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Toyota Prius

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Comments

  • john1701ajohn1701a Member Posts: 1,897
    > this means the car is optimized for

    ALL vehicles suffer in the cold. And that temperature range is for the EPA tests, not anything even remotely related to actual design.

    Unfortunately, another short-coming of the EPA tests is the fact that the average highway speed they drive at is only 48 MPH, with a brief maximum up to 60 MPH. People obviously drive much faster, which means they'll get lower MPG than the test results. Bummer, eh?

    The real problem is the fact that people don't have a Multi-Display in their current vehicle to inform then how crappy their winter MPG is. Oh well.

    JOHN
  • ragueroraguero Member Posts: 60
    They stated last night on CBS Evening News that there are 16,000 Prius on back order from Toyota. Good luck to all that don't have their's yet. Mine is averaging about 48 mpg in combined city/freeway driving here in cool LA (heck, it only got up to 60 today, we're freezing here!). I'm more than happy with my mpg in spite of the fuel gauge - better safe than sorry.
  • m4ethm4eth Member Posts: 101
    OK Guys...I'm a Toyota fan (currently have 3)and was looking hard at the Prius but I've also found the following about Tire requirements via Tire Rack...

    This car requires an unusually high Load Index. The Load Index need is 88. Most 185/65-15 tires only have a Load Index of 86. See more on Load Index at:
    http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/general/speed.htm
     
    This is why you can't buy tires for the Pruis via Tire Rack!!!
  • dgraysondgrayson Member Posts: 27
    This is going to be the 70's & 80's all over again by the time Toyota is done...

    http://money.cnn.com/2004/01/06/pf/autos/detroit_gm_hybrids/index- .htm
  • m4ethm4eth Member Posts: 101
    OK Guys...I'm a Toyota fan (currently have 3)and was looking hard at the Prius but I've also recieved the following about Tire requirements from Tire Rack...

    This car requires an unusually high Load Index. The Load Index need is 88. Most 185/65-15 tires only have a Load Index of 86. See more on Load Index at:
    http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/general/speed.htm
     
    This is why you can't buy tires for the Pruis via Tire Rack!!!
  • revnkevinrevnkevin Member Posts: 9
    Toyota puts on Goodyear Integrity 185/165/15 and yet there load rating is 1168 pounds ,that would be a 86 load rating, so if it needs a load of 88 why is Toyota puting them on then? I found this out on the Tire Rack web site ! If I want to put on tires that get better MPG ,that the Goodyear Integrity? And what kind of tires came on the old Prius? Thank
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    I'd assume seven or eight months, with so many Priuses (or Prii) on back order. The demand in Japan is through the roof too.
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    I think that Good Year Integritys were also used on the old Prius. I'm not sure, so john1701a will have to clarify for us.
  • m4ethm4eth Member Posts: 101
    I believe Bridgestone was used...and Toyota switched because of accelerated wear issues.

    Mike
  • john1701ajohn1701a Member Posts: 1,897
    175/65/14 XL-rated Bridgestone Potenzas were used on the classic Prius.

    Switching to 185/65/14 eliminated the need for XL-rated. Increased PSI to 42 PSI eliminated the need for XL-rated too.

    So the fact that the 2004 Prius (which is only 125 pounds more) uses Goodyear Integrity 185/165/15 clearly supports there is no need for special heavy load tires, even at the standard PSI.

    The switch from Bridgestone to Goodyear was provide harder rubber. Those original tires wore out very, very fast because they were so soft you could actually leave marks on the road just from making a tight turn. That's a treadwear rating of only 160. The new tires have a treadwear rating of 460, which is a huge improvement.

    By the way, that's another "amazing coincidence" for Toyota. They just happened to choose the same type of Goodyear rubber for the 2004 that I bought and promoted as an alternate for the classic...

    JOHN
  • alnvilmaalnvilma Member Posts: 19
    Here in the Portland, OR area this week we have
    Minnesota like coditions; 20 degrees, 6" of snow on the road, etc. I drove the '04 around just fine! The traction control did it's thing and I didn't hesitate plowing through untracked conditions. The only reason to let it idle was for windshield thawing. It is still amazing to get >37mpg in a mid-size 3000lb. sedan! How can someone complain about and base a buying decision on that (poor performance!)? Incidentally, I run 39/37 in the tires and changed the oil at 1500 miles with Castrol dino 5x30 weight. I'm fine with these compromises for ride & economy respectively. Looking forward to 'optimal' conditions next spring to see what she'll do w/o the need for heat. Typical 6 mile commutes and shopping trips produce 42mpg avg. over 5 tanks of +/- 8 gallon fill ups. Sounds on par to me.
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    It takes much more than 5 minutes to warm up a gasoline engine when the temp is near zero. It was 0 this morning and my car was just starting to move the needle from being fully pegged on cold after 15 miutes of running/driving. This is just coolant temp - engine oil temp takes even longer to warm up.

    When the engine is cold it uses a 5th fuel injector called a cold start valve, and also raises the idle. This combined with thicker oil mean that mileage is much much worse until full warm up. If you live in a large town you also have winter gas, which is not as efficient.

    There is nothing wrong with driving off without warming up your car, it just wont get very good gas mileage. It will be better though than the mileage you get from just idling the car though.

    Once the car is fully warm (could take a while in extreme cold), the outside temp should not effect fuel mileage very much at all.

    If you really want to expiriment. Drive for 20-30 miles in extreme cold to fully warm the engine. Then reset the mileage gauge and see what the figures are.

    The best solution is to not let the car cool down, but this requires a heated garage, or a plug in engine heater (not as effective as the garage)
  • john1701ajohn1701a Member Posts: 1,897
    > It takes much more than 5 minutes to warm up a
    > gasoline engine when the temp is near zero.

    Not with Prius.

    It stores 3 liters of HOT coolant in a thermos everytime you power off. Then when you power back on, it pumps that HOT coolant into the head of the engine.

    So without actually even starting the engine, it is already partially warmed up.

    The coolant will remain HOT overnight, and warm for up to 3 days. The thermal storage device is rather impressive.

    JOHN
  • dc8527dc8527 Member Posts: 12
    "Toyota has told us that the 2004 MY Prius
    (which was redesigned) should achieve fuel economy levels closer to the estimated values.", the test expert of EPA informed me yesterday.
  • cmsct1cmsct1 Member Posts: 3
    I am currently thinking about purchasing a Prius to replace my current car which is a Pontiac Vibe. I am interested in the opinion of other people in the forum as to whether this is a good choice or not. I currently drive approximately 100 miles per day. Most of which is highway driving. I am impressed by the mpg numbers that are listed for the Prius but wonder how things are in the real world. I currently get anywhere between 29 and 33 mpg with the Vibe but the Prius looks like it could beat that easily. I do live in the Chicago area so I have been following the conversations concerning cold etc. Please let me know what all of you think.
  • john1701ajohn1701a Member Posts: 1,897
    My classic Prius delivered 45.4 MPG for a 3 year (59,827 mile) average. That boiled down to low 40's in the winter and 50 MPG in the summer.

    My 2004 Prius, despite still being rather new is already revealing itself to deliver even better efficiency.

    So I could easily see your year-round mostly-highway average being in the upper 40's.

    JOHN
  • cmsct1cmsct1 Member Posts: 3
    John,
    Thanks for your thoughts concerning the MPG issue. You seem to be quite knowledgeable concerning the Prius. Based upon my projected driving needs I would anticipate reaching the 100,000 mile mark sometime around the 4 year period. Do you have any thoughts/concerns about the potential for battery pack maintenance/replacement at or in excess of 100,000 miles. Also, I have located a dealer who is willing to let me have a loaded Prius off of the TRAC program. Should I have any concerns about that kind of an arrangement? Thanks again for sharing all of your vast Prius information with me.
  • john1701ajohn1701a Member Posts: 1,897
    > Do you have any thoughts/concerns about the potential
    > for battery pack maintenance/replacement at or in excess
    > of 100,000 miles

    You'll notice, especially on the highway, that the battery-pack is rarely used. Most of the electricity for the motor comes directly from the engine instead.

