Most Obscure Prius Facts (Way out there)

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tom_06 @ Nov 28 2006, 12:18 PM) [snapback]354910[/snapback]</div>

Hmmmm, there's nothing in there about driving off with the driver door incompletely closed. That happened to me, and I kept getting a constant beep and a very unhelpful error message. Scared the heck out of me, until I realized that the door open light was on and I closed the door. Glad that doesn't make me an idiot! :blink:

 

The center seat belt in the rear seat can only be fastened to the correct fastener. They are different sizes.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Nov 28 2006, 11:25 AM) [snapback]354795[/snapback]</div>

Au contraire! I don't know how long the safety REVERSE has been used in automatic transmissions, but all the '68 Fords would NOT shift into reverse at forward speeds of more than about 3-mph or so. They just roll along in neutral until speed gets below the threshold.

But the thing is, I would never test this lest my car be the ONLY one that ever got out of the factory with a defective bypass valve (or, in case of the Prius, faulty software).

My buddy read it in the manual and proved it to me. Sure 'nuff, it worked as stated. If I were a betting man, I'd wager a week's pay that no current car will shift into reverse at any speed that would allow it to hurt iteself... but I'm not a betting man. Or woman.

jrc

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kimgh @ Nov 28 2006, 07:44 PM) [snapback]355040[/snapback]</div>

It's only part of the list.

But whoever screwed up the (unhelpful & incorrect) door open message is perhaps a candidate. I used the "idiot" description based upon the somewhat more diplomatic phrasing on the introductory page.

The tech training stuff has lots of good stuff in it and is way more descriptive that the boring old service manual. Definitely worth the $10 admission to the Toyota techinfo site.

- Tom

 

Just thought of another one...

Most new Prius owners do not realize that the rearview mirror is actually double-jointed, so taller drivers can simply grab firm hold of it and push UP to move it further out of their line of sight.

Alternately, the mirror will actually rotate around entirely, which also gives better visibility for said tall drivers. Though I prefer option #1, since the HomeLink buttons stay on the bottom. B)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Nov 20 2006, 07:16 PM) [snapback]352386[/snapback]</div>

Why twice? Once turns on my last selected audio device, and other presses cycle through the other devices.
AM, FM1, FM2, CD.

Dave M.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(GeronimoPFudgemuffin @ Nov 28 2006, 07:58 PM) [snapback]355053[/snapback]</div>

Hmmmm. Wonder what transmission they had in that Ford Falcon (Australian) in Mad Max? It sure was going way faster than 3mph, and I remember reading that even the stunt crew was surprised when the transmission survived that "reverse stop" gig.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dmckinstry @ Nov 28 2006, 11:05 PM) [snapback]355090[/snapback]</div>

You're right, I was wrong. I had admitted to this in an earlier post, and have now edited the original. My public flogging will begin at noon tomorrow.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JackDodge @ Nov 28 2006, 11:21 AM) [snapback]354885[/snapback]</div>

... and, even if they looked (unless they were linguists) they would be unlikely to find it without a link from PriusChat or similar. The index surely wouldn't give it away.

 

Obscure Prius Fact :

With the dash lights on, while shifting out of the null position, the shift lever goes dark. The light for the shift knob does not actually turn off – rather, a blackout cover slides over the light and darkens the shift knob while not in the null position.

The light and the blackout cover can be seen on the lower right side of the shift lever shaft as you move the lever towards the “N†position.

 

Yeah it says like Shift Out of Neutral - Batteries Won't Charge right? Yeah I wonder why that message comes up...


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tom_06 @ Nov 28 2006, 05:04 PM) [snapback]355057[/snapback]</div>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Beryl Octet @ Nov 28 2006, 10:22 PM) [snapback]355094[/snapback]</div>

Oops! I was unwittingly (how else?) engaging in a USA-centric view. I should've said, "All The 1968 US Fords." All bets are off when you jump outside my borders.

Though this reverse safety valving may have been in effect before that year, many of us (ahem!) chronologically-challenged USA-dwellers may remember 1968 as the year the auto industry was forced to pony-up and install seat belts, buzzers, low brake fluid warning lights, key-off steering locks, and a ton of other safety items. At this point, Australia (for instance) may not necessarily have been singing from the same page of the hymnbook.

GeronimoPFudgemuffin

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Nov 28 2006, 07:52 PM) [snapback]355106[/snapback]</div>

Sorry. I just responded as I got to that point in the thread. Anyway I am picking up a lot of new things in this thread. Some things I had already discovered from the owner's manual, and some things just by accident.

Dave M.

 

I don't know if this is an obscure Prius fact, but the lug nuts require a 21mm socket. That will be the one socket you don't have when you're ready to rotate the tires. Also, the lug nuts should be torqued to 76 ft-lbs, which is 103 Nm.

 

This seems to be true on my car anyway: The odometer doesn't round to the nearest mile. It always rounds up. I've never gotten around to resetting trip meter 2, so it's presumably still registering the total mileage. I noticed a while ago when I was switching around that the odometer was higher, but it wasn't until a couple of days ago that I realized it rounds everything up. The trip meter was on 1911.0, but the odometer registed 1912.

Pete

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Nov 29 2006, 02:24 PM) [snapback]355337[/snapback]</div>

Take the tray, stick it in the slot, lower the cover, you get and adjusted height armrest.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Prius Maximus @ Dec 1 2006, 01:38 PM) [snapback]356300[/snapback]</div>

I have those 2 trays here in my office - 1 trapeziodal and 1 rectangular w/ black velvet.
I have no idea what to do with them and I am certainly not going to read the owner's manual!

Here is my obscure fact -

There is no place to store change in the Prius.







(OK - that was an attempt to find out where it is meant to go, see above manual comment.)

 

Well, if sarcasm is allowed, here a couple of my "favorite" features:

1) The LED clock won't run down your battery. Never mind that it's <ahem!> 'CAUSE THE STINKIN' THING WON'T WORK UNLESS YOU TURN THE WHOLE BLOOMIN' CAR ON! (really hoping I'm not missing something here, which would be truly embarrassing, eh-wot?)
You'd think that, with car turned OFF, a simple dab at either of the time-set buttons might light up the LED just long enough to let me see what time it is. Or at least *I* would think; you may not.

2) The CD player is as-above, but worse. The only way to turn-on the CD player is to boot-up the car and LEAVE IT ON. (I think) That means the MFD is assasinating electrons at an alarming rate. I would expect to hit the CD's PWR button and have it come on in some sort of "skeleton" mode, waking up just enough electronics to allow Bruckner symphonies to waft through my speakers. Why else would I haul around a 100-pound Ray-O-Vac if I can't listen to the stereo while I wash the car? But can I? Noooooo way!

I'm sure the above "features" are saving me (or the planet) from some terrible fate. And although I can't imagine what calamity that might be, I humbly thank the Toy engineers for their care on my behalf.

GeronimoPFudgemuffin (who really likes the car, but doesn't understand so many details being "right," while missing so many seemingly-larger points)


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Actual Mileage @ Dec 1 2006, 04:03 PM) [snapback]356382[/snapback]</div>

Well, you're right, but not completely so. You see, even though there's no change tray, all of you can handily store all paper money in my conveniently-located trouser pockets. Need my address?

PS: only 20s and larger, please

GeronimoPFudgemuffin