VSC error (?) on test drive

Odd. The one time I have something similar is when I came up to a heated sidewalk in the winter about 12-15mph and hit a sharp ridge of ice about 3" high. When I hit, the light went off (I am pretty sure it was the traction control light), a beep and the brakes surged and the pedal sank to the ground. I got the update done soon after and have not experienced the same thing.

Welcome by the way!

 

Was she perhaps pushing the brake pedal most or all the way down? Or pressing the brake further after the car had already stopped? I assume you're talking about the Slip indicator, which lights when the Hill-start assist is engaged by pressing the brake pedal all the way down. It then holds the brakes for up to about 2 seconds after they are released to help you start up a hill without rolling backwards.

Doesn't quite match the situation you described, but it's a possibility.

 

Yes I think Macman and Tideland have got it. It's the slip indicator, which is also used to indicate the Hill-Start Assist is set. You don't need to push the brake down quite that far, but it doesn't hurt if you do.

 

Almost certainly Hill-Start Assist. Tell your wife to spend less time on the StairMaster.

Tom

 

The OP described "inching along" with the wheel slightly turned so I would presume the car was still in motion. If they were stopped, then the hill assist makes sense.

 

The OP said it happened in two different vehicles, and that he couldn't replicate the problem himself. I think its just something his wife does when she drives/parks. I find it highly unlikely two brand new priuses have defects, at least the same exact one lol.

 

My other car is a Dodge Ram Diesel.

I don't know how the pricing is in your neck of the woods, but here in Southern Calif, diesel prices tend to vary greatly during the year. Usually, the pricing is anywhere between regular gas and premium (sometimes higher, seldom lower). On average throughout the year, if I had to guess (and it would be a guess), I would expect to pay 10 to 15 cents/gallon more for diesel than regular gas. So, you should factor this into the operating costs of the TDI vs. the Prius.

That said, diesel prices vary by area/state/country. You probably need to do some homework to find out how it fluctuates in your area.

 

You don't want no stinkin diesel. And yes, if you got two beeps with the indicator blinking, that was the hill assist for sure.

 

The diesel may be cheaper up front but you'll spend much more on maintenance. The only advantage the diesel has it that it will run on your own biodiesel.

 

i don't think its possible to make a diesel hybrid. Diesel engines are not designed to be started/stopped so often. That's why you always see truckers running their engines and idleing for hours.

 

I was also wondering the same thing. You hold down the brake hard enough enough and the assist kicks in. Good to know.

 

I can't comment on the postulation in the first part (though I suspect it's false), but I can on your assertion in the second part; over-the-road truckers tend to run their engines a lot because their truck is their home, and their engine is their source of power, cooling, and heat. Truckers often have refrigerators, microwaves, etc. hooked up, in addition to the obvious needs of heating and cooling their living space. In order to be more efficient, some trucks have an APU - Auxiliary Power Unit. It's a small diesel engine intended to be enough to provide heating, cooling, and electric power, and doesn't need to be big enough to drive the vehicle. Large jet airplanes will tend to have an APU as well that they use to provide similar things (heating, cooling, electricity), as well as to start the engines, which takes a rather considerable amount of energy itself.

My brother is a truck driver, and many of his trucks have had these APUs. One company he worked for actually paid drivers more if their idle time was under a certain percentage (along with various other metrics, such as keeping their speed at or under 65 mph most of the time, etc.). It was in the company's interest because it saves fuel, and reduces engine wear.

On the other hand, an idling diesel engine doesn't require a ton of fuel (relative to a gasoline engine of the same size, or to just driving the beasts), so many drivers will do it for the comfort and convenience.


And now that I think about it, I can comment on your postulation... Diesel hybrids do exist, though perhaps not designed quite like the Prius drivetrain. There are a number of places (including my hometown) that have hybrid diesel-electric buses. I don't believe that these turn off the engine like a Prius, it's a more mild hybrid like other cars that requires the engine to run, though I could be wrong about that. However, it does reduce the engine load, improving mileage. From what I hear, standard diesel buses may already use generators (in addition to standard braking systems) to turn some of their kinetic energy into electrical energy, but then dissipate this energy through resistor banks to convert it to thermal energy. They do this to reduce the wear and heating of the standard brakes. However, it makes a hybrid bus a lot more attractive, because you already have a lot of the components you need - just add a battery!

 

Diesel-Electric hybrids predate the Prius by a long shot. They have been in use for decades for railroad locomotives and marine propulsion.

A hybrid propulsion system does not necessarily require frequent start/stop cycles. In some cases it makes sense, as with the Prius, but it's not a requirement.

Diesel engines can be designed to start and stop frequently. Most diesels are designed for continuous operation due to the nature of the application, not because of an inherent requirement.

Tom

 

Good luck with the TDI, I think it's a good engine and I understand the clean diesels are, well, pretty clean. BTW Audi makes an A3 with the TDI engine, might be interesting to look, some road tests indicate it has better quality control than VW. I went to look at one a few weeks ago just to see what it was like, unfortunately the local Audi dealer didn't have any A3s at all. But I still want to drive one.