Reliability information on first-gen Prius

[bwilson4web]

Hi,

I also have an 03 bought with 49,000 miles and now over 121,000. It is has been a joy and even though we have a 2010 model for my wife, the 03 remains my primary commuting car.

Originally Posted by trickedout281

I own a 03 1 Gen with 136k. Purchased it a few years back from the original owner with 118k. . . .
I follow my own maintenance plan which involves frequent inspections. Rotate my tires at ever oil change every 3k. This increases tread life dramatically. Check and set my tire pressure every few weeks. I run 44psi in the front and 42 in the rear. How are some of you averaging 55-70+MPG? Must be all HWY miles feathering the pedal and ultra low rolling resistance tires. I average around 35-40MPG. Mostly stop and go town driving. I sit idle for extended periods with the AC on, but not MAX. With nobody else on the road, and lots of hill coasting I can get my 5 min logs to 50-55MPG. But this isn't maintained long enough to get those really high averages. Is there some 1 Gen special mod that enables you to obtain this incredible MPG? Has anyone installed an electric mode only switch on a 1 Gen? My Prius is very sensitive, and usually wants to run with the gas motor. Unless I'm driving Miss Daisy. Smart driving techniques work well for the most part. Other drivers on the road don't seem to like it. I find it easiest to just set the cruise control and the PCM do all of the fancy foot work.
. . .

This is my short list:

• 25 mph for first 1-2 miles - the car really needs to warm-up while rolling. So I cut through the neighborhood, 25 mph speed limit, before getting on a cross town street. There is a stoplight to get on the cross town street and often I'll stop long enough for the warmed up Prius to 'auto stop', the last phase of warm-up.
• avoid 40-44 mph and anything over 65-70 mph - there is a hybrid control law transition at 42 mph and staying either below or above it with plenty of margin avoids transitions that with my car seems to lower mileage. At 65 mph, I get 52 MPG on the highway but it falls to 49 MPG at 70 and down to 39 MPG at 75 mph.
• climb hills at 55 mph if possible - it depends upon local traffic but on the Interstates, I follow heavily loaded semi-trailer trucks and they climb at that speed. Any faster and the engine goes into higher power regions with more fuel burned per unit of shaft power (BSFC.)
• under 40 mph for last 2-3 miles - when approaching your destination, choose a route that stays in 'hybrid mode' so the battery energy can pay a dividend as you approach your parking spot.
• park in shade during the summer and sun in the winter - try to avoid having to use the AC with the limits of common sense or a lot of heat in the winter when the car needs to warm-up.
• lower radiator block below 60F - I use a split water noodle to block airflow through the bumper inlet and this helps the warm-up a bit.
• block heater below 40F - it pays dividends anytime but I find an hour pre-heat on frosty mornings is especially helpful.
• route planning - if you have a daily commute, use a map and see if there are any slower speed segments that can shorten the distance. Often these short cuts don't increase the commuting time but they sure pay dividends at the pump.

I hope this helps you as much as it has helped me. My mileage records are open and I would recommend starting your own using any of the online database systems.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson

[trickedout281]

Hello Bob,

Thank you for the valuable information. I plan to implement these driving techniques later today. Do you know of anyone that sells easily removable flush mounted grill block inserts? I'd prefer color matched to the factory silver paint, or black/carbon fiber. I'm also interested in an under body tray or full length belly pan. I'd prefer to buy one because I don't have the resources or experience to design, and test one effectively. Improving the aerodynamics where the manufacture neglected to. I'd rather not try to make one and end up causing unwanted overheating, and instability. If there are no solutions I may end up fabricating one myself. There must be a market for these items especially if it's a green mod saving money, and environmentally friendly. I think the biggest problem is that there are fewer 1 Gens on the road today and seem to be less popular. II and III Gen Prius's can be found around every corner. When I spot a 1 Gen I often point it out to my passengers being as it's so rare.

