I just picked up my Prius and can't find anything I don't like about it. it is comfy and roomy. Just a few questions. I can't find any info on what the "energy" screens are really telling me and the screen that shows a "bar graph" filling up. Also, do people really only change there oil every 5000 miles. I've always done it every 3500. Am I WASTING MONEY?? I'm looking forward to looking at all the info on this site. Thanks for letting me join. K
Hello and welcome. :bounce: There is a BUNCH of good information on this site. Things like disabling that annoying "reverse" beep, very helpful fuel economy info, gas refueling and a multitude of other things - happy reading. I have had my Prius for a couple of months now and as a new cult member, ...er owner, I found the Energy screens (especially the arrows and moving wheels one) helped me learn what my car was doing and when it was doing it. Have fun!
After reading my post, thought I'd share what I've learned from the "wheel screen" and also this site. Didn't exactly explain what it was in the last post. Simple things I've learned: 1. Driving with just the yellow arrows seems like a good thing, but according to "site" it's not the most efficient mode. 2. Pulse and Glide technique is important. "Wheel" screen helps you learn this, because you can see when you have "no arrows". There is a very helpful Prius User Manual on this site - full of information and tips. Check it out. 3. Anticipating lights and traffic is important. Try to keep a pretty constant speed. 4. Have fun and drive!
Welcome to PC. Yes, every 5000 miles on the Prius. That's what is recommended. There are some threads here explaining the energy screen. Also, you can google it up. Congrats!
I was wondering the same thing about the oil changes. I go about every 7500 miles in my Civic Hybrid and the thing is smooth as silk.
Thanks to all for the quick replies and helpful info! I see that I've joined a fraternity of happy owners. K
It took me a while to figure out what the screens meant, or were showing me, and I confess that my search abilities/inclination was not what it might have been, but at the same time I was afraid to ask (even though there are much nicer people than you might find on many forums.....motorcycle ones in particular!!) for fear of being flamed. :flame: What happened was that I just looked at the screens for a time while trying to understand what the car was doing, and it eventually just "came to me". The orange arrows mean that the ICE is running and delivering power either to the wheels or the battery; the yellow ones indicate that the EM is doing the same to the wheels. The blue-green ones mean that regenerative braking or coasting is charging the battery. No arrows whatsoever means 'stealth'. The bar graph simply shows what your average mpg has been in five minute increments over a total course of 30 minutes, with the bar on the right being the most recent five minutes. The little car icons or partial icons shows that some regenerative braking/coasting has occurred within that five minute period. I change my oil every 3K miles, always have. I don't know whether it is necessary or not, but it's what I do and my dealership, which seems to be a pretty competent and decent bunch, advises 3K mile oil changes, 6K tire rotations. I realize that they may have a financial motive, but it just feels better to me regardless. Except on an occasional trip, I tend not to put a lot of miles on my vehicles over any given period of time, so partly I just like to change oil on the basis of elapsed time as much as miles.
Short answer: Toyota has gotten more conservative with their oil change interval in the US after having some issues with other models (Camry, Avalon, Sienna V6 engines in particular). To comply with the warranty requirements in the US, the interval is 5000 mi/ 6 months. Longer answer: Toyota does not use the same interval worldwide for the Prius. Some people are using extended intervals and performing oil analysis to verify that the oil is still ok after 10k. It appears that the Prius engine is actually pretty easy on the oil, but a few people have reported issues with fuel dilution. Some are waiting until they are out of warranty to extend the interval, others are keeping records of the UOA reports to justify the longer intervals in case they ever have a warranty claim.
Hardcase & Dogfriend Thanks so much for taking the time to enlighten me. The explanation on the consumption screen really makes sense now and like you Hardcase I've always changed oil at about 3K/ 4 month intervals and will probably continue to do so. Thanks again guys!
Limetime 3 - What is the Pulse and Glide Technique? Hardcase - what does ICE mean? And when the arrows are pointing away from the battery, what does that mean and when pointing to the battery? And the lines and arrows change colors and direction continually. I searched and searched the manual and can not find any reference to the colors or the arrows for that matter. I went to the dealership and they were not too sure either. ........The bar graph simply shows what your average mpg has been in five minute increments over a total course of 30 minutes, with the bar on the right being the most recent five minutes....... It is late now and I just don't feel like going outside to check out the bars/graphs on the side, but is this when the trip info screen is showing? Anniee
Pulse and Glide is a technique to really bring up the MPG. IIRC it's just tapping the gas pedal just enough to maintain speed, but not continuous pressure on the pedal. I suggest driving the Prius for a bit to learn what the car can do. ICE= Internal Combustion Engine MFD= Multi Functional Display (just throwing that in) Arrows going toward the battery means it's being charged; while arrows going away means the battery is being drained (in use). On the 2005 there were 3 colors, a reddish color, yellow and green. Green means charging. The reddish color means the ICE is running and the yellow means energy is coming from the battery. On my 2005 that's when the Consumption screen is displayed.
Anniee, I think that aaf709 answered most of your questions. Regarding the bar graph, it erases as soon as you shut the vehicle down and you start over again on your next trip. This is an automatic function and not in any way related to the trip odometer. Just take it for a drive to see what I'm talking about, put the MFD in "consumption" mode and watch the bars appear every five minutes on the right-hand side of the screen, pushing the previous (after the first one) bar to the left. After 30 minutes the bars continue to accumulate on the right and drop off on the left. Hope that makes sense.
