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Questions: Why does my car run on electric some of the times at 10-20 MPH and gas other times? What happens on the mileage information display after 30 minutes? Why is the MPH on the information display for the 5 minutes blocks changing constantly even long after that 5 minute block is complete?
On my '05 Toyota Camry XLE with the trip computer, the calculated mpg is always higher then the manual method. I simply don't trust the computer anymore.
Suggest you ask Danman 32 on Priusonline.com. VERY knowledgeable guy.
Carl
Were you informed of the fuel bladder in the gas tank? If not that is the issue. In the Prius in order to minimize 'evaporative emissions' to be able to qualify it as an AT-PZEV there had to be a bladder added to eliminate these.
When the vehicle is new, as yours is, the bladder is stiff - doubly so if you live in a colder climate. So while your 'nominal' fuel capacity is 11.9 gal the bladder may 'only take 8 gal'. During winter filling up in the warm part of the day helps.
Also as you 'break in' the fuel bladder and the weather warms up it will expand somewhat and take more. I normally run til the light comes on and it takes 10.5 gal.
( 41000 miles - 48.1 mpg lifetime average as per GreenHybrid database )
Running on electirc/battery is dependent on a lot of factors.
.. warm up period. The first 10 minutes of each trip is mostly on the ICE ( gas engine ).
.. the weather. You are located where?
.. your inputs. How do you drive?
.. traffic. City or Highway?
The bar graph on the Consumption Screen changes over time as you drive on each trip.
.. the far right bar fluctuates continually and is your personal 'bio-feedback monitor'.
.. the bar immediately to the left of that is your fuel consumption over the last 5 min.
.. the 2nd bar over is 10 min ago
.. etc, etc.
.. on a longer trip the fuel consumption bars for more than 35 min ago fall off the left side of the screen. You can only see the bars for the most recent 30 min of driving.
One question I do have for longer-term owners is in regards to the sound quality of the basic system. Is it as "bad" as I seem to think? By that, I mean virtually no 'presence', somewhat muddy sound, no real volume to speak of, basically blah...better suited to AM talk shows. Or, should I check another vehicle out at the dealership? I just burned a CD for a friend, and took it out to the car to check it out. I literally turned the volume up to max, waiting for the car to fill with sound, and honestly, it never did. The good news is that there was no distortion, but then, at the volume level I achieved even at max, there should have been none. I don't think I could have turned the radio itself up that high, but it seems the CD does not generate high sound levels.
Anyone have any thoughts?
For an old guy, with MANY years of jet engine noise blasting me, It seems fine.
BTW we added the in dash 6 cd changer to both our #2pkg cars- about $590 plus $60 labor.
Carl
Anyway, the sound system is okay. I detest those morons who think thumping distorted bass is music. Give me deep but crisp bass anytime, along with a bright midrange, and clear treble. I guess I'm asking too much of what can't be a very expensive installation. I was stunned last year when I was fiddling with the radio in my mother's 1993 Cadillac Deville, the base system, not the apparently overblown Bose. I was shocked at how good it was. Wish all my cars sounded like that.
Am retired TWA Pilot.
When I started in 1966 the old 707 "water wagons" didn't have much thrust but sure put out a lot of smoke and noise.
The Convair 880, that I flew at first, was smoky as well but had some power.
Carl
I used to watch the 707s in Fla about 62 and 63. Wonderful. Probably that and my older brother's love of aircraft is what steered me to Fairchild Republic after college.
Convairs....they were the muscle cars of the bunch. If I am not mistaken, the 990 was the fastest of them all.
990's were faster marginally. We used to race an American 990 from DTW to LAX--Neither of us had more than 10 passengers.
Pre de-regulation so fuel burn etc NOOOOO PROBLEM.
Thanx for your patience moderator.
Carl
Just so neat. Harkens back to the Rat Pack, sappy Doris Day movies, and fondue
Once the Prius is broken in, I'll turn off the display, and race a Civic Hybrid.
A month later, we went away for a week. When we got home it was DEAD AGAIN.
We are done. We won't be keeping a car that dies in the garage after sitting for just 3 days.
Here is something from Consumeraffairs.com that Prius owner's who live in the snow belt might want to read.
Prius Shuts Down in the Snow, Reader Complains
Toyota Calls Automatic Power Reduction a Safety Feature
By Joe Benton
ConsumerAffairs.Com
January 26, 2007
The Toyota Prius is known to occasionally shut down its hybrid engine system for no apparent reason, wear tires quickly and unevenly, even drain a battery dry when parked for an extended period.
But here's one of the oddest Prius stories on file at ConsumerAffairs.Com:
"When my car is on any kind of slick surface that causes one of the front wheels to slip, ALL power to the drive system is stopped," wrote Christopher of Reston, Virginia.
Christopher said he first experienced the problem with his Prius "on a sloped gravel driveway in July but discounted it as a temporary thing."
Then the snow fell.
"This past weekend I was on a snow-covered road with about an 8- to 10-degree grade. Driving at 20 miles per hour, one tire began to slip on the snow and the car came to a stop. The wheels then refused to engage, because one would slip a little, regardless of throttle position," he wrote.
