New '07 Prius owner in AZ

I bought a blue '07 Prius last weekend to replace my Civic.

I thought I'd test it out this weekend by driving to Flagstaff (from Phoenix, AZ). The last time I'd driven to Flagstaff in my Civic, it had overheated and broke down 20 miles south of Flag. This drive in the Prius was almost as terrifying because I hadn't finished reading Owners Manual.

The drive goes from ~1000 ft elevation to ~7000 feet over 120miles or so.

All of these things occurred, causing me to freak out, and often pull over, and search on this forum for explanations:

1. I noticed the Maint Required Light had come on, as I was headed out of town. I decided not to stop since I just bought a car a week ago. I checked fluid levels and everything seemed ok. Will take it in to get checked soon.

2. Major engine revving noise going up the hills. It sounded like a chain saw or leaf blower motor. This freaked me out, so i slowed down and got in line with the slow semi's. (Speed limit here is 75mph, so i tend to go 80.)

3. Battery level went down to 1 purple bar. Once going down a hill it got all the way up to green, but it didn't seem to hold that charge for long before going down to purple again. I was surprised at how quickly the battery charged and decharged.

4. Battery vent turned on and stayed on for a long time. (It is hot here.)

2-4 all happened at almost same time, and I thought i was going to break down again! I stopped at a convenient stop to let the Prius sit and think about the stress it was putting me through.

MPG averaged out at 44mpg for the trip.

I guess the electrical aspect of the whole system will take some getting used to.

Also, I'm hoping to be able to replace the rearview mirror because i can't see anything behind me at night taht's not illuminated. Maybe there is too much tinting on the rearview mirror. I'd rather not remove the tinting though, since it's so hot here.

 

ps- i bought the car at carmax, so I assumed they did maintenance on it before I bought it.