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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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    I took it in for an alignment today.

    Sure enough, the front toe angle was off :
    • Old Left = -0.02, Old Right = -0.03 (slight toe-out....which is out of spec).
    • New Left = +0.09, New Right =+0.11 (slight toe-in...which is pretty much at spec).
    Steer ahead was good before and after :
    • Old Steer Ahead = 0.00
    • New Steer Ahead = -0.01 ( new and old both look good )
    Now the weird thing is that it still seems to pull to the right..and the steering wheel still seems off! Sigh..

    Maybe I should try switching the front tires just to rule out any new tire issues? I did recently get new Michelin Defenders. Doubtful this is the problem though as the car did the same thing with the old tires.

    Any other ideas? I'm kind of stumped here. :unsure:
     
  2. PriusV17

    PriusV17 Active Member

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    I called my dealer up and they do not recondition. Only replace. A replacement pack will cost about $3.5k total including labor and tax.
     
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  3. PriusV17

    PriusV17 Active Member

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    Unrelated but for reference. The Tesla Model 3 battery pack cost $32k to replace. I will be curious to see how their Model Y, the wagon/hatchback version turns out. Target showcase for that is late this year. But I still can't get myself to own a Tesla if a pack will cost me $32k to replace.
     
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  4. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    As a user and poster on the Prolong system, I’m familiar with its operations ;).

    As a leader of a multi-million dollar operation, I’m also familiar with costs and preventative maintenance along with planned outages and coordination of resources :).

    The Prolong reconditioning process is no different ;).

    While you claim the costs are high, it’s a time and money equation. I know what my downtime is worth and I can work around having our Prius unavailable for 60 hours:).

    Babysitting is a minimum with the Intelligent Discharger as you pick the setting you want and it takes it there (it also alerts you when it is there and shuts the Discharger off). Charging is also a non