Help! Dealer screwed up my car, again...

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Eclipse1701d, Feb 24, 2013.

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  1. Eclipse1701d

    Eclipse1701d Prius Enthusiast

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    Okay. I am experiencing a loss of power since my last service in my '07 with 97,000 miles. I brought it back to the dealer and they say that there is nothing wrong with the car! Now, when I drive my wife's '07 I feel like she has a Tesla it's so much faster than mine...

    I brought the car in at 95,000 for an oil change, new tires (same as last LRR set I had), wheel alignment, inverter coolant drain and replace, belt replacement, rear brake clean and adjust, throttle body cleaned, and steering column recall.

    Car shows no codes, no lights on dash. 12 Volt was replaced three months ago and checks out fine on MFD Diagnostic screen.

    I drive to appointments in my car everyday and I can tell it's not right. It is much more difficult to get the MPG into the 50's and 60's and I can hear and feel the ICE reving higher and working harder then ever before. My SOC also appears to be taking longer to charge than before... Any thoughts?
     
    #1 Eclipse1701d, Feb 24, 2013
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    1. Check the tire air pressure.
    2. Raise up the rear of the car, release the parking brake, and see whether the rear tires rotate freely.
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, Feb 24, 2013
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  3. Eclipse1701d

    Eclipse1701d Prius Enthusiast

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    Front is a 44PSI, rear 42PSI. I will report back on wheel spin. Thank you.
     
    #3 Eclipse1701d, Feb 24, 2013
  4. Eclipse1701d

    Eclipse1701d Prius Enthusiast

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    Raised up the rear end and the whees spin freely. Stopped and put a bottle of Techron Fuel Injector Cleaner in case something lodged in an injector when they cleaned the Throttle Body. Did not notice any difference, yet.

    I also discovered a barking type noise coming from the Thermos area when I start the car. The noise seems different then the normal sound the pump makes when I turn off the car. Please advise... Thank you!
     
    #4 Eclipse1701d, Feb 24, 2013
  5. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    You say you fitted new tyres of the same type however these will lower your MPG against your old tyres for two reasons.

    One, new tyres take time to bed in "at leased 2000 miles" before the rolling resistance settles down, and old tyres roll better.

    Two, the tyres are larger in circumference than the old tyre so per rotation you are traveling further than with the old tyres. A quick calculation puts this distance difference per mile at approximately 60 yds, so if your doing say 55 mpg on the MFD you have actually gone 1.875 miles further with the new tyres.

    These calculations are based on tread ware difference of only 3/8 of an inch.

    John (Britprius)
     
    #5 Britprius, Feb 24, 2013
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  6. Eclipse1701d

    Eclipse1701d Prius Enthusiast

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    Thanks, John. I am currently on my third set of tires. I've experienced and expected the MPG drop. But, this is definately not the same. The car is labouring to accelerate...
     
    #6 Eclipse1701d, Feb 24, 2013
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    oil level? belt tension? sad how many of these post service complaints we see.(n)
     
    #7 bisco, Feb 24, 2013
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  8. Eclipse1701d

    Eclipse1701d Prius Enthusiast

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    The oil level is to the top dot on the dipstick, cold. The belt is very tight if I push on it with my finger. No play...
     
    #8 Eclipse1701d, Feb 24, 2013
  9. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Did you get a printout that shows before/after settings?
    Do you notice any difference in vehicle stability at highway speeds?

    Maybe the front toe-in is more than in the past, which would yield better vehicle stability at high speed, but also more drag.
     
    #9 Patrick Wong, Feb 24, 2013
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  10. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    Wonder if the Traction Battery is degrading.
     
    #10 JMD, Feb 24, 2013
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  11. Eclipse1701d

    Eclipse1701d Prius Enthusiast

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    Yes, Patrick. Here it is...
     

    Attached Files:

    #11 Eclipse1701d, Feb 24, 2013
  12. Eclipse1701d

    Eclipse1701d Prius Enthusiast

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    That is my biggest fear. I am noticing that when I lift my foot off the gas, then press it again lightly (above 41MPH), the MG's don't act like they used to, or on my wife's '07. The mileage doesn't go up, it stays. I don't know which one it is, but it's like the one MG doesn't disengage like it used to... (I don't have a scangauge, I could just feel the difference and see the difference in the mileage on the MFD.
     
    #12 Eclipse1701d, Feb 24, 2013
  13. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    If you can believe the alignment report then it appears that is not the issue. Front toe-in is slightly improved towards zero, compared to the "before" case.

    I have no further ideas on this subject.
     
    #13 Patrick Wong, Feb 24, 2013
  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    maybe get the spec on belt deflection?
     
    #14 bisco, Feb 24, 2013
  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    that would be quite a coincidence, but possible i suppose. how much have your mpg's dropped?
     
    #15 bisco, Feb 24, 2013
  16. Eclipse1701d

    Eclipse1701d Prius Enthusiast

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    Problem solved! Traded the '07... Purchased a 2013! Lovin' it!
     
    #16 Eclipse1701d, Feb 25, 2013
  17. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    See...this was your dealer's plan all along... :cool:
     
    #17 Patrick Wong, Feb 25, 2013
  18. boppo

    boppo Active Member

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    Patrick, u got a point there. :)
     
    #18 boppo, Feb 25, 2013
  19. 2009Prius

    2009Prius A Wimpy DIYer

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    Imagine this (disclaimer: pure fiction): dealer's boat payment is up; service department does a firmware "update" - move the accelerator curve to "extreme eco" say; now customer experiences lack of power but no codes, nothing is wrong with the car; time to trade it in - perfect.
     
    #19 2009Prius, Feb 26, 2013
  20. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    congrats on the new car, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!all the best, enjoy.
     
    #20 bisco, Feb 26, 2013
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