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Used PriusTweak app to get rid of Backup Beeps, and now I have many warning lights on dash

Discussion in 'Prius v Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by gromittoo, Jun 18, 2017.

  1. gromittoo

    gromittoo Active Member

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    I bought a used 2013 Prius V level 2 trim about 3 months ago. I had to get rid of that annoying backup beeping. I read in the owners manual that only the dealer could change it to either Zero Beeps, or One Beep.

    I read somewhere of a "PriusTweak" App and I thought I would try it. It a very simple app that has a poorly written User Interface, It is simply a bunch of check boxes. There is no feedback if it does anything. It does not give any status or give any error. I eventually figured that my Generic BlueTooth ODBII plug probably was not compatible with setting the register required (but it works fine with Torque ODB). I ordered a new BlueTooth ODBII plug that was ELM327 Compatible on Amazon.

    I got the new ELM327 adapter today, and I tried PriusTweak again. This time it worked. It set it to beep once, not zero beeps as indicated, but I am OK with that. I sat in the driveway moving the car into forward and reverse, enjoying the single beep. I went inside, happy. However, there was a much bigger problem.

    My wife drove the car first, and I had left the ELM327 plugged in (but me and my phone was at home). When she came back. she asked "whats with all the warning lights?". It seems that the "PriusTweak" App must have done some damage to the computer!

    - When I first turn on the car, the "Hybrid System" warning light stays on, after the power on test of the indicator lights.
    - Start driving for a minute, and the "Traction Control" Warning comes on solid.
    - Another minute or two, and the "ABS" and the "Break System" warnings come on. ​

    NOTE: The car does not appear to be misbehaving in any way. Also, there are none of the expected warning beeps indicating that something serious is going on.

    Do I have to take it to the dealer to get this straitened out? Will it go away by itself?
     
    Imran As likes this.
  2. gromittoo

    gromittoo Active Member

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    False Alarm!

    This morning when I took my daughter to school, all the phantom warning lights were gone. Still, I would avoid the PriusTweak app.
     
  3. Steady Tortoise

    Steady Tortoise Junior Member

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    Search aliexpress for Techstream, and search by orders. You'll find something like this (attached).

    I got rid of the backup beep and a bunch of other annoying things.
     

    Attached Files:

  4. IMkenNY

    IMkenNY Im just being nosy

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    Remove your ELM327 from the OBD port, it is causing the errors your seeing.
     
  5. gromittoo

    gromittoo Active Member

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    The problem appeared on June 18th 2017, and according to my post on June 19th 2017, the problem went away by itself. I would not reccomend avoid the PriusTweak app, because I suspect the person who wrote is a very novice programmer.
     
    mveras1972 likes this.
  6. mveras1972

    mveras1972 Member

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    Spend $10 dollars more and get the Carista ODB2 plug which you can use with their app.
     
  7. gromittoo

    gromittoo Active Member

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    My problem was solved two years ago. I am not interested in your plug for a paid diagnostic app.
     
  8. mveras1972

    mveras1972 Member

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    Ok glad you got it solved. I was hoping that in the future someone else reads this and read that there is another option available. It's not my plug.
     
    normythebear likes this.
  9. followingalex

    followingalex Junior Member

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    well here we are today and i'm still seeing that Carista gets the vote unanimously even though there are free tools out there.
     
  10. gromittoo

    gromittoo Active Member

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    Just because there were no other responses does not imply a "unanimous vote for Carista". Personally, I found that buying the toyota techstream software and cable on ebay for $40 makes a lot more sense.
     
    Tim Jones likes this.
  11. followingalex

    followingalex Junior Member

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    I'm just surprised nobody here tells you the Dr. Prius app does the job for free, you just need to buy a $5 dongle... a lot of people just enjoy the simplicity of buying a tried-and-true $20 carista pack with the free trial included.. easy peasy...

    What blows my mind is when people buy the $5 no name adapter, then pay $10 for a carista trial.. just.. why?! :unsure:

    Some dealers won't do this for free or at all out of "liability" concerns from disabling a safety feature -- honestly I feel safer without the beep.. I find myself focusing more on my surroundings than the annoying beep drilling through my head while I'm trying to back up!.. if only the beep was heard "outside" right? maybe let people OUTSIDE the car know that you're backing up :whistle:...
     
  12. BradC

    BradC Member

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    It sounds like a lot of those cheap dongles aren't worth the purchase, though, per this review page (someone in another thread recommended the Dr. Prius app:

    Hybrid battery diagnostic and repair tool for Toyota and Lexus

    I'm trying to figure out how to get rid of the beeps with a solution that will work but will also give me the ability later to read codes, in case the check engine light comes on. I don't mind paying a little extra now to have that capability later, but it's confusing to figure out exactly what to buy.

    The $20 Carista pack looks promising, since I can use the free trial to turn off the backup beeping now and then use the paid features later, if I need them.

    In my case, when I bought my first 2014 Prius new, the dealer changed it to the single beep for me. I recently bought another 2014 Prius from a non-Toyota dealer and they told me I'd need to go to a Toyota dealer to get it switched to one beep.

    I figured I'd just do it myself rather than pay whatever a dealer would charge me just to turn it off. I'm sure they won't do it for free, especially since I don't use them for my regular maintenance.

     
  13. AzusaPrius

    AzusaPrius Senior Member

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  14. gromittoo

    gromittoo Active Member

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    It is now June 2021, and I still had the Dr. Prius app on my phone. I just bought a 2017 Prius V, and the Dr, Prius free version WOULD NOT fix the beeping. I was so mad at the non-stop beeping, that I gladly paid the $7.99 + $1.00 credit I had to get rid of the beeping. I recall that there are three possible settings for the beeping:
    - Constant Beeping {Default from factory}
    - Single Beep
    - No Beep.​
    The current version only has a single checkbox for disabling the beep. You can check the checkbox with the free version, but it does not make any change to the beeping. With the paid app, checking the checkbox changes the constant beeping to the single beep. There is no way to get "no beeping" mode with the current Dr. Prius app. I am OK with the single beep, since that was my preference anyway.