    You'll also notice that the battery-pack is rarely ever (I never saw it) allowed to dip to the 1/4 mark. The absense of any deep-discharge events helps to insure very long life for the battery-pack.

    All that, along with the number of recharge cycles available, the "lifetime" estimate appears to stand well.

    So my guess is you'll be able to exceed 200,000 miles without a lick of battery-pack trouble, just like the Prius cab driver did in Vancouver.

    JOHN
  • texassalsa04texassalsa04 Member Posts: 34
    ...to answer a previous inquiry...I just purchased Toyota Extra Care Platinum 7yr/100kMiles/$0deductible for $980. You do not have to buy the warranty at time of vehicle delivery. I did not. I bought this warranty at another dealership. More than anything, I wanted the peace-of-mind with my new Prius.
  • john1701ajohn1701a Member Posts: 1,897
    > John, nor anyone else has any definitive empirical
    > data to determine when the mean time to battery failure
    > will be

    Toyota does. Remember, Prius has been on the road since 1997. And having enough data now is likely why they have begun including "lifetime" in their expectation quotes; originally, they didn't.

     
    > muddy sound

    First, that is just an opinion. Second, you can change the speakers.

     
    > so integrated you can't replace it

    Actually, you can. Several people have because they wanted MP3 support.

     
    > objective opinion

    An opinion is better than real-world data... really?

    JOHN
  • talleyidtalleyid Member Posts: 34
    Additional info for your consideration. I've had my Prius for about a month now and driving 33 miles each way from Southern Illinois to St. Louis, Missouri. All but aprx. 2 miles of the drive is on Interstate highways. I typically use the cruise control set at 60MPH. I do frequently hit a stop and go situation during rush hour for a few miles in St. Louis but I've been averaging about 46 miles per gallon.

    I recently refueled at a Phillips 66 (not my usual brand) and saw a slight decrease in average MPG the last couple of days to 44-45MPG. This could also be related to the colder weather since the refuel but I'm just not sure yet.

    Anyway I thought you might find this info useful since it's within your region of operation.
  • hottmusichottmusic Member Posts: 11
    "You might want to check out several other real experts such as the recent Car and Driver Prius evaluation"
    Give me a break! Just because a magazine writes about automobiles, who's to say they're real experts? John clearly stated that it was only his "guess" as to the life expectancy of the battery.
  • oldfoxoldfox Member Posts: 29
    2004 MY Prius? Huh, What? Is this a Joke? Never heard of this.
  • m4ethm4eth Member Posts: 101
    Any Idea what the crash rating of this vehicle will be...also are insurance rates higher since damage to the battery can be an easy $3000 in replacement cost.

    Mike
  • john1701ajohn1701a Member Posts: 1,897
    > Any Idea what the crash rating

    Don't forget about the accident avoidance data now available for vehicles too. (Some of us prefer not having an accident in the first place.)

    JOHN
  • m4ethm4eth Member Posts: 101
    Quote from JOHN "The switch from Bridgestone to Goodyear was provide harder rubber. Those original tires wore out very, very fast because they were so soft you could actually leave marks on the road just from making a tight turn. That's a treadwear rating of only 160. The new tires have a treadwear rating of 460, which is a huge improvement."

    Since tire wear appears to be a major problem...tire selection is critical for this vehicle...most snow tires would have soft rubber and thus very adverse wear for this vehicle..

    I assume snow tires with soft rubber compositions are a NO NO for the Prius. This would make alternative replacement tires very difficult as well as limited.

    Does anyone have any experience with using snow tires for this vehicle? Mainly concerned about driving on icy roads. The Goodyear Integrity does not show a good rating for use in snow see TireRack for rating of tires.

