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Hi all, new Prius v owner

Discussion in 'Prius v Main Forum' started by farmecologist, Jan 31, 2018.

  1. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Hi all,

    My long search for a Prius to add to the family vehicle stable has ended.

    I ended up with a used $8500 2012 Prius v (wagon). Has 128K miles. It is in *really* nice shape. Really like the white color...apparently it was a 'premium' color option. I feel like I got a decent deal.

    A couple things I noticed though...it shimmies somewhat above 70-75MPH. Unfortunately, I didn't notice that when I test drove it because I never got above 60MPH. Assuming/hoping it is a wheel balance thing and will get it checked ASAP. Also, the hatch struts are pretty weak...have to replace those.

    Anything else I should do right away? I'll have to wait till spring to do the major stuff like transmission fluid change, etc...

    P.S. - Excuse the somewhat duplicate post as I also have a similar one on the GEN2 forums. I originally wanted a GEN2 but wanted to close that thread out and move here.
     

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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    gorgeous! congrats and all the best.(y)

    check cabin and air filters, oil level and tyres pressure, 12v health, and plug the vin into the owners website for service history, unless you already got it.
     
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  3. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    BTW - I looked at the tires and they are Pirelli Cinturato P7. I am aware that there are multiple versions of these tires. None of them look very good in the MPG-boosting (LRR) department. I was able to get about 41MPG (non-calculated) on the drive back from the dealer though.
     
  4. mikefocke

    mikefocke Prius v Three 2012, Avalon 2011

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    Look at your tire pressure. Play with it keeping the front to back difference. I run 40/38. Your preference may be different.
     
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  5. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Another problem found. Looks like I have the dreaded "hard to fill gas tank" problem. The gas pump turns off multiple times when I tried to fill the tank.

    I poked around in the service records and I actually found mention of it:

    "~|~CUSTOMER STATES GAS WONT GO IN TANK CHECK AND ADVISE ~|~ ~|~90052 I FOUND THE VENT FOR THE CANISTER PLUGGED WITH GRAVEL ROAD DUST. I CLEANED THE VENT AND TUBE OUT, I CHECKED FOR CODES AND FOUND EVAP HISTORY CODES. I CLEARED THE CODES AND RAN THE SELF EVAP TEST AND THEY DID NOT RETURN. I TRIED TESTING TO SEE IF THE,DIAGNOSED AND CLEANED THE VENT CANISTER.OUR GAS PUMP WAS NOT WORKING SO WE COULD NOT SELF TEST"

    This led me to search on "evap canister". Sure enough, looks like an issue that has been reported here quite a bit. Seems like a check of this 'evap canister vent' is on order. Anyone have access to diagrams?
     
  6. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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    Happens a lot on my gen 2s. You just have to barely have the nozzle in tank to get it to pump is the trick. And if it doesn't work. Although it sounds very weird. You turn the nozzle upside down and then squeeze. It never fails me when I do that although you probably won't believe me until you try it and see that it works for yourself lol
     
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  7. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    The Gen 2 has the bladder tough. The Gen 3, including the Prius v does not.
     
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  8. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Yep, I know that the bladder only exists on the Gen2's. I also know about the pump trick....I'll have to try it. There are quite a few posts about problematic/failing evap canisters on bladderless Prius...and some there also have used the pump trick. I'd rather attempt to get to the bottom of what is wrong though.
     
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  9. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Well I replaced the hatch struts, put in some husky floor liners, and ran my ozone generator in the car to get rid of lingering odors. I think the previous owner may have been a smoker. BTW..ozone 'shock treatments' work great to remove smoke odors. It worked better than expected. Also, I dare say I like the husky liners better than Weathertech because they have 'spikes' on the bottom that aid in keeping them in place on the passengers side.

    It was just too damned cold out to do the engine oil and transaxle fluid change ( yes..I'm a wimp ). I want to do it as soon as possible though once it 'warms up' to 40F or so! (y)


    I found a few additional things that probably need to be taken care of this spring :
    • Underbody splash guard is in rough shape. Ordered a replacement. I also did this when we got our 2010 a few years ago. Also looks like the Prius v doesn't have 'full body' splash guards like the liftback does. That is disappointing.
    • Rear brakes. The rear rotor hubs are very rusty ( especially on the rear drivers side ). Very strange...I've never seen rotor hubs this rusty before. It doesn't appear to be affecting braking performance though. At any rate, I will probably replace with some 'premium' rotors that have 'rust proofed' hubs. Any recommendations?
    • Rear suspension parts look somewhat rusty too..but not terrible (yet). Seems like I should spray some sort of protectant on there at some point when it warms up. I've heard good things about FluidFilm ( Amazon link : http://a.co/06X8L7S )...any other suggestions?
    I can't wait for spring so I can get going on this stuff without freezing by butt off!
     
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  10. GregC1979

    GregC1979 Active Member

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    That's pretty close to what you should be getting. I think you're on track there.
     
  11. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    So...no recommendations of brake rotors ( second bullet in list in post #9 above )? Just buy the cheapest ones?
     
