My 2018 Prius Three is draining gas FAST

I've got hand-written records from 5th March 1974. Sadly the logbook for my previous 2 cars disappeared, as has my first VOLVO 164 . Since Feb 1993, they've been on spreadsheets. So I can come up with DATA like this:

 

Wait! You said, you are "not concerned about MPG" and "never charted the mpg" but somehow you know the calculated MPG of your PRIUS? If I am correct, in order to come up with calculated MPG, you have to have record of miles driven and gallons of gas put into the car, that I would think requires at least some of your conscious efforts on record keeping.

 

Another thought, after a half hour drive not at highway speeds, stop and feel each wheel, near the center, they shouldn't be hot, just a little bit warm.

 

Man, just got through reading through this "Saving Private Ryan" thread.
I think you just keep it simple.

1. Don't Panic.
2. Refill the tank to full.
3. Reset trip A, Trip B. (When I drove my Prius, I would reset Trip A, every fill up, to know how many miles I had driven for that tank)
4, Note starting Odometer mileage-at start of tank.
5. Drive. Drive until you are down to 1 pip or less. Don't refill it at 1/2 a tank, 1/3rd a tank or even 1/4 a tank. You want to be SAFELY as close to an empty tank as possible. 1 pip and check DTE...distance to empty, would be safe, and also you'd be closer to filling up a true empty tank.
6. Refill to click shut off. Note Odometer mileage at this refill. Note number of gallons filled. Divide number of miles driven between fill ups, by amount of gasoline added. Actual mileage for that tank is result.

All the OP's screen shots suggest she IS getting good mileage. But if she's refilling at 1/2 a tank, 1/3rd a tank? She is not getting mileage results for how far she can go on a full tank.

7. See #1. Calculate actual mileage. In the meantime, ignore all the bells and whistles software telling you how great you are doing. I'd do this for at least 2-3 tanks. Following same protocol for each tank.I'd ask for paper receipts, should show amount of gas pumped. I'd write down distance drove between fill ups on back of receipt. I'd keep....IF there turns out to be a real problem, these receipts will help you make your case to the service department.

If after 2-3 tanks..you're hand calculated gas mileage isn't good? Then go armed with the receipts, to your dealership and have them check it out. You have bought a brand new vehicle with a brand new vehicle warranty. Part of having that luxury is to deal with potential problems if they unfortunately manifest. IMO...even a Prius and a Toyota isn't totally immune to the potential of a problem. The great thing is you can have it fixed if needed for free.

Don't worry or feel bad about "I thought Prius were suppose to get great gas mileage"....YES they do. But I don't think anyone has determined/comfirmed you aren't getting good gas mileage, and even a Prius might have a problem causing MPG loss. This could be as simple as a misunderstanding of what you are seeing on your gauge. If you are filling up routinely early and NOT doing hand calculations of the MPG? Then we just don't really know what is happening.

* Personally, I'd want hand calculated MPG for at least 3 maybe 4 full tanks before I would return to dealership. That would be harder to deny as a problem.

 

This whole thing could simply be using the wrong gasoline. Fill with REGULAR...NOT E85.
Plus...

Filling to full is NOT filling a near empty tank.
You filled to full...partially emptying tanks.

3 fill ups is way too small a sample size, and at least 2 of those 3 fill ups were NOT near empty fills. Below 1/2, and already pretty full, will not allow you to know what your range or gas mileage for a near using a full tank is....

* You want to be safe and NOT run out of gas. But as long as near gas stations, you can run it down to a Pip or less, and/or keep an eye on DTE.

You probably want to run a tank pretty low...just to get the E85 out of the system.

***However as pointed out....DO NOT RISK BEING STRANDED OR RUNNING OUT OF GAS.
Just be consistent as to when you fill up and taking note of amount added and distance traveled.

 

Will this mystery EVER be solved? Tune in tomorrow for another episode of -
"As The Gas Disappears"...

 

I don't think this is necessary, there's no advantage to running it low, and it get's increasingly less safe. Even refilling (and doing the calculation) at half-tank is fine.