    Does anyone know of a good Michelin tire that could be used as a replacement to the Goodyear's?

    Since the small hybrids use relatively small sized tires it appears the tires for hybrids need to be re-engineered for this higher weight small tire combo.

    Thanks, Mike
  • cmsct1cmsct1 Member Posts: 3
    Tallyid,
    Thanks for your specific information. Your situation is quite similar to mine. Did you have any concerns about the amount of miles you were driving when you made your decision to purchase a Prius? Also, I wanted to thank all of you for your responses relative to this question. They have been most helpful and since I have at least a 3 month wait before making my decision final I welcome any more comments that anyone thinks would be of interest. Once again thanks to everyone for all of their help.
  • john1701ajohn1701a Member Posts: 1,897
    > I assume snow tires with soft rubber compositions
    > are a NO NO for the Prius

    Actually, since treadwear ratings now go all the way up to 800, the much harder 460 still could be considered "soft".

    And sorry, I haven't heard anything about soft rubber being a problem on snow. And since the first December I had my Prius it was the second snowiest Decemeber in Minnesota recorded history, I'd say it isn't a problem. I got through the worst of the snow just fine with those 160's. Perhaps it has more to do with ice instead. (We don't have much of that in Minnesota, since the temperature is well below water's melting-point most of the winter.)

    JOHN
  • john1701ajohn1701a Member Posts: 1,897
    > ACTUAL MEASUREMENTS

    My data is actual.

    And since discrediting someone is by no means constructive, I'm not going to respond...

    Stick to the facts, please.

    JOHN
  • talleyidtalleyid Member Posts: 34
    I'm not sure what you mean about "concern" but the mileage to my work was a definite factor in my decision. I wanted to have an efficient vehicle compared to the Mazda B2300 Pickup I was driving. My wife works in the same area and drives a Subaru Forester. I was actually shopping for a Subaru (our 6th) but don't really fit very well in the new seats they're using.

    Became aware of the 2004 Prius during my first visit to a Toyota dealer. I was actually shopping an Avalon at the time. After hearing about it and test driving one at a St. Louis dealership I decided I could live without all-wheel drive. The Interstates are typically clear except for a few times during the winter and since my wife has the Forester I have a fall back during those times. Since that opened up more options and we both fell in love with the Prius we ordered it. I felt pretty confident since Toyota is typically highly rated by Consumer Reports and one of the only automakers rated higher than Subaru.
  • greenfuturegreenfuture Member Posts: 1
    Hi all, a new lurker here. Don't have a Prius yet but a hybrid will be my next vehicle.

    Felt compelled to write after seeing the .cnn news story link dgrayson posted in his message 2097 in which GM's Lutz says hybrids make no sense. This stupid comment, from Detroit which has always maintained that it only builds what the consumer wants, betrays Detroit's head-in-the-sand mentality. http://money.cnn.com/2004/01/06/pf/autos/detroit_gm_hybrids/index- .htm

    Yeah, the improved fuel economy may not pay for the premium of a Prius over an Echo, etc. However, one key overlooked virtue of the Prius is its SULEV emissions rating. Cleaner cars are good news for anyone who breathes. Some of us place a value on that.

    And, to complete the formula, some of us understand that while we only pay $1.50 per gallon at the station, we pay much more in taxes to support the Pentagon and pay more dearly in lives lost protecting the supply of that $1.50 gasoline.
  • dc8527dc8527 Member Posts: 12
    On Jan 6, 2004, the Prius test expert of EPA (from www.epa.gov) wrote, "Toyota has told us that the 2004 MY Prius
    (which was redesigned) should achieve fuel economy levels closer to the estimated values."

    In mid December 2003, a Toyota rep at 1-800-331-4331 said, "Toyota engineers are investigating into the low MPG concern of cold climate. They will have an answer about mid January."
  • xcelxcel Member Posts: 1,025
    Hi Greenfuture:

    > one key overlooked virtue of the Prius is its SULEV emissions rating. Cleaner cars are good
    > news for anyone who breathes. Some of us place a value on that.

