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Lets say that I am in a traffic accident at freeway speeds and I rear-end the car in front of me such that the engine/motor is unable to move the car due to damage to the engine compartment. How would the car be moved, then, seeing that when the power is off both the engine and motor are still engaged?
I ask this because this actually happened to me, but I was driving a Honda. I was able to put the Automatic into neutral and was able(with help from CHP and other drivers) to push the car out of the freeway traffic.
Also, this same Honda once threw a timing belt. In the Honda, the timing belt drives the water pump as a tensioner (poor design, IMHO) :lemon: . The pump let go, the belt loosened and skipped several notches before I was able to shut the motor off. While still at speed (70 mph+), I had to guide my car to the side of the freeway, which was not really a big problem. So, how would a Prius handle a similar situation, given that the timing belt/chain did break? :sick:
What did you finally decide?
JeffD
1 - the HSD does have a neutral That effectively free wheels the front wheels (assuming that the front end damage allows some things to work). The electric motor will just spin as required when you push the car.
2 - If the ICE is kaput (not a nice scenario), the electric can still move the Prius for a short distance(~2 miles with a fully charged main battery) at low speed (~30mph max).
One thing though, the Prius has a timing chain, not a belt so breakage is not likely.
JeffD
As it is, I have a Prius on order... :P
Bill Zimmermann monogram1@cox.net
1) Power on the car to full ACC mode (foot off brake) by depressing the Power switch twice.
2) Push the Trip/ODO button until the Odometer reading shows (not trip A or
3) Power off the car by depressing the Power switch
4) Depress the Trip/ODO button and keep it held down
5) Power on the car to full ACC mode (foot off brake) by depressing the Power switch twice while still depressing the Trip/ODO.
6) After 10 seconds the Maint Reqd light will go out and you're done.
Found the following information from the last page of my Prius "2006 Owner's Manual".
There's a Toyota authorized "Prius Repair Manual".
It tells you how to maintain your vehicle, outlines exactly what maintenance is required, and clearly explains how to do the work yourself, step by step.
It can be purchased from a Toyota dealer or from the Toyota Material Distribution Center, 1.800.622.2033.
If it exist, the 'unauthorized' edition might be considerably cheaper. Let me know if you find it
Also visit Toyota's Technical-Information-System website at http://techinfo.toyota.com/index.html
For available Toyota service publications for your Prius, surf to http://smg.toyotapartsandservice.com/maint_pubs.php
-Gilbert
Do remember the material is copyrighted. Please respect it. We wouldn't want Toyota to panic and make access restricted!
Extended Warranties are just that, most of them covering bumper-to-bumper electronic and mechanical components after the regular warranty expires.
The maintenance agreements, I agree with you on, as they are usually based on the dealers own inflated charges for lube and oil changes.
Extended warranties, in my experience, rarely save you money, as cars are so reliable, however I have never NOT gotten my money back, because if you have one that is transferable, it makes it far easier to sell it as it gives the potential buyer more confidence.
Thanks for your opinion, after I purchased the one from Ford I calculated the cost of oil changes and the like per year and decided I was overpaying compared to taking it for an oil change at other spots.
Yes, that is what I said, and agreed with you on.....
Sometimes people post and don't know the terminology, so use Maintenance Agreement when they mean Extended Warranty.
They are just another way for the dealer to "take back" part of the good deal you deal for.
But most carmakers still recommend using the crisscross rotation: for front-drive cars like the Prius, move the fronts to the rears on the same side, move the left rear to the right front, and the right rear to the left front.
For rear- and 4-wheel drive vehicles, move the rears to the front on the same side, left front to right rear, and right front to left rear.
Because most other manufacturers say it's okay to use the crisscross method, it shouldn't matter doing it with Toyotas.
But if your Prius is now pulling to one side, maybe one tire isn't quite right (uneven wear, improper pressure, etc.).
If you replaced the stock tires with non-directional ones, then you could use the cross pattern.
"Non Directional"? I thought that the difference was that radial tires should always be swapped on the same side.
Does this mean that the traditional wisdom on radial tires was wrong, or have tires changed? What makes a tire "directional"? That is not a title I remember when shopping for tires.
FWIW, I just checked my Ford Freestyle owner's manual, which says to rotate the tires - across...
I know that on 4WD vehicles, they recommend crossing both ways (RF to LR, LF to RR)
Directional tires have a tread pattern that's designed to roll in a certain direction, like the Aquatreds, so if you crossed them to the other side of the vehicle, they'd be rolling in the opposite direction from the way they were intended to roll.
Here's the Aquatred:
And here's the Assurance:
Note how the Assurance tread pattern is basically the same regardless of the direction the tire would be rolling. The tread pattern on either side of the center line goes in opposite directions.
