Prius (2010-12) Fuel :: Early Grill Blocking When Temp Drop Below 65 F?
Oct 21, 2011
Fall and Winter musing about fuel efficiency...warming up the engine and thermal efficiency of the Prius
View 12 RepliesFall and Winter musing about fuel efficiency...warming up the engine and thermal efficiency of the Prius
View 12 RepliesTypically here in the Phoenix area the coldest it gets in the morning is mid to upper 30s for about 2-3 weeks in dec/jan for the low and 50s for the high. Half of November, Jan, Feb & March temps are around 40s for the low & upper 50s-60s high
With these temps is it worth grill blocking?...and how much of a MPG gain would I get?
Right now it's about 80 outside in SoCal and I want to go out soon with 100% grill blocking: is it gonna be overheating something?
View 4 RepliesMy average mileage down to 36MPG this week. is there something wrong with my car? never really went as far as 50mpg the best I got was 45mpg. my average is 40mpg.
View 3 RepliesI commuted to LA 2-3x a week. The mileage on my car is now at 90k. I have had an average of 40 mpg since new, but suddenly it began to drop. We took it to our local Toyota dealer and was told it was most likely a cable that needed to be cleaned. That was $160. It didn't work.
View 10 RepliesI am using a 2012 Prius and I was running around 23KMpL average. For sometime I am seeing my mileage around 17 - 18 KMpL. What could be the reasons for this ?
The only change happened in between is that I had a accident which I had to replace the front buffer.
I bought a 2010 Prius II (150,000 miles on it) about two weeks ago. In that time the car has been averaging between 41 and 43 MPG according to the computer, and I calculated 41.3 MPG at my last fill up. I am concerned about the MPGs. I bought a brand new Prius in 2012, it was a III model and '12 year. That car always got 48 highway, and 50 in the city. From what I understand, the 2010 and 2012 models have the same engine and transmission set up and the only difference may be the software.
So my questions are; why am I getting 7 to 9 MPG less than my old (newer) 2012 Prius? What to do to get better mileage, but what actually worked? My checklist of repairs include; check 12v battery, change out spark plugs, just changed air filter, check brakes, oil change (using Mobil 1 full synthetic 0w-20), what else should I check/replace/update,
It seems that my mpg gauge always drops by at least 2 mpg when it's raining, even if one goes slower because of the rain. Why is this?
View 19 RepliesThere is moisture or dirt blocking the part of my settings display on my dashboard. I can't see the "Trip A/ Miles left before empty" area. Dealer said it was glue inside the dashboard. They ordered a new plastic window. I think it looks like moisture buildup... How would glue have gotten up there? I am fearful that the area will spread and I will not be able to see more of this area.... Car is a 2010 Model 3 with 12,000 miles.. 10 months old...
View 1 RepliesLast October I needed new tires, so I had Michelin Defenders put on my 2011 Three in place of the OEM Firestones. The Michelins perform well and are nice and quiet, but...
My gas mileage (both indicated on the dash and calculated) has dropped by about ten percent. In researching the two brands of tire, I found that the OEM Firestones are rated at 836 revolutions per mile, and the Michelins are 839. I'm wondering if this is the reason for the apparent change in mileage.
First time Prius owner Aug 2012. First 2 tanks of gas very impressed at 50-51 mpg. Then going slowly (10mph) through a parking lot I heard a strange noise on passenger side underneath the car. The best description is that it sounded like a steel lawn rake being dragged under the car on the asphalt. It lasted for about 30 seconds, then quiet and I have not heard it since. No sign of issues. No dash warning lights.
My next tanks rendered 47.5, 48.5, 46.5, 45.75 mpg. Then in the last 2 tanks suddenly at 41.5 and 42.75 mpg. This seems like a very major drop in mpg. I have been reading the comments regarding outside temp etc. and I will make adjustments. It just seems extreme and the "noise" is now making me wonder if some electrical component failed and is adding to the poor mileage issue.
I'm a very new Prius 2010 owner (as of December 2010) and I very stupidly drove my car in B for about 70 miles down the interstate. I wasn't paying attention, and had only had the car for a week, and I shifted into B instead of Drive and didn't realize it until about 70 miles down the interstate. I had been driving up to 75 mph during that time.