I was going to delete my PS mirror but according to the VA state safety laws it would be in violation. This mod is legal only if your front side windows are not tinted. I despise Virginia's strict laws. The automotive laws that should immediately be removed are the front license plate, the one mentioned above, and the window tint percentage. It should be more like 35% front 20% all rear. instead of 50% front and 35% rear. Why do SUV's have less restrictions on this? Last time I checked the larger capacity for passengers in these vehicles pose an even greater potential threat. The police themselves have 20% tint or less on all of their windows. What about the safety of civilians? Police vehicles are stolen all of the time. We need to be able to identify a possible threat even more then they do. The average civilian has no training in self defense nor carries a firearm, taser gun, pepper spray, club, and radio for back up. We are a very controlled society. This only causes more crime. I would hardly call this freedom. At the very least police should have to abide by the same laws we do within reason. I may be off topic but one thing leads to the next.

[bwilson4web]

Originally Posted by trickedout281

. . .
Thank you for the valuable information.

No problem. I'll probably hack out an NHW11 Prius FAQ this weekend and see if we can make it a 'sticky.'

Originally Posted by trickedout281

. . . Do you know of anyone that sells easily removable flush mounted grill block inserts? I'd prefer color matched to the factory silver paint, or black/carbon fiber. . . . The automotive laws that should immediately be removed are the front license plate, . . .

Sorry, no. I use a split water noodle because it is cheap and effective but I do get questions. Then I explain about the Prius needing so little gasoline that it needs to keep all of the heat it can.

Some of the Japanese drivers make a modified front license plate mount that extends down and blankets a good portion of the air inlet. This seems very practical and if properly anchored and attention paid to 'flow separation noise,' could give a nice, year round solution.

Here are some of my experiments:
http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/prius/pri_T_cold.html#AIR

Originally Posted by trickedout281

. . . I'm also interested in an under body tray or full length belly pan. I'd prefer to buy one because I don't have the resources or experience to design, and test one effectively. Improving the aerodynamics where the manufacture neglected to. I'd rather not try to make one and end up causing unwanted overheating, and instability. If there are no solutions I may end up fabricating one myself.

I wish you luck. I'd bought a big Coroplast sheet for that project and then realized there is a front air dam that already solves a lot of the problem. It is a 'good idea' on hold. GOOD LUCK!

Bob Wilson

[mkaresh]

Both the 2001 and the 2002 will be added to the survey this month. They remain right at the minimum sample size, so additional participants remain needed.

Car reliability research

[mkaresh]

The 2003 is now eight cars short of the minimum needed to include it in the survey. I'm looking forward to having results for the 2001 and 2002 in February. Hopefully more people can sign up and participate, so these can be full results.

For the details, and to sign up:

Car reliability research

[orange4boy]

The 2003 is now eight cars short of the minimum needed to include it in the survey.

Make that 7. Just entered mine today.

[mkaresh]

Updated results on the 2004-2010 this month. More participants remain needed to have results for the first-gen cars in February.

Help make this happen:

Car reliability research

[mkaresh]

I'll know in a few weeks whether we'll have enough responses for a result in February. I hope so. A few additional participants per year would certainly help.

Car reliability research

[awmyhr]

I was the original owner of a 2001 Prius until it died a little over a month ago at 89,000 miles. It was mostly problem free, other then the 'false alert' check engine lights, and occasional starting problems the last few years. It finally died when the fan (or one of the fans?) which cool the hybrid battery shorted out, causing a fire in the trunk which partially melted the hybrid battery.

Anyway, as a former owner for just over nine years, would I qualify for your 2001 survey? I have just purchased a 2010 Prius, but haven't had it long enough to answer any questions regarding it's reliability...

[bwilson4web]

Originally Posted by awmyhr

. . . It finally died when the fan (or one of the fans?) which cool the hybrid battery shorted out, causing a fire in the trunk which partially melted the hybrid battery. . . .

Any pictures?

Bob Wilson