Who has done their recall?

Did mine a week ago. MPG shot way up after I got it back.
I know the increased MPG is in part due to warmer weather, but it don't ever remember getting MPG's in the low 50's. I'll take it.

 

totally indeed, the pedal is more sensitive than used to be. Enjoy changing your Prius driving habits.

I like better on braking after recal. this fly me back to my previous old car non-hybrid .

 

I do not know on your side.

As you can read my previous post on this thread. Oh Yes, I have to change my Prius driving habits.
Electric motor is kicking fast in during acceleration and going flat. just repeat and rinse..
I have been spent driving since last Saturday .
we should know our car better to utilize more.

I got a bit better (3-4) mpg on my daily commute.

 

I bet it's mostly weather effect. If the recall was in fall, people would be crying foul due to MPG loss.

As a matter of fact it happened to me, too. The first couple of days ofter the flash i got much better MPG, and the last couple of days, much worse MPG. The difference was in ambient temps. Mid 70's vs mid 40's.

There is still some chance that some users can get net increase in MPG. It has to do with using less electric current in accelerations from stopped. On the other hand people who used lots of regenerative braking could observe loss of MPG. Most people will not notice a thing.

 

I would take any effect on mpg with a huge grain of salt, especially if it's being read off the calculated display.

Remember, the ECU was flashed, so everything has to be relearned, parameters reloaded, etc. Almost like when the 12v battery is disconnected to reset the ECUs, it takes a while to have everything settle in and relearn the way you drive.

The bump in mpg many of you are reporting immediately following the update is most likely a temporary thing. My gut feeling is that the ICE will have to be run more following the flash, especially when acceleration under load is involved, thus reducing overall mpg. Unless, Toyota realized this and reprogrammed the HSD to make up that loss under different conditions somewhere else.

SCH-I535

 

For those who did their fix, and are posting their mpg findings, could you also include your feeling on how the car accelerated vs before?

 

Port installed accessories such as floor mats and cargo mat are rounded up to about 10 to 15 lbs. That sort of stuff. On other models such as vans, SUV's, and trucks, it would also include running boards that are much heavier.

 

The car accelerates much slower. I spoke with a Toyota service guy today and he said he had his car flashed and said the output is significantly less than before the flash. That is what I found out 1700 miles ago at the beginning of this week and the car still is weak Even my wife was complaining today after putting a hundred miles on the car in urban highway and side street driving. She was able to get it to 50 mpg though. The car appears to be more tuned for urban and city driving verses open road Interstate driving. Before the update the Prius worked awesome in city and Interstate driving. I have driven them all over this country since the 3rd Gen came out. Sunday I am driving it on a few hundred mile Interstate trip. Next week it goes out to South Dakota where the speed limits are 75 mph. The old software would allow a 3rd Gen to run 45 mpg running 75 - 80 mph out there. Earlier this week I was getting upper 30's mpg running 76 mph for whole tank runs of Interstate driving

Mike

 

These things need to be measured. That's why professional reviewers post 0 to 60 MPH elapsed times, 1/4 mile times and such ... but there's some around here that scoff at any kind of (speed, non-mpg) performance numbers done on the Prius. All they think about is MPGs and efficiency.

 

You nailed that one on the head

Mike

 

Gut feelings are one thing and I've given mine. It's all subjective. We do need someone with a scan gauge or similar to log how the car responds after the recall compared to how it did before.

I do think Toyota have tried to balance the reduced regen input with the car storing more in the battery from driving. The performance is much reduced those. There is a hill that I normally switch to Power mode for that enables me to fly up it. Now the car is noisier and slower.

Does it kill the enjoyment of the car? Not really. Economy is still balancing out at the moment, though is difficult to tell as the weather has got warmer here lately. But performance loss is the most obvious change.

 

I wonder if the mechanical brake hardware is going to handle the increased load? The friction brakes on the Prius are tiny. Regen used to do a lot of the braking work but now it is up to the friction brakes.

So higher friction brake wear, gas motor running more and harder, is a 10k mile oil change interval still valid with the gas motor (ICE) being worked much harder?

Mike

 

Probably but I'd imagine only just.

Does anyone know what the testing procedure is for brakes for them to make/meet compliance?

 

I'm chuckling under my breath. EPA requires all car manufacturers to -test- their cars offered for sale in the US for mileage, and to publish those numbers. A similar regime exists in Canada. So now that the car has been "modified", does that mean those numbers are wrong? Does Toyota have to re-do the tests? Were they even -allowed- to "modify" the car without the EPA's permission? Did they get the EPA's permission? What about CARB?

Inquiring minds want to know!

 

going to the dealer today to have mine done.......

 

This is sounding more-and-more like the second gen Honda Civic Hybrid software update (latest):

Honda found the IMA battery (Integrated Motor Assist battery, the big one) was overtaxed with the old software, issued a recall that reduced assistance. Many owners found the car's performance and mpg took a hit.

There's was a second issue, apparent to many owners: post update the battery deterioration warning lights became very difficult to trigger, and that was a prerequisite for battery replacement under warranty.

Got our (Prius) update scheduled for next Friday, with some trepidation.

 

Yeah, my Civic hybrid battery was practically useless for 30k miles and the service techs refused to even test it because the IMA light wasn't on. Finally, with 2k before the warranty went up, the IMA light came on.

 

Ours had the lights come on a bit past warranty, but Honda came through: we only had to pay for the labour to swap (about $150). Somewhat waiting on this new one to start displaying symptoms though, I've heard mixed reviews on Honda's replacement batteries.

I was researching promising third party batteries, claiming higher capacity and more robust build. Then Honda ruined my fun by offering us a free one, LOL.

Sorry, kinda off-topic.

 

I had mine done last Wednesday. I drive it in the City and in Eco mode. I can't tell any difference.

 

So, we're hearing:

-The engine is smoother.
-The engine is rougher.
-There is more power available
-There is less power available
-My MPG's went up
-My MPG's went down
-The car is better
-The car is worse
-The car is faster
-The car is slower
...........

This is insane.

-Iain