    ___The fact is that SULEV/PZEV capability can be made available for just a few hundred dollars on many automobiles. The following list should help show you what is available in this regard. In some cases; it is a particular model of the car in question …

    03 Dodge Ram CNG
    03 Ford E250 Econoline CNG
    03/04 Ford F150 CNG
    03/04 Ford Focus
    04 Honda Accord
    03 Honda Civic Hybrid and GX - CNG
    01-04 Honda Insight
    00 - 04 Nissan Sentra
    03/04 Toyota Camry
    01 - 04 Toyota Prius
    04 Volkswagen Jetta
    03/04 Volvo S60 and V70

    ___There are probably more but these are just what I could find with 10 minutes of searching … and some that I knew about off the top of my head. Even GM will begin to release PZEV rated automobiles in late 04 early 05 … That is if you can believe them?

    ___The manufacturers have simply decided it wasn’t cost effective to install the necessary and slightly more costly HW to make the automobile in question meet the more stringent emission protocols. Probably because the US/Canadian/European consumer would not/does not know about it or has not demanded it for the small amount of additional outlay … Take a look at the Toyota Echo as one example of where even Toyota decided it was not cost effective :(

    ___As for the OT Pentagon commentary, why don’t you take a look at the amount of oil imported into both Europe and Japan from the Middle East vs. what the US imports as an example of how your tax dollars are being spent. Kind of sucks, given we pay the Japanese for high R&D expenditure automobiles, the American manufacturer doesn’t receive a dime, yet the American manufacture employs hundreds of thousands more employees here in the states who pay taxes to pay for all that military … Kind of a circle jerk although Ford is moving things along at a relatively rapid pace into the realms of Hybrid’s and cleaner automobiles. If they could just get their fuel efficiencies up, then I would have hope for them and our own jobs over the longer term :(

    ___Good Luck

    ___Wayne R. Gerdes
  • SylviaSylvia Member Posts: 1,636
    Hello - just a quick and gentle reminder to stay on track (let us not digress to the middle east/oil issue) and cut the personal attacks. As we are all aware and as stated in the Membership Agreement:

    "You understand that the content within Town Hall is based on individual opinion and experience, which may vary significantly from one person to the next. Edmunds.com does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of any Posting or other content in Town Hall..."

    It is good to get your experience and opinion into the discussion...it is good to question others experiences and opinions. Let's keep it civil.
  • petlpetl Member Posts: 610
    Don't quite understand the point you are trying to convey "put out a lot of fluff and BS when you have no idea what the answer is". It appears that you don't particularly like the Prius or the people who do. Toyota didn't spend millions/billions of dollars on this type of technology for the heck of it. Although still in the infant stage, this is the future. Companies that refuse to accept this fact will be left far behind. Or, like Nissan they can buy the technology from Toyota. The richest will get richer. Aggravating... isn't it?
  • john1701ajohn1701a Member Posts: 1,897
    > The inpreciseness of the Prius amazes me.

    It's an ANALOG gauge. Even if it capacity didn't change due to temperature, all you'd have is ten blocks to work with. There is no precision with that at all. How's that different from a traditional vehicle? No precision there either.

    That's why you use the gauge on the PUMP instead. Then you know PRECISELY how much gas is being sent to the tank.

    Taking the DIGITAL readout for distance and the DIGITAL readout for gallons, you get PRECISELY what the efficiency was.

    IT'S THE SAME THING YOU'D DO TO GET AN ACCURATE READING FOR A TRADITIONAL VEHICLE ANYWAY.

    You are trying to make Prius different. That won't work though. You fill up when the "Add Fuel" message is shown. It's not difficult.

    One thing that people tend to forget is the fact that rapid filling of the tank can cause an inprecise "full" indication, shutting off the pump too soon. That's true for ANY VEHICLE, not just Prius. But since Prius has a bladder too, it is more likely to happen with it. So, always use the slowest pump setting.