Christopher tells ConsumerAffairs.Com that he "had cable style tire chains and installed them properly on the front wheels and tried again. Still, a tire would slip on the 4 or 5 inches between the cables and the car would refuse to move."
Ultimately, he said, the only way to get the car up the remainder of the hill was to get out and push while his son put a foot gently on the throttle.
His Toyota service manager told Christopher that he was able to duplicate the symptoms on a level snow covered surface and apparently achieved the same results with two other Prius cars that were in the dealership fleet.
But after reporting the problem to Toyota, the service manager told Christopher that the Prius was operating as designed.
Christopher said that he "will consider this vehicle unsafe for road use under any snow or ice conditions and frankly feel that if all Prius vehicles are designed to do this someone ought to look into the situation to try to force Toyota to modify the design."
Not a Safety Problem
Toyota spokesman Bill Kwon agrees that the traction control systems in the Prius could impact performance in snow conditions but says that is not a safety problem.
"Prius has TRAC (traction control) as standard equipment," he said. "The purpose of traction control is to helps prevent wheel spin and minimize slippage of the drive wheels by applying brakes and/or reducing engine power."
Kwon points out that an 8 to 10 degree grade "is a fairly steep grade and combined with snow would cause a loss of traction which will activate the traction control system and therefore reduce or cut power."
"A vehicle without TRAC in those conditions," Kwon adds. "would probably just start spinning in place and eventually spin out of control. In my opinion, it's better to have the vehicle stop then to have the wheels spinning and out of control."
Regarding the battery, something must be wrong. I assume you power down the car properly. My guess is that the battery is bad -- couldn't they have at least checked? You can also get the battery checked for free at auto parts stores like Advance and AutoZone.
My son and daughter-in-law bought an '06 Prius last July. The last time he mentioned it, they only had 1800 miles on the car, which tells me it's not used much (they commute to work by subway in NYC). The car is parked on the street, through the cold winter -- no problems with a rundown battery.
As someone who has operated some sophisticated equipment – I’m very impressed with the Prius. My first car was a new 1972 Corvette. Then I flew the General Dynamics F-111 when it was the most sophisticated airplane in the world (You are not sipping gas at Mach 2.0!), and most recently, the all LCD-display Boeing 717, which is a completely computer controlled airplane (and very fuel efficient). I have to say there are many similarities in the feeling the first time I took off in a 717 and driving the Prius home! This car has got a level of sophistication that amazes me.
Figuring $450 for the XM radio, Edmunds TMV price is $28,645, MSN Auto’s MSRP is 30,065, invoice 27,050. I paid $27,761. We bought just in time to catch the $1575 tax credit before it dropped to $787.50, and got the 2.9% financing. Looks like we got the April 3 discount of $1750 on Package 6.
On my 14 mile city commute, I’m averaging 48 mpg according to the computer.
I traded in a 1998 Camry, and my USAA Auto Insurance only increased $26.99 for the six month billing period.
I too agree that the instantaneous MPG indicator is good feedback, and causing me to be a smoother and more careful driver. I never thought accelerating smoothly and avoiding braking could be a game.
I agree that the owner’s manual is hard to read, and I do notice a vibrating sound coming from the front when I’m not on a smooth road. Sounds like a metal on metal vibration. There is a good inventory in the city right now of Prius’s, and there are not too many on the road in San Antonio yet, so it is still a novelty here.
You were done a disservice by the person who delivered your vehicle to you without going over everything. There is a very simple way to avoid your problem. It takes less than 1/2 second.
A month later, we went away for a week. When we got home it was DEAD AGAIN.
We are done. We won't be keeping a car that dies in the garage after sitting for just 3 days.
Do have have the keyless entry system? Did you make sure your key fobs were at least 15 feet away from the car while you were away? There's a section of the manual that states some such requirement as the fob and onboard system will continously "poll" each other while within a certain distance which will eventually run down the battery.
We just returned from a 16-day trip where our 07 was left in a cold, Colorado garage. Our key fobs were at the other end of the house in a drawer. Started right up this morning with three blue bars.
I have seen the "tinted" windows at the dealerships - they are added by specialty shops. I could use the darker windows here in Texas.
Federal regulations (safety standards) do not allow CARS as delivered from the factory to have dark-tinted glass, but vans, SUVs, and pickups are allowed to have such glass behind the B-pillars.
States vary in their laws about how much tinting you can add. I prefer no added tinting myself, because I want maximum visibility at night. I just wear dark sunglasses when it's bright outside. My 2 cents.
The average MPG went up when I was driving and down when my wife was driving. I adapted faster than she did to the need for a lighter touch on the gas pedal. I've been able to drive anywhere in our neighborhood (fairly flat) solely on electric at speeds up to 29 mph. As soon as I hit 30, though, in the neighborhood, the gas engine kicks in. And, obviously, it takes a very light touch on take off to keep it on electric even on the neighborhood streets.