My dealer has the oil change sticker listed as needing changed at the next 5K miles, but my oil service display is already showing service needed, some 3K miles before their estimated 5K mark. Is this related to the horrible B driving that I did in December? I would love to just reset the oil change display and keep driving, but I did some sort of damage or extreme wear and tear with the B driving.
Interesting tale. After parking my GX on Friday night, it wouldn't start on Saturday. Starter seemed fine, Battery was cranking away but something seemed to be blocking fuel from getting to the carburetor. The Lexus dealer (50 miles away) said they never heard of a fuel pump or fuel filter being an issue on a 4 year old GX with 60K miles. I did take the battery to be tested and found out it was getting weak so I bought a replacement, but still couldn't start the vehicle.
I had AAA tow my GX to the closest dealer (Toyota) and they determined that mice had eaten through two sensor wires. They had to remove the manifold to get to the nest (?) or whatever they call these little mice homes. This meant new gaskets, replacing shredded wiring and sensors plus 4 hours labor.
Since I moved from the city to the country last year, this is the first I heard of this issue. Long term campers tell me the way they keep mice out of their engine compartments is by putting Bounce (anti-static dryer sheets) under the hood as this seems to stop the mice activity.
So I am in the process of removing my front silver grill to paint it and was wondering do I need to drop the whole bumper to get it off??
View 16 RepliesI have a 2008 prius. Usually it gets me around 52-55mpg, I've had it since January. Since a couple of days ago its not giving me anything above 49. I know thats a normal number, but considering the fact that its usually quite a bit higher I'm wondering what the cause of the drop is. Also around the same time, when I pull out of my driveway I notice what appears to be a bit of water leakage. Its under the vehicle in the front center, and it only happens when I start the car for the day and pull out of my driveway (its on an incline).
View 4 RepliesSo yesterday, I reset my trip meter when I put on gas. I did a 7 mile drive home (no highways) MPG was around 54. This morning, my husband pulls the car from the garage to the driveway to install my name plates. When I start the car, I noticed MPG was 41. What could have caused the sudden overnight shift from 54 to 41. I only drove 3 miles to work since then so it is hovering around 42. Could the cold morning start to back up from garage did something? Could he have left the power switch on (and it shut off automatically).
View 6 RepliesI turned on the car, CONS showed 56.0mpg,
backed out of the garage (about 20 feet) 55.8 mpg,
waited for the garage door to close 55.0 mpg (ICE started),
got to the end of the street (about 200 feet) 54.0 mpg
outside temp was 51F, humid, cloudy
had about 90 miles on new tank of fuel
I know you get big swings in fuel economy when you reset the trip on fill ups but I just thought it was funny that the mpg would drop 0.8 mpg while not moving.
After about 2,000 miles I'm averaging about 35.5 mpg on my Energy Savers, down from about 40 mpg on Michelin Harmony's. No change in driving habits. No change in tire pressure. Installer has checked them and doesn't see anything wrong. Balanced and aligned at installation. My 2008 is typically carries close to the maximum rated weight with passengers, dogs and/ or gear, hence the lower than average mpg. Michelin will exchange them, but doesn't consider them broken in until 5,000 miles, which I certainly won't reach within the 30 day guarantee period.
View 12 RepliesSaw a drop in mpg from 45mpg to 34mpg. Since I was way over 200,000 miles, I began to fear traction battery failure. Toyota looked over codes, did diagnostics, etc. and found nothing. They recommended and replaced the auxiliary battery, which made no difference. I fought with them on aux. battery replacement price since their costs had gone up 50% in two years. Mine was barely out of warranty. So what happened. I replaced the iridium plugs. Mileage jumped back up to 45mpg.
View 8 RepliesAfter oil changes (seen this 1-2 times now) on my 2009 Prius, I see a drop in mpg from 48 --> 45 or so. My driving doesn't change significantly, and I believe that the mpg slowly recovers over time.
Is there a reasonable explanation? Am I having my oil changed wrong? I usually get a 5W30 regular oil from Jiffy Lube -- nothing special. I decline the fully synthetic, because the 2009 model doesn't call for it, but would this affect the mpg?
My 2010 prius had been giving low mpg since the last three months. It has now 145K miles.when I bought it a year ago, it had 134K on it. I haven't changed the spark plugs, do they have any effect on low mpg? My mpg is about 39 now,but was 42_45 before.
What are the symptoms for the spark plugs to be changed?