    By the way, here in Minnesota, the pumps are especially tempermental in the winter. They tend to shut off prematurely using the fastest fill speed. It's a pain, especially standing there in the cold, but using the slowest really does help.

    JOHN
  • hans000hans000 Member Posts: 19
    Wonder if yours doing the same.

    Before interior getting warm (set to 75C, outside 50C), the AC (heat pumping?) kicks in and out every second or so, generating a faint shudder. It's noticeable at stop lights when ICE is not running. It feels like an earth-rumbling truck stopped next to you.

    It could be the AC compressor turning very slowly. The shudder goes away after a few minutes when interior is warm.
  • dc8527dc8527 Member Posts: 12
    "As for the "advertised MPG", read the fine print. It says the temperature must be between 68F and 86F. We are obviously drastically below that ideal zone right now. All vehicles suffer in the cold; it is nothing new for Prius."

    John, I got the 04 Prius brochure from the shelf in a Toyota dealer's showroom. The fine print does not exist there. Where did you see it?
  • john1701ajohn1701a Member Posts: 1,897
    > The fine print does not exist there.
    > Where did you see it?

    Look on the window sticker. It makes the YMMV disclaimer, lists the variance ranges, and refers you to the testing website for further information.

    JOHN
  • john1701ajohn1701a Member Posts: 1,897
    > Now if "1" means there is 3-4.8 gallons left depending on
    > how cold it is or isn't then the whole accuracy is skewed.

    It's called a NON-LINEAR gauge.

    So that behavior is actually completely normal. Each block does not represent a consistent unit. It varies based on level. This provides greater detail on the high-end.

    JOHN
  • prius4meusprius4meus Member Posts: 22
    dc8527 (apologies to those of you who have seen this information ad infinitum):

    The following excerpt is from http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ and details how the MPG estimates are made:

    "The test used to determine the city fuel economy estimate simulates an 11-mile, stop-and-go trip with an average speed of 20 miles per hour (mph). The trip takes 31 minutes and has 23 stops. About 18 percent of the time is spent idling, as in waiting at traffic lights or in rush hour traffic. The maximum speed is 56 mph. The engine is initially started after being parked overnight. Vehicles are tested at 68 F to 86 F ambient temperature."

    I purchsed 10/31/03. I averaged 47 mpg in November and 43 mpg in December. Last week we hit 60 degrees in Northern Ohio. I drove a 60 mile round trip over gentle hills with few stops and averaged 61 mpg (by display). Thus, as mentioned many times before, the fuel efficiency estimates are NOT incorrect; they merely estimate fuel economy given certain specific driving conditions. I find that when I duplicate those conditions, I get VERY similar results. Moreover, the economy of my non hybrid car is similarly sensitive to driving conditions (see message 1392).
  • prius4meusprius4meus Member Posts: 22
    "So that behavior is actually completely normal. Each block does not represent a consistent unit. It varies based on level. This provides greater detail on the high-end."

    As a 2004 Prius owner with 2700 miles on the odometer, I concur that this is the way it works. On a long highway trip over Thanksgiving, I marked down the miles at which each block dropped off for 3 tanks of gas. There was no linear relationship.

    As for the issue of "reserve," if someone wants to siphon out my tank when the MID tells me to add fuel they are welcome to do so but frankly I'm content to assume it's empty and fill up long before that point.

    Per MidCow:

    "Here is what I speculate is really true based on a fully expanded bladder and a 3 gallon reserve
    10 bars= 11.01 gallons to 11.9 (completely full)
    9 bars = 10.12-11.01
    8 bars = 9.23-10.12
    7 bars = 8.34-8.23
    6 bars = 7.45-8.34
    5 bars = 6.56-7.45
    4 bars = 5.67-6.56
    3 bars = 4.78-5.67
    2 bars = 3.89-4.78
    1 bars = 3-3.89
    0 bars = 0 (true empty) to 3 gallons (safety reserve !)
    ==========================
    This a linear scale! "

    Indeed, that is linear but that is not the way the Prius works.
  • john1701ajohn1701a Member Posts: 1,897
    > Please provide the facts.