  12. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    When you buy OEM rotors you know what you are getting but you pay the price for them. I have bought so few rotors I can't recommend a brand.

    Your front end shimmy, I would not wait on that, it could be a ply separation in a tire or a bent rim or maybe have the tires rebalanced.

    If you have this work done tell whoever is doing it so they are looking and not just going through the motions.

    I once had a low speed wobble at 30 mph and took the car to a shop and they found both front rims were bent. I asked the guy how two rims can be bent. His reply was kids changing tires with these modern high powered machines taking the core out and not letting the air all the way out they can bend the rim. Two new wheels fixed the problem.
     
  13. mikefocke

    mikefocke Prius v Three 2012, Avalon 2011

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    Even worse, I once had 3 bent rims on an Acura. We were going to get new tires and the tire shop spun the wheels and noticed the wobble.
     
  14. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    Tire Machine?
     
  15. mikefocke

    mikefocke Prius v Three 2012, Avalon 2011

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    A balancing machine was used to spot the wobble. Highly scientific. The guy spun the wheels and held a stick at a constant point and showed me how some parts of the wheel contacted the stick and some parts didn't. He had no skin in the game as I purchased the wheels from an online vendor (they weren't a part he offered) and brought them to him for use. Well I guess he did get the scrap value of the 3 bad wheels. He has since gotten my business to the tune of 4 additional sets of 4 tires.
     
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  16. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    OK...since it actually 'warmed up' to 30 degrees or so..I decided to replace the 12V battery. That was easy. However, what turned into an adventure was that I noticed tons of grit and dirt in the battery compartment. The previous owner must have operated this vehicle in an extremely dirty environment.

    While replacing the battery I also peeked into the area near the hybrid battery fan. Unfortunately, that whole area was also very dirty. I proceeded to disassemble the vehicle enough to get at the fan. Yeah..it was dirty all right with a sort of fine dust that almost reminded me of drywall dust. Not good in my book. I removed the fan and disassembled it to clean it well. Looks good now! However, I'm a bit worried about how much crud might be in the Hybrid battery compartment. Should I be concerned?

    Here are some photos if anyone is interested :

    Hybrid Battery exposed with fan removed..and cleaned up :
    IMG_4873.jpg

    Battery compartment dirt/grit :
    IMG_4864.jpg

    Hybrid Battery fan pre-cleaning :
    IMG_4868.jpg IMG_4869.jpg IMG_4870.jpg

    Hybrid Battery fan post-cleaning :
    IMG_4871.jpg IMG_4872.jpg

    Reinstalled :
    IMG_4875.jpg IMG_4876.jpg


    Next project is to run BG EPR engine treatment, change oil, change transmission fluid, and replace under cover ( it is broken ).
     
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  17. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    If it’s in the fan, it’s in the hv battery shell:(.

    But with the fan now clean, at least the air will get in. Will the fine dust inhibit or insulate the modules: not sure but it will be all over the modules;).

    I’d wait til it’s warmer in your neck of the woods before I got into the battery case. Now with multiple Prii in your stable, one thing to consider is the Prolong equipment. Then if you are going into the battery box, you’ve got 2 reasons to:).

    Stay warm out there(y).
     
  18. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Got the under cover off, did the BG EPR treatment, and got the oil changed. Will leave the under cover off until I can prepare the new one and still need to do the transmission fluid change ( I got too cold ). I was rather surprised...the oil didn't didn't come out nearly as black as the 2010 when I first ran BG EPR through it. I guess that is probably a good thing!

    By the way...I poked around a bit and noticed that some of the 'modders' have used R1 concepts brake parts. Apparently they have a 'premium' zinc coating on them to deter rust :

    R1 Concepts Performance Brake Parts – Brake Rotors, Brake kits, Brake Pads, Brake Accessories, Rotor Disc

    Seems like a decent way to go for 'premium' rotors. You can even get three different colors of coatings ( silver/black/gold )...lol. Overkill I know...but the black might look neat. Assuming the black coating wears away where the pads hit..but the rest of the rotor would be protected.

    This was an interesting read...apparently completely rust-free rotors do exist..but are expensive.

    How to Find Brake Rotors That Don't Rust | eBay
     
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  19. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Update : Changed transaxle fluid, interveter coolant, and engine coolant last weekend.

    Pretty uneventful except the old transaxle fluid looked horrible! o_O I will try to pour some of the used crud into a clear vessel and post some pics soon. I'm really glad I changed it. No way in hell Toyota should be telling people that the fluid is 'lifetime'....or they should come clean on what their definition of 'lifetime' is! ( I know...I'm preaching to the choir ). :whistle:

    Next up are spark plugs, EGR cooler, etc... Anything else? Anyone have a good list of all the stuff that is good to do with the wipers/cowling off?

    BTW I received my R1 Concepts brakes and will also post pics of them soon. They look nice! I'm going to put off the brakes until I take care of all the engine related stuff.
     
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  20. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    They recommend removing the wiper/cowling to change the front struts. I blew the oil out of one at 99,000 miles on my Gen 2 and from what I have read that is one of the earlier ones. It isn't very hard to do especially with access to the top bolts.