On the Aquatred, you can see the directional nature of the tread pattern. Call it rolling with or against the grain if that makes sense!
When radial tires first became common the early 70s, they were not supposed to be crossed during rotation. But as I said, and pf flyer has concurred, today's radials (as long as they are not directional) are typically recommended to be crossed.
Toyota recommends differently however, and I don't know why.
Jen
The chassis is also similar to a regular car, so items like the tires, brakes, brake and fuel lines, and suspension will require the same kind of maintenance or inspection.
If you have a problem, then you will want a Toyota certified hybrid tech working on the car. Most Toyota dealers have at least one. I hear the Prius is in the top ten most reliable cars so I doubt you will need the certified techs. help until well "down the road".
Oil changes are a bit less expensive - less oil is used than most cars. Brakes aren't used as much as most cars and they should last a long time - due to the regen braking doing most of the work. If you get the HID headlamps they are very expensive if a "bulb" burns out ($250 each plus labour to install), but they also last 10x longer than halogen bulbs. I've never burned out a halogen bulb in 25 years of operation of vehicles equipped with them so I don't think the HIDs would be a concern.
Other than the exceptions above it's "just a car", a Toyota to boot. So maintenance should be a very limited requirement.
Is that worthy? if i do it 5000/6month interval, that adds up to 8-9times, avarage 120/service. according to Toyota Maintenance Handbook, each service requires, just for oil change, air filter, and tire rotation. will that cost 120? doesn't look like a good deal.
Is my calculation right? How much does it cost for routine 5000 mile service charged each time?
Thank you.
Scroll down, just above the picture of his car is an article how to do it.
It really is easy--the article makes it look difficult.
Basically drop glove box and it exposes cabin air filter housing.
Carl
Thank you very much for where to find out how to change the cabin air filter. My future passengers thank you too.
-Dorothy
I am interested in purchasing the Prius. But when i was talking to my neighbor about her Prius, she said she gets it done by her regular Shell mechanic. But he charges twice as much for the oil change, apparently there are "accessibility" issues with changing the oil on a Prius. So she claims the mechanic told her it takes twice as long to change oil. Is this generally a problem with other routine maintenance too (ex. oil, radiator flush, transmission flush, tire rotations, etc..). Does this end up pushing the maintenance cost up for the Prius?
He does have a lift, right? I assume he's not crawling underneath the car on the ground. Here's a little tutorial on changing the Prius's oil yourself.
Ditto for the other services, although personally I don't have my transmission flushed, just drained and refilled.
Have had mine serviced at the local "quick oil change" place I've used for years.
If anything it's faster and cheaper account less oil.
Carl
My 2005 I took to dealer for 15K check. Really did not need to I found out later.
Maybe for the 30K.--but really any good mechanic can check those things.
Any warranty work, of course, get at dealers.
These cars seem to be low Maintenance. The 2005 we just traded in had NO problems in two years and 23 K miles. The tires even looked good.
Carl
In a few days we will be picking up our new 2007 Prius Touring from our local Dealer. With every vehicle we have always bought, whether it was new or used, we have always purchased a “genuine” factory workshop MANUAL. I’m not saying I am going to “tear-down” the vehicle or do major repairs, but it is just nice to know what is involved IF the vehicle had to be serviced and the correct way to perform certain tasks I can do myself, such as oil & filter changes, brakes, other adjustments and/or parts replacement, etc. During the past three decades we have been purchasing just brand new Acura or Hondas. Their manuals are available from HELM, Inc. and were expensive, but easy to purchase and very detailed and “smartly” written with plenty of illustrations. We must admit this new Prius is OUR FIRST NEW TOYOTA in over 30 years. I checked the Helm, Inc. book site and they do not print any Toyota manuals. I am thinking that once we pick up (next week) our new Prius, there might be a place in the back of the Owners’ Manual telling us where to purchase Factory Workshop Manuals . Maybe not ??
Any suggestions where to buy a “GENUINE” and well written 2007 PRIUS WORKSHOP MANUAL ??
I was also considering joining that Toyota TECHINFO for just ONE DAY and downloading all I can get my hands on........ I am sure it would take hours and hours..... the "monthly" join would certaily make more sense (and preserve some of the remaining sanity I have left) but I believe it was over $50 !! :confuse:
I guess I was certainly "spoiled" with the $50 COMPLETE ACURA MDX Service Manual (one volume only) I bought for our 2003 (in 2003) !! Like I wrote, this is our FIRST Toyota and already I am a bit disappointed with the high cost of printed manuals.... :mad:
I know the Prius is somewhat a "specialty" car, and I really don't want to have the same problems I'm having with my European car. Input?
As far as regular maintenance goes, the Prius is pretty much like any other Toyota. And you won't be visiting the shop much for things gone wrong.
If you get a Toyota, you'll not regret switching.