    That's simple.

    For my classic Prius in the summer (my most thorough data source), the top blocks represented the first 310 miles of driving. The bottom blocks represented the following 100 miles.

    The middle clearly did not represent half and the removal of each block accelerated (less miles each time) as the tank level decreased.

    JOHN
  • djasonwdjasonw Member Posts: 624
    I don't see what all the fuss is about the gas gauge. I can't ever remember owning a car having an extremely precise measurement of fuel. What I do is quite simple, when the last bar flashes I know I have a conservative amount of time to get fuel. Since it's been SO cold here, I usually fill up when I have two-three bars remaining.

    I continue to trust John's information since I believe it is extremely accurate. I don't believe he's on a crusade to disseminate misinformation as some seem to believe. I still can't understand why people frequent this forum that have virtually no interest in the Prius. THOSE people should GET A LIFE.
  • gscheil1gscheil1 Member Posts: 72
    Has anyone used a Siemen's S56 with Bluetooth? Any problems with installation? Did you get your phone book transferred? John and others say to just follow the NAV Manual but I'm not too used to technical instructions.
  • john1701ajohn1701a Member Posts: 1,897
    > I don't believe he's on a crusade to disseminate
    > misinformation

    I couldn't. They nit-pick every little detail I mention. And they'd get away with it sometimes if it wasn't for my detailed online logs & spreadsheets. That makes it easy to look up the supporting data I need.

    JOHN
  • john1701ajohn1701a Member Posts: 1,897
    Someone mentioned there was one today, but didn't include any detail all.

    That was no big deal for me. I just started taking apart the back of the Prius until I finally found something that looked like it could be a release. I shut the hatch, crawled inside from the front, and pushed it. Yup! That was it.

    From inside the hidden storage area, remove the tiny black panel on it's side near the hatch, and poke your finger through that into the metal casing. There's a tiny metal button. (Toyota definitely wanted to make that inaccessible from outside.) Pushing that pops the hatch open.

    JOHN
  • mswbestmswbest Member Posts: 9
    I am 16 and alot of my friends think it is funny that i have a 04 prius but we all enjoy it. For anyone out there looking to buy, I fit 4 ffotball players plus me the other day . It has a very spacious interior. They werent extremely comfortable but for a 15 min ride it was fine.
       I have had my Pkg 9 2004 prius since October 17 and i believe I had the first green Pearl colored prius in the USA anyways i have put over 3,000 miles on it. I love it and for anyone interested my TOP SPEED was 102 mph on the 105(freeway in LA) at night. IT HAS POWER. When I got the car I also got a new cell phone with Bluetooth Wirless capabilities. BUT the connection cuts out every other 5 secs.WHY?? Without using the bluetooth and just the phone in the same place it works fine,,,So it is not the phone..Anyone else with this problem???
  • john1701ajohn1701a Member Posts: 1,897
    Sorry, I don't have any experience with that phone.

    I do with the Sony Ericcson T610. So I created an illustrated document showing how to do the setup. Now I'm working on one to show how to do the phonebook transfer too.

    The Prius part is easy, and the same for each phone. You do that first. Then play with your phone's Bluetooth options until you find an "ADD" or "DETECT" device option. When it does find the Prius, it will prompt you for the password shown on the Multi-Display. Then you'll probably need to select a "CONNECT" option to complete the setup.

    JOHN
  • john1701ajohn1701a Member Posts: 1,897
    > I fit 4 football players plus me the other day

    How many cheerleaders?

    > connection cuts out every other 5 secs.WHY??

    Not sure. Mine works fantastic.

    What kind of phone do you have? Some of the older ones actually require a firmware update to work correctly.

    JOHN
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