New owner of a 2008 Prius

There are many posts about the "Guess Gauge" as it is called. See the main forum for "Filling Prius Gas Tank" thread, and search for many more like it. Executive summary: Fill when down to one pip, better to fill when down to two pips. If things are normal, one pip= one gallon. But that can vary a bit, as you will read.

 

The GEN II Prius does not have a 'miles to empty' option. If you want that information you will need to purchase something like the Scangauge II and plug in your refill information whenever you fill the tank. The GEN II Prius has a 'bladder' (GEN III does not) and any 'miles to empty' information is usually quite unreliable. As said above...fill when you're down to two pips if you don't want to run out of gas.

 

Tami – I hope you had a wonderful birthday celebration yesterday.

RE: “CAN ANYONE PLEASE HELP ME OUT ON FIGURING OUT HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE LEFT IN THE CAR WHEN I HAVE ONE DOT LEFT ON MY GAS INDICATOR?†- nh7o, is right, the Prius GEN II Gas Gauge is a “Guess Gauge.†The gas gauge should not be relied upon to report fuel quantity remaining in the Bladder Fuel Tank with any precision.

Running you 2008 2G Prius down to “One Dot Left†is a bad practice that will, in the long run, bite you and leave you stranded in the middle of the night along side a desolate road somewhere. “One Dot Left†could be as little as “0.5 Dot Left,†which worst-case could be about 20-miles or less of fuel remaining. Additionally, running the gas tank near empty can expose the fuel pump to the air, and cause it to “Seize Up/Burn Out/Fail.â€

If you want to play the “RUNNING ON EMPTY†game in your new 2008 fuel-sipper, driving it until the bladder tank is near empty, you can safely run it down to TWO DOTS (PIPS) before opting to visit a gas station to gas up again. The specific RANGE REMAINING VALUE of TWO PIPS displayed on the Gas Gauge is dependent on your personal, actual MPG Fuel Economy at that point in your driving travel.

On the whole and by enlarge; at TWO PIPS displayed, which is nominally 1.5 PIPs to 2.99+ PIPs worth of gasoline remaining in the tank, and at that point you probably, safely have from 50 to 100 miles remaining before DRY TANKS, depending on how "Fuel Thirsty" you drive.

RE: “IS THERE A WAY I CAN RESET THIS AIR BAG MALFUNCTION) OR AM I SAFER BRINGING IT IN AND HAVE SOMEONE ELSE FIX IT FOR MEâ€: The “my airbag light stays on all the time and my passenger light says air bag off even if someone is sitting n that seat†indication is in the “TOO HARD FOR YOU TO D.I.Y. FIX†category. Take it in to Toyota (or other Toyota knowledgeable repair facility), and have the insurance company pay to have it repaired. lane: