What every newb should know

[richard schumacher]

Yes, starting with the 2010 model in the US the fuel system is more forgiving in that you can probably reliably go farther after the blinking starts; but it's *less* forgiving in that if you do run out it won't let you drive any distance on the battery alone. Caveat emptyor :_>

[ukeguy]

Being a newbie and not having read this thread and not knowing any better, I recently tested my new 2010 Prius to see how much fuel was remaining when the last pip started flashing. I found a gas station within a few blocks, and it took 9.58 gallons to fill up. According to my calculations, there was still more than 2 gallons in the tank - a more than ample cushion to make it to the next gas station.

[Hidden_Dartz]

I just bought a 2010(III) last month & I love it. Still trying to figure out how to improve the mpg. I'm in NYC and it's cold. I imagine the heat being on a lot isn't helping. Or maybe I should be doing something else better

[mts]

The Prius is awesome! The third generation is going to change everything.

[allan jb]

Cute kitties

[new08owner]

Originally Posted by LOVL1TE

I also fill up after I get down to about a 1/2 tank. I've heard that gas tanks acquire water and pieces of debris over time

Just as a point added to this. Gas stations also accumulate water and debris in their tanks. It settles to the bottom and gas is pumped from a level a little above the bottom. A good station will pump this out periodically. But if a tanker is dumping his load this stirs up what usually remains on the bottom, so never fill up when a tanker is dumping his load.
Scott

[tnag78]

When does the last pip start to flash? The Prius manual says it's when there is about 1.6 gallons left in the tank. Being new I wanted to get to the point that the warning went off but I reached the last pip about 10 miles ago and still no "flashing". I'm going to fill up immediately but I'd sure like to know approximately when the warning light shows up.

Thanks for the good advice in your post though.

[QUOTE=richard schumacher;637584]The wisdom of the ancients, condensed and updated :_>


1. If the last "pip" (pips = little rectangular lights) on the gas gauge starts to flash it means "buy gas right now, damn it".

The fuel gauge is not perfect, and instantaneous MPGs are always varying because of the outside temperature, the route driven, driver technique, and other factors. Further, the 2004-2009 models have an internal bladder whose capacity is not constant. Because of all that, at any moment you cannot know how much gas is still available in the tank and cannot predict exactly far you can still drive before running out of gas. Running out and driving until you drain the large (high-voltage traction) battery can damage the fuel pump and/or the battery, and void the warranty. It can cost thousands to fix these. Therefore it is prudent to buy gas before the gauge gets to the last pip.

[richard schumacher]

Note that, unlike the 2004-2009 model, the 2010 model will not allow the car to move at all after it runs out of gas.

[Terrell]

I'm new, so I'm posting to get to the five posts level, so I can post my miles chart in the MPG thread. Thanks for these discussions.

[Terrell]

Regarding the low fuel level light, I ran it way down to see what it would do (2010). It beeped once, and the light flashes. I didn't try to run out of gas, just wanted to see what happens with the warning light. The dealer told me that that one beep was all the warning I get. I think it might be better if it beeped every time I started the car when it's so low.