Engine question - inspect or not ?

Hi all !

First post to the forum.
I've been eyeing this forum for quite a while and have learned a lot about my Prius C (6 months old)

I love this damn car.. perfect for almost anything ! I've road tripped with the car packed (tent/sleeping bags/coolers/two mountain bikes/etc) with no issues.. Recently bought a Curt hitch receiver so it'll be awesome to get a hitch based rack.




At first, I was getting around 60MPG sticking below 60MPH with P&G involved and it's pretty warm here in California.

Now I'm getting around 45MPG (I feel silly complaining about that although it's a big step down)

My MFD during my drive around 60MPH shows that the electrical motor is not constant as the green arrows comes on/off during a constant actuation of the gas on a level freeway via MFD; I can't actually confirm via naked eye. Sometimes, it shows that the electrical/green arrows is not transferring power at all which I have to alleviate by depressing pedal and actuating gas again.

Here is my chrono history/checklist

-Recently rear ended which was fixed by Toyota (hopefully.. they had to reset the computer as the airbag deploy indication kept flashing)

-Recent 0w20 oil/filter change (I made sure to use OEM)

-Recent engine/cabin filter change (OEM)

- Checked rear vents to make sure it's not covered up

Wanted to see if anyone can shed some light before I pay for an expensive diagnosis.
Sounds normal ??

Thanks !!

 

Hi all,

Thanks for the prompt replies !


Please find answers below:

how are you measuring mpg's?
1. Full tank-almost empty and some math
2. Quick overlook at the ODO MPG (as trip mpg just shows the MPG of the whole trip A or B)

I plan on getting a Scan Gauge soon ! Hopefully it'll help.

6 months old, meaning you bought a new 2012 off the lot in september of 2014?
Used

how many miles on her?
44K

everything sounds normal except your mpg's. you might want to test your 12 volt battery.
It's driving me nuts at first I thought it was just me. How do I test the 12 volt battery ?

how extensive was the accident?
Rear ended on the freeway although it didn't leave any marks (strong thing !)
I just had the rear bumper replaced and computer reset to turn off the airbag deploy sign.

how much the repair cost?
Covered through the other party (insurance)
Around 2K

did you notice the mpg drop right after the accident, or subsequently?
Seems that way.. it happened 1-2 months after the accident.

Are you still under warranty?
Only warranty available: Toyota certified pre-owned warranty = 7yr/100k miles

Mileage always drops with the extremes of winter. But that's a pretty steep drop.
It gets hot in LA

All the usual recommendations apply. Tire Pressure?
40F / 38R

How about alignment? A collision can knock that out of kilter.
Never had an alignment check

Thanks !!

 

Bikes are always inside

 

If it helps.. here's a quick video of me going 64-65MPH constant on a flat freeway around the "0" of where ECO is on the tach.

I'm not too sure what is considered normal when it comes to the electric motor kicking in and how long it should be on for..
In the video, you can see that it goes off/on constantly and sometimes, it just stays off as previously stated.

Anyone else experience this ? & can someone with a Prius C chime in on if this looks normal ?
Thanks

 

UPDATE:

I put my car in service mode and checked the batt. It's 12.9 - 14 which is a good sign.
I was just cruising around the menu and noticed some kind of reset (forgot the name) so I went through and reset everything.

As I was just driving back home, I was averaging 62MPG city/ 59MPG hwy
Sounds a bit more normal although does this sound like a familiar error ??

Thanks

 

Yeap ! And I also had two sleeping bags/cooler/tent/portable butane grill & a bunch of blankets-pillows.

I just filled up so I will report shortly.
Thanks

 

eye balling the heck out of my gas, 1 bar down & 56.2miles.. I watch these videos of people getting around 70-80mpg on the C.. how is that possible ?!

 

I can never get those numbers...

How about everyone else here on their Prius c ?

 

Thanks for the information ftl. I'm not feeling too crazy now..
Mmm Bmw Ti... I plan on getting a BMW 2002TI 1974 rally project as my "weekend" dirt ride