Newbie Questions!!

[MLG424]

ok...here are my silly questions...i figured better to ask actual prius owners!

1--- when driving in traffic or sitting with the air on (waiting for someone) does the battery on the screen ever go completely down? if so...what happpens? I always get SOO nervous when it gets to purple, though it has only happened in those circumstances....

2--- does the battery on the screen ever get completely full? mine always stops at green but with one space left....

3--- I am interested in tint....how does it look? I read some posts from members who have had bad experiences with the back window...is this common?

4--- If i have a package 4 prius, can i have the dealers install navigation? if so, is it good? or should i just get a portable garmin?

5--- (hahaha alot of question!!) Why are people putting insulation in their grills during the winter time?

hahahaa...thanks in advance for any help you all might be able to offer....I am not very tech or abbreviation savvy with the car yet...so i have been confused by several posts I have tried to read for answers!!!

[aaf709]

Welcome!

1- Don't worry, the engine (ICE) will run as necessary to charge the battery. The screen shows only about 40% to 80% (IIRC), so the battery isn't completely low even with two bars.

2- I've had full green only if I've gone down a long hill and haven't shifted to "B." The car doesn't like full green so it makes sure it won't stay like that.

3- No experience with tinting.

4- It would be cheaper and better for you to get the Garmin, or something similar.

5- No experience, but I suppose it would be to make the engine heat up quicker. You could also get a block heater.

[Doc Willie]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MLG424 @ Aug 11 2007, 05:39 PM) [snapback]494058[/snapback]</div>

ok...here are my silly questions...i figured better to ask actual prius owners!

1--- when driving in traffic or sitting with the air on (waiting for someone) does the battery on the screen ever go completely down? if so...what happpens? I always get SOO nervous when it gets to purple, though it has only happened in those circumstances....[/b]

This is normal behavior. The system always wants to keep the battery at least 40% charged. When you get to the purple bars, the computer will make sure the battery gets charged.

2--- does the battery on the screen ever get completely full? mine always stops at green but with one space left....[/b]

I think I have seen mine get fully charged at the bottom of a mountain. Again, the computer wants to keep the battery from OVERcharging, and will start spinning the gas engine to keep the charge within its limits.

3--- I am interested in tint....how does it look? I read some posts from members who have had bad experiences with the back window...is this common?[/b]

Do some searching on this forum. People have had different experiences, and there are some pictures in various places.

4--- If i have a package 4 prius, can i have the dealers install navigation? if so, is it good? or should i just get a portable garmin?[/b]

I don't know about the dealer install. I do know that most of the folks that have posted here who have experience with GPS prefer the Garmin or other GPS to the factory one for various reasons. Of course it means you will have another piece of stuff on your dashboard.

5--- (hahaha alot of question!!) Why are people putting insulation in their grills during the winter time? [/b]

This is to help the gas engine warm up faster. Without the insulation the gas engine has to run, even if it is not moving the car, for a while until it is hot enough for the pollution controls (and maybe other stuff) to function correctly. With insulation (or better, an Electric Block Heater) the engine wastes less fuel warming up.

hahahaa...thanks in advance for any help you all might be able to offer....I am not very tech or abbreviation savvy with the car yet...so i have been confused by several posts I have tried to read for answers!!!


[/b]

The only stupid question is the unasked one. Welcome to a lifetime of learning.

[1fixitman]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MLG424 @ Aug 11 2007, 05:39 PM) [snapback]494058[/snapback]</div>

ok...here are my silly questions...i figured better to ask actual prius owners!

1--- when driving in traffic or sitting with the air on (waiting for someone) does the battery on the screen ever go completely down? if so...what happpens? I always get SOO nervous when it gets to purple, though it has only happened in those circumstances....

2--- does the battery on the screen ever get completely full? mine always stops at green but with one space left....

3--- I am interested in tint....how does it look? I read some posts from members who have had bad experiences with the back window...is this common?

4--- If i have a package 4 prius, can i have the dealers install navigation? if so, is it good? or should i just get a portable garmin?

5--- (hahaha alot of question!!) Why are people putting insulation in their grills during the winter time?

hahahaa...thanks in advance for any help you all might be able to offer....I am not very tech or abbreviation savvy with the car yet...so i have been confused by several posts I have tried to read for answers!!!


[/b]

Required reading.... go to this link and read about Prius power flow to solve #1
http://priuschat.com/Introduction-to-Prius...low-t30286.html
The state of charge on the traction(HV) battery is controlled by a battery computer. The visible part of the battery you see is 40%-80%. The batt computer wants to keep the HV battery at 60% all the time. This is to maximize the life of the battery.
To answer #2.....It is very hard to get your battery to 8 green bars unless you already have 6 blue bars and you go down a hill at approx 6% grade or better for about 3-5 miles(coasting preferrably). After this if you keep driving on a flat surface the car uses the excess energy to run MG2 to help power the car to get back to 6 blue bars(approx 60%). If you have all greens all the time then the car has no place to store excess energy and must burn it up through resistors as heat to the environment. The HV battery is what starts your ICE(gas engine).
Read the 5 stages of operation here(click on the HERE link in the first post):
http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=4...amp;hl=5+Stages
I am getting tint on monday. The specs in the state of GA is 35%. You can search for tint and read for hours on this subject....too many to list here.
Get a tot-tom or a garmin aftermarket NAV with bluetooth connection it is cheaper and more user friendly.

Ahhh. Blocking the upper grill. I blocked my upper grill for summertime but not the lower. It forces the ICE to operate at slightly higher temps which makes it more efficient. I do not recommend doing this unless you have the scanguage II to monitor engine coolant temps. Blocking the lower grill also during extreme cold months will also give greater FE. If you can not keep up with the lingo then you need to read this:
http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=1...l=abbreviations
hope all of this helps. Read often and tell other drivers about this site.....very informative.

[MLG424]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(aaf709 @ Aug 11 2007, 05:08 PM) [snapback]494078[/snapback]</div>

Welcome!

1- Don't worry, the engine (ICE) will run as necessary to charge the battery. The screen shows only about 40% to 80% (IIRC), so the battery isn't completely low even with two bars.

2- I've had full green only if I've gone down a long hill and haven't shifted to "B." The car doesn't like full green so it makes sure it won't stay like that.

3- No experience with tinting.

4- It would be cheaper and better for you to get the Garmin, or something similar.

5- No experience, but I suppose it would be to make the engine heat up quicker. You could also get a block heater.
[/b]

Thanks! So....that means that the battery even if at the "purple" stage will (hopefully) never go off because the gas engine will try to keep it at purple or higher?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Doc Willie @ Aug 11 2007, 05:17 PM) [snapback]494081[/snapback]</div>

This is normal behavior. The system always wants to keep the battery at least 40% charged. When you get to the purple bars, the computer will make sure the battery gets charged.
I think I have seen mine get fully charged at the bottom of a mountain. Again, the computer wants to keep the battery from OVERcharging, and will start spinning the gas engine to keep the charge within its limits.
Do some searching on this forum. People have had different experiences, and there are some pictures in various places.
I don't know about the dealer install. I do know that most of the folks that have posted here who have experience with GPS prefer the Garmin or other GPS to the factory one for various reasons. Of course it means you will have another piece of stuff on your dashboard.
This is to help the gas engine warm up faster. Without the insulation the gas engine has to run, even if it is not moving the car, for a while until it is hot enough for the pollution controls (and maybe other stuff) to function correctly. With insulation (or better, an Electric Block Heater) the engine wastes less fuel warming up.
The only stupid question is the unasked one. Welcome to a lifetime of learning.
[/b]

thanks! so i dont realllllly need a heater or insulation.....does the prius turn on/start as easily in the winter as it does in the summer?

[JHSmith]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MLG424 @ Aug 11 2007, 05:39 PM) [snapback]494058[/snapback]</div>

ok...here are my silly questions...i figured better to ask actual prius owners!

1--- when driving in traffic or sitting with the air on (waiting for someone) does the battery on the screen ever go completely down? if so...what happpens? I always get SOO nervous when it gets to purple, though it has only happened in those circumstances....

2--- does the battery on the screen ever get completely full? mine always stops at green but with one space left....

3--- I am interested in tint....how does it look? I read some posts from members who have had bad experiences with the back window...is this common?

4--- If i have a package 4 prius, can i have the dealers install navigation? if so, is it good? or should i just get a portable garmin?

5--- (hahaha alot of question!!) Why are people putting insulation in their grills during the winter time?

hahahaa...thanks in advance for any help you all might be able to offer....I am not very tech or abbreviation savvy with the car yet...so i have been confused by several posts I have tried to read for answers!!!

[/b]

I, also, would like to offer my own "Welcome" (even though I have a Camry Hybrid (TCH or HyCam) ).

I notice you are a few miles north of me, so a few items to elaborate on:

1) Battery guage going to PURPLE: As others have stated: No sweat BUT (and a big BUT): DO NOT sit and idle in Neutral! As the manual states, the battery will NOT charge while in nuetral.

3) Concerning tint, I recently had my windows tinted (LLumar 40%). In the rear window, most headlights appear to have vertical streaks (as if looking through cheap polarized sunglasses). It just took a time to get used to it.

4) Installing factory NAV aftermarket: Cost prohibitive! It's not just a matter of changing out one or two components: many new cables and sensors would need to be added. BTW, our unfortunate Canadian neighbors cannot get TCH w/ factory NAV, only as a dealer installed option. And when the get it installed, they find out theat they lose the ENERGY/CONSUMPTION related screens on that you have. I would suggest that you use a "normal" GPS unit (Garmin/Tom Tom/etc.)

5) Last year I didn't use an insulation baffle on my TCH. I'm thinking of trying it this year and taking it on and off to see what type a difference it makes. As D Rock says, be sure you have a SGII or some other type of instrumentation to monitor your temps since Prius (and TCH) don't have temperature guages. Another thing not mentioned is that the baffle will block part of your radiator, allowing your coolant to maintain it's temp longer.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MLG424 @ Aug 11 2007, 06:45 PM) [snapback]494091[/snapback]</div>

.....does the prius turn on/start as easily in the winter as it does in the summer? [/b]

I had no problem starting the car during the winter. Started the same. (Even without an engine block or coolant heater.) My fuel economy took a 5 - 8 mpg hit during the winter. (But still better than the Grand Am it replaced. ) Only problem was that I have leather seats, BOY do those get cold! Only saving grace, I also have heated seats.

[JimN]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MLG424 @ Aug 11 2007, 06:45 PM) [snapback]494091[/snapback]</div>

Thanks! So....that means that the battery even if at the "purple" stage will (hopefully) never go off because the gas engine will try to keep it at purple or higher?
thanks! so i dont realllllly need a heater or insulation.....does the prius turn on/start as easily in the winter as it does in the summer?
[/b]

The grill is blocked with pipe insulation to retain the heat from the gas engine. With the grill blocked it gets warmer faster and stays warmer longer so it doesn't run as much which improves FE (fuel economy). The EBH plugged in for 3 hours before the car is started warms the engine to operating temperature. This also improves FE. The 1st 5 minute bar instead of being at 25mpg is at 50mpg.

During the winter my lifetime average did not drop partly due to the fully blocked grill. If the grill wasn't blocked there would be some drop.

Starting is not a problem.

As long as there is gas in the tank the car will take care of itself and run the gas engine as needed to protect the traction battery.