraging the hybrid owners. Sounds like a simple software problem. Keep us posted