One concern, though, is the A/C system. High temps here were in the upper 70s Saturday and Sunday and the A/C seemed weak. We changed to recirculating and that helped somewhat, but it still doesn't seem as strong as the A/C on the ancient T-bird I traded in or the Mercury Sable that was my wife's car and now is my car.
The Prius is fun to drive, even if a little squirrelly in crosswinds. After a weekend of driving only the Prius, the Sable seemed heavy and sluggish this morning, although it drove just like it always has.
I got mine at Earl Stewart Toyota in North Palm Beach, FL, back in November. $500 over invoice, no ridiculous dealer fee.
By the way, if you to to buyatoyota.com, you can see the on the ground and incoming inventory for every Toyota / Scion dealer in the South East Toyota distributor region. It's a great way to see what inventory is available.
Does the A/C have the capacity to keep you cool in really hot weather in slow city traffic or was the capacity reduced in the effort to maximize fuel economy?
How much of a hit in fuel economy to you take with constant A/C use in city and highway driving?
I actually prefer blue myself, and I'd get the Seaside Pearl if I were in the market for a Prius.
My guess is the most popular color for the car is silver (not silver pine, which is green).
I am curious about two things.... what color interior did your Son and his Wife get ?? Gray or Bisque ?? And.... what color would YOU get with the Seaside Pearl ?? I have seen the Seaside Pearl (blue) with both gray and bisque as well as cloth and leather interiors. The blue does not look as "nice" or as "balanced" with the bisque as it does with the gray. Now I was originally thinking that the bisque would be a more "complimenting Earthtone color" when used in the Silver Pine Mica (light green), but with all the "black" plastic on the dash, the top of the doors, parts of the console, etc. We decided to buy a 2007 SPM Touring with the GRAY interior, although I will admit at first I thought it was not going to be a "good combo." but after seeing several SPM's with GRAY interiors we both decided that it looked so much better than the bisque. We all must remember, not everyone has the same likes and dislikes.... this is what makes the world go 'round !! I have heard some (even in this forum) say they absolutely HATE the Silver Pine Mica while others (like my Wife and myself) think it's a GREAT color. The metalic makes it sort of a "changing" color depending on the amount of direct sunlight vs. a cloudy day. For a short while our second choice was the blue (Seaside Pearl) w/gray but it "triggered" memories (bad, bad) of a vehicle we had in the late 90's, a Chevy Malibu, which was 99% the exact color blue as the Seaside Pearl and that Chevy also had gray interior too. It was a very "troublesome" vehicle, a "money pit" (actually a real lemon) and we NEVER want to be reminded of that blue Malibu ever again :lemon: !!
I got the last '05 available about 2 weeks before the '06's arrived. At that time Silver Pine wasn't offered, it began with the '06 models. I prefer it to all the other colors except maybe the original Salsa Red.
I'd have to say that Silver Pine / Bisque would be my own preference now.
As far as red, about 30 years ago I had a brand new, very shiney RED Triumph TR-7 and I was constantly getting pulled over by cops, even though NOT speeding. This probably sounds stupid.... I really like bright, vibrant reds, but I truly believe that red vehicles are more prone to getting pulled over for no reason because the driver is believed to be "aggressive" !! :mad:
Okay you can stop laughing !! But it's true...............
In 1990 I purchased a brand new Honda Accord EX Coupe, that metallic blue-green (called Hampshire Green Metallic) and it ONLY came with IVORY (cloth) interior, NO other optional interior. As careful as I was (no kids, no pets, non-smoker) the seats would just get "dirty" from the body oils and my dark colored dress pants, especially if I was caught in rain or on a humid day. And the carpets (same Ivory color) picked up the "black" from the floor mats as well as my shoe dirt on the right side of the gas pedal. I SWORE to myself I would NEVER get a "light colored" interior ever again !!
Your Seaside Pearl is a nice exterior color. It actually was our second choice for a while.
They just went with the gray interior because of the tight supply of Priuses at the time, and they were delighted to get their first choice of exterior color and preferred option package.
Regarding blue over gray, my '04 Camry LE is a nice medium blue (Catalina blue) with a gray cloth interior. Beautiful color and wonderful car so far (44K miles)!
Question 1 - Does the glove box light always come on and stay on when the lights are on? I know it highlights the glove box controls...but seems odd. The manuel was no help.
Question 2 - Is there a way to change the default screen on the the screen. What if I only want the radio shown?
Question 3 - Can an aftermarket store like Best Buy install the XM radio or do I have to take it to the dealer. Dealer seems like a rip off for the connection.
Hmm...what other secrets should I know?
1. I had left something on.
2. It was simple to jump start the small battery using the special terminals provided under the hood. All it needs is enough juice to power the computer. The big battery was fine.
3. It never happened again even after months of not being started when we were away for ten weeks.
Answer 2: Sorry, don't know.
Answer 3: Aftermarket store should have no problem installing XM for you, but check around. There are installers, and then there are competent installers. You might also ask about having the antenna on the roof. The normal Toyota placement is on the dash. It works much better on the roof.
Please do stick around and let us know how you're doing with your car, and you might even learn a little bit more about the inner workings of your new addition.
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