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Where to find Prius vs Normal Car Info/FAQS?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by web1b, Aug 16, 2010.

  1. web1b

    web1b Active Member

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    A relative of mine living in another state is interested in buying a new Prius for the MPG and price to replace her 10 year old Mercedes. She really knows little else about the Prius other than it gets high mpg and costs a lot less than a new Mercedes.

    I think if she runs out and buys one she will become confused by things that are different about driving and maintaining a Prius and may have regrets day later.

    Other than having her find a PDF copy of the owners manual to read, is there a link to a web page or some kind of shorter document or video that highlights features and things that are different about how to drive and maintain a Prius so she will not be subject to confusion and frustration a few days after making the purchase?
    Examples of what should be in the information are things like how to select neutral, how the battery charges and discharges as you drive (don't enter a car wash with low battery etc.), how to use the SmartKey, what a CVT is etc.. Generally anything that is not the same as it would be on a standard non-hybrid car and that she would not have seen before in her experience driving a 10 year old Mercedes.
     
  2. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    I often recommend this User Guide compiled by John1701a, it is for the 2004 to 2009 Prius but the principles are the same.

    John's Stuff - Toyota Prius User-Guide

    I have never had any troubles with car washes, and in fact no battery troubles at all.

    Assuming her old car had an automatic, she never needs to 'think' about how to use the CVT. (There is a gear marked B rather than a gear marked L, but in much of the world, you never use either one. It is for long mountain descents)

    One thing, while a Prius almost always gets better mileage than a 'normal' car, it truly shines on long trips. (10 miles or longer) If her driving is all of the 5 block grocery run type, she will not be as impressed with a Prius as I am.
     
  3. energyandair

    energyandair Active Member

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    Even for short trips you get a quiet practical vehicle and better fuel consumption than other cars, not to mention a history of good reliability and generally low maintenance costs.
     
  4. web1b

    web1b Active Member

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    She is already about convinced to buy the car, but she is going into it pretty blindly since she doesn't know much about it and isn't technical at all.
     
  5. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    You get 90% of the fuel saving without ever thinking about it, so she does not need to be very 'technical'. Should she go after that last 10%, we have plenty of threads here on how to do so.

    Coming from a MB, she will find Toyota service to be inexpensive. (Nothing major for 60,000 miles, even to 120,000 is not different from a 'normal' car.)
     
  6. web1b

    web1b Active Member

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    She won't be worrying about hyper-miling for maximum mileage since she will get more than 2X mpg without trying plus won't have to pay for premium fuel anymore.

    She isn't technical as far as finding the gadgets intuitive to use and will be likely to not understand things right away that are different than her old car she was driving for the last decade. She has never even used bluetooth before, so hybrid technology, regenerative braking, the navigation system, hill holder, SmartKey use etc will all be new and confusing to her at first.
    Some things in the car are not super intuitive and require reading the thick owners manual or some other training such as what is B gear, how to get neutral to engage, or that you have to hold down the start button to shut off the engine in an emergency. She wants built in navigation now, but she didn't have it in her old car.

    If she was getting a Corolla, it would probably be fine, but a Prius has a lot of idiosyncrasies and unique gizmos with learning curves that will be new to anyone who has never had a Prius before. Some find those things fun and exciting, but others will find it frustrating and confusing.
     
  7. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Driving Modes


    Safety & Security


    Bluetooth


    Starting Procedure


    The rest are available on YouTueb and at the iTunes store.
     
  8. energyandair

    energyandair Active Member

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  9. Dominic

    Dominic New Member

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    or if you live in the north, it is also VERY useful when you hit black ice or packed snow!
     
  10. Lottamoxie

    Lottamoxie Member

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    Your relative doesn't have to get the top-of-the-line Prius, which is where all the fancy gadgets and doo-dads add up. She could get a Pkg II or III and no other options and not be confused. Then she gets the benefit of great gas mileage, the low cost of maintenance, and aside from learning to push a button to start the car and not having to use the remote fob to unlock/lock the driver's car door (unless she wants to), then she's good to go!
     
  11. web1b

    web1b Active Member

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    There are a few things to worry about even on the most basic Prius. For instance, if she goes to a car wash with the traction battery at a low level where the engine was about to restart to recharge the battery, the battery could drain further while the car is on the conveyor belt causing the transmission to switch from Neutral into Park since the battery cannot be recharged in Neutral. This could cause a backup with the car behind rear-ending her Prius.
    There are also confusing oddities such as the brake pedal glitch that causes it to become much more sensitive than normal at times.
    The hill holder can be unintentionally activated by firm pedal pressure and she may not know what the yellow warning light is or why the car isn't moving.
     
  12. Dominic

    Dominic New Member

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    i still don't understand that car wash thing... maybe it's because our car wash are different in canada, but last time i used one, i stay in "drive" the whole time... just move forward when needed to... so the engine would just kick in if needed... no?
     
  13. web1b

    web1b Active Member

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    In the US, there are some car washes where you don't sit in the car. You get out and the car moves through unattended. The car must be left in neutral at the US car washes. The car wash attendant moves the car for you and they call you to come get the car once they have finished drying the car and cleaning the interior.
    Some of these car washes have inside waiting rooms where you can see the cars being washed through a viewing window and some have benches outside where you don't see the car until it comes out the end of the wash building.
    The Prius could switch into Park automatically if it needed to recharge before it reached the end of the wash.
     
  14. Dominic

    Dominic New Member

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    ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ok... makes a lot more sense now... guess i'm too old school!
     
  15. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Umm... in that case, shouldn't she read the manual? I sure as heck would read mine if I bought a MB mostly because I'm unfamiliar with their products.

    Heck, even after 10 years of Toyotas, I still read every manual of every car we bought. Toyota tends to not advertise certain things (like the hill start assist) so I've gotten used to reading the manual in case there are some extra features and tidbits that Toyota has added to the car.
     
  16. energyandair

    energyandair Active Member

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    Has this actually happened to someone or is it just theoretical ? I can't recall seeing a post about it.
    It seems as though it would only apply in rare cases and in car washes where car movement is both automated and relies upon the car rolling. I must admit I've not seen a car wash of that type.

    Yes these are quirks but in my experience, they do not happen often and even drivers who don't understand what is going on seem to cope just fine.
     
  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    tell her to take a test drive and see if anything is confusing. she can ask the salesperson questions as they go along. or better yet, rent one for a few days. how is it you have posted here 500 times and seem to know so little about the car.:confused: