Horrid Gas Mileage?

Yah, it tripped me up for a minute, too. Kinda like one of those trick tests where the first instruction is to not fill in any blanks, but people fill them in anyway.

 

Hey,

here are the big take-homes that i've seen in many previous threads
excerpted from previous posts above, for emphasis:

- a bad battery can also drain the hybrid battery trying to keep it charged. in turn, the engine must run more to charge the hybrid battery, reducing mpg's.

- Short trips can produce really bad numbers due to the fuel being consumed for initial climate control instead of movement. If your trips are under 10 miles, and especially if they're under five, this could be a major issue.
I would add: Getting 26 or 30 mpg wouldn't surprise me. But 18--19? Whoo nellie. I've never seen that in my car.
I'd immediately take a 20 mile round trip and check mpg on the display. Do it in a 'normal way', i.e.: don't climb any mountains, windows closed, heat at modest level (or off, if you're feeling it). If you don't get 44-52 mpg, there's something else wrong that distance!!! That's for my gen 3, but i don't think gen 2's are supposed to be different. If so, not by anything appreciable, since I've never seen that brought up on the boards here.

Also it's notable that this change happened after the oil change..but may not be related if something else happened concurrently of course.

- If the 12V battery is the original (check top/side of batt for a date sticker/tag), it is very likely it needs changed. Please let us know what happens.
I would add: if it's older than four years (certainly if 5 years or older), then it is suspect, per my reading on this site.

PS I never get my oil changed at jiffy lube-type places.
The Prius is such a weird beast under the hood, I don't want them messing anything up.
I'll hazard a guess that some people think it's fine?, since oil changes do not involve the battery or computers...but I do mine at a Prius specialist. I'll do the dealership if necessary. It's not that much more expensive.
One reason: the Iffy Boob folks get very little training before changing the oil. They are NOT mechanics. They are working fast food one week and then...Jiffy Llube/IffyBoob the next. So they can say things that are wrong.
Including: cracking the case to my air filter on my old car.

Another bonus to going to an actual mechanic - they can check and spot looming problems and you can address before they become bigger problems. Brake checks, tires, upcoming service visits - my old mechanic checked and informed for all that stuff included with oil changes.

Good luck - REPORT BACK - am curious what the issue was

- PNB

 

It's not just climate control. even with climate control off, in cold weather the engine needs to run to heat to operating temperature. With climate control on, it runs longer / more frequently though.

 

I've got another gad related question. Driving a new 2017 Prius I rented from dealer as mine has,195k - always thought OR gas was bad or CA gas was great. Now proof. 46 mpg day 1 on all OR gas. 53.2 yesterday on blend of both. 56.1 today on all CA. It's not the terrain as I be seen same with my 2008. 2017 has great tracking for mpg. Thanks.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

both 10% ethanol?