 

Advantages would be... Not carrying around, on average, 20kg or 44lbs of extra weight in fuel for the entire life of the car. Not having to spend the extra time, effort, and risk (pulling off busy roads, or back out into them) twice as often than necessary...

When you have 1 bar left on the guage, you have around 100 miles worth of actual fuel left in the car. 80 miles when the warning light comes on. I'm sure in most circumstances that would provide sufficient opportunity to find fuel at a convenient time and place.

 

this is definitely 'keeping it simple'.

 

This could be a factor too, I missed it.

My take: any time the fuel gauge's dropped below half, and I'm passing my preferred brand of station, I pull in and gas up. No extra time/effort/risk, it's the most convenient time. OTOH, even filling up that soon, it's sometimes a month between fill ups, for us, so I can see the other side of the coin.

Granted, it is extra gas station visits. (Hey, I can even quote and argue with myself. )

 

No, OP replied in comment #81 that she was using 87 gas, meaning Octane rating 87 Regular gas.

 

Occasionally. I only do a quick calculation occasionally. Like when I got new tires. Or tried Premium fuel and drove 700 miles. But I never chart it or keep written records. Just don't have an interest, or see the need. Not concerned about it. A cursory glance at the Trip-A computer tells me all I need. (The computer is high, so subtract 2 or 3 mpg. Done.)

 

Quoting @Starship16 's signature:

Driving 101: When you hear an emergency vehicle approaching from behind, or the front, Do not slam on your brakes in the left lane or middle lane of traffic! Pull over to the far right, and then stop.

Another good one: when emergency vehicles are on the right shoulder, with lights flashing, change lanes left, and slow down.

What the RCMP Wants You to Know About the Slow Down Move Over Law | TranBC

 

Yeah, but, but, but... you have only gone to gas station twice in last two years!!! That "Occasionally" is like "Always". LOL

 

I'm like Mendel. I rarely allow the tank to get near empty. Maybe only when doing an experiment... like the 700 mile trip. I ran the DTE down to about 7 miles left? Or, when switching over to 5W-30 oil, I did two tanks and drove until the last pip on the guage. (Great mileage, by the way.)

I usually refuel when I have 1/4 tank left. Maybe even refuel at the 1/2 point. Peace of mind. Be prepared.

 

Stupid people here. That's the only way to describe it. How in the hell is the Fire Truck supposed to get around you when you are stopped right in the middle of the darn road?! So Fire Truck BLASTS loud air horn.... then the driver is freaked out and panics.. still sits there. I've seen it a million times.

Now, very often, the emergency vehicle will be forced to cut across the highway and go against traffic. But there too, 2 or 3 vehicles are stopped right in the middle of the freakin' road.

I need another cheeseburger! Have a nice day, gentlemen.

 

Yeah sometimes it's just gridlock, hard to know what to do.

 

Yes, during those times of day it can be a mess. And you may be stopped at a red light and unable to move. I'll give you that.

Back to my donuts.

 

medflight

 

If you are at the front of the line stopped at the red light, pull though it (when safe to do so) to make room for the fire truck. BTDT.


In this event, the crash was just beyond the light, other side of the road, and the strobe lights of prior responders had preempted the light's regular timing, locking down with a green light towards those strobes -- which were now stationary at the crash scene. They weren't going anywhere, so the light was not cycling either, trapping three directions of traffic in place.

Then a fire truck can up from behind my direction. Seeing a very long traffic jam, it went around on the shoulder -- until it came up on the bus stop, where a transit bus was trapped and blocking the shoulder. Horn blasting, but nobody could move.

I was sitting in front of the right straight-thru lane, beside the bus. If I and the car behind pulled through, the fire truck could get around the bus. So lacking any cross traffic, I pulled through. Fire horn blasted again, but the car behind refused to follow me. A few blocks down the road, I could finally see that said car eventually pulled aside enough for the truck to squeeze through where I had been sitting. But it would have been far quicker if that car had chosen to follow me.