Paranoid about draining battery

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Jul 9 2006, 10:33 AM) [snapback]283317[/snapback]</div>

Zoobs :blink:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jburns @ Jul 9 2006, 08:29 AM) [snapback]283335[/snapback]</div>

Cool.

 

It's a technical term!
.
_H*

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Jul 8 2006, 04:38 PM) [snapback]283119[/snapback]</div>

I remember my first traffic jam with the Prius. It was in Los Angeles and I didn't worry about the battery. It was fun (Darell would know this all the time) to think that the other drivers had their engines running while mine was off. In fact, I went over 50mpg for the first time that day.

 

"We've tried to say over and over and over that your car is behaving absolutely normally and exactly as designed. There's no need to pull of, there's no need to turn off the air or radio or anything else. If anything, just turn off the Energy screen and stop looking at the battery level if it causes you so much anxiety. "

Thank you, Evan, and everyone else who responded to reassure me. I owned a gorgeous red 1974 Karmann Ghia prior to my Prius purchase and was fed up with breaking down all the time, missing work, gigs, appointments, stranded at night, etc. Going from the Ghia to the Prius was like skipping a millineum! I had my sites set on the Prius with every article I read about it - good and bad - and expected to love it even before test driving it. And I've been extremely happy with since my purchase last August. I don't focus on the battery screen, just flip over occasionally to get that "zoob" feeling when it's full, you know? When I saw the red for the first time, I freaked.

So thank you all for your reassurances on that issue. I won't ask it again. Lotte Trouble, going back to "smug"

 

Whew, Thanks for ALL the great info. I have been scared and turning OFF my A.C. due to the battery level down to 2 bars. cold not find any info. in my manual to help me.

Also, a little paranoid because I took my Prius for an Oil Change a few months back and they put too much oil in, which flooded my Battery, I broke down when my battery went down to one Purple bar.

So hopefully this is not a residule effect of that ! But it does not sound like it !

ONE QUESTION, Should I run the AC on Low ? Is that okay ???

Thanks !!! Susie

 

Hi susielou. Welcome to Prius chat. :welcome:

Head on over to the newbie forum, and read the info there.

You can run the AC on whatever makes you comfortable. Your battery needs to be comfortable, too, so it relies on the car interior for temperature. Set the Auto/AC to the temp that makes you happy, and forget it!

The oil can't flood your battery. Too much oil can create problems in the engine, and the excess needs to be drained out (have your mechanic do it), but it isn't hurting your battery directly.

Enjoy your Prius, and your time here learning about it! :wave:

 

Please also note that when the battery "gauge" on the MFD goes to red, the battery still has ~40%+ charge in it. The battery is designed to only charge to a certain percentage, and only discharge to a certain percentage, to ensure long battery life. If my memory is close, it is ~45-75%. Over charging and over drawing are a huge factor in battery longevity, so the car is well designed to account for that.

Icarus

 

It is 40% to 80% which is shown on the MFD