New Owner - Questions

Well, I have a '06 with about 37,000 miles on the clock so I can say that I have some practical experience. First I have to tell you this is the most fantastic car I have ever owned and being 72 that accounts for quite a few. I love the car and my wife will tell you that in an emergency, I would probably save the car before her. Not true but a good story.

I have to tell you that for items 1-3, I have never experienced those problems except I have had to replace my right side HID bulb (under waranty). I can't tell you about the key slot as I never use it. As far as the TPMS it only will provide an indication if any of the tires is below 80% (?) of the value set in (reset button) but won't tell you which tire. It was never supposed to tell you actual tire pressure. To that end, I am ordering a wireless TPMS that does indicate each tire's pressure (MS-4368GB) from measurement limited. It will be available on Amazon early October for less that $80.
The fog lights, which are totally ineffectual, can not be turned on independently and only goes on with the low beams.
I've never seen those elastic bands on the rear seat.
Don't know anything about tinting. I don't believe in it as it prevent other drivers from seeing you, a safety hazzard.
As far as the brakes are concerned, I've never had that jerky feeling. Perhaps ypou need to break-in the brakes. For me, the car stops faster and straighter than any car I've ever owned.

Hope this helps and welcome to the Prius Clan. Hope you will enjoy the new technology.

 

I am only responding to the items I have some knowledge of:

4. You Prius doesn't care. There are a few reasons to have the key slot and they are mostly about personal preference/comfort -- some people want to stick a key into something. Others don't want start the car, walk away, put the keys down, get distracted, get back in the car, drive somewhere, shut the car off then not be able to turn it on again because the keys are back home. They don't happen often but that's what some people prefer sometimes.

5. The TPMS button is next to the key fob button under the steering wheel. Press it and you mark the current tire pressure. The TPMS light goes off when one of the tires goes 25% below that value. The individual tire pressures are not displayed anywhere.

9. Generally, the Prius does not use the actual brake pads unless you are trying to stop quicker than regen braking can accomodate or when your speed gets below about 7 MPH. Just about all new brakes will jerk until they are broken in because the pads and rotors/discs and not perfectly mated to each other. Give it a little time. It might take a little longer than normal because your Prius doesn't use the brakes very often -- and that is a good thing.

Congratulations and cheers!

 

It's hard for anyone to judge the noises from afar so the easiest thing to do would be to stop by the dealership and take the service manager or Prius tech out for a spin. They should have some idea if the sound's are outside the norm. (I did this once with an intermittent problem on a vehicle that needed to be caught in the act--when it did it I detoured to the dealership, rolled down the window and told the service manager I needed to borrow a tech to confirm what I was seeing. In a two minute drive the tech confirmed the problem and we scheduled the repair.)

 

4.) Key slot.

If your battery is dead in your Smart Key, you can open the door with the mechanical key in the key fob and then start the car using the key slot. You can also use a non Smart Key fob (Black Toyota Emblem) programmed to your car to start the car using the key slot. Search "key programming" on this site to get the details on programming a fob to start the car. Its a cheaper way to have an extra emergency key, than buying a new Smart Key from the dealer.

 

I like to put the key in the slot when handing the car over to a car wash guy, or a valet or something. At least the key is in its proper place rather than in the center console or on the passenger seat or something. Otherwise, it stays in my purse. I only take my keychain out at work to unlock my desk.

 

For what its worth I let a co-worker drive my 07 around a little the other day and for driving 20 minutes she couldn't come to a smooth stop either. I guess I have forgotten about learning the brakes too. The regenerative brake system really adds a lot of help in braking making the brake pedal feel unique and at first grabby. You'll quickly master it. If you ever want to see how much the regen is contributing while your braking to a stop some day push the trans select lever into neutral while your braking/rolling..... Whoaaaaaa........
This car makes alot of different noises no other car makes and it takes a little while to relax and get used to it. Keep reading this site. Every thing you need to know about this car will be discussed here.
The road feel steering issue made me a little nuts at first. Tracked every rut...wandered around till thanks to this site I learned that the tires come under inflated from the factory. Maybe not under inflated (38) but the pos's Integritys like more pressure much better. Want to gain 3 mpg's overnight? Fill up the front tires to 42 lbs...back to 40 lbs to start. The car will roll better and you'll get much better mpg's. I'm at 46/42 and at 11,000 miles the tires still don't need a rotation. Good luck.

 

The key fob works either either way, up or down. It works by radio from either position, no problem.

There is a button at bottom of dash under steering wheel that disables Smart Key (next to tire monitor button), so that you cannot leave fob in your pocket. Then you must use the fob buttons to unlock doors, and must insert the fob to start the car. Purpose of this is that SmartKey is a continual drain on the 12V battery, and if you leave the car parked several weeks, the 12V battery goes dead. But you can turn it off first with the button at bottom of dash under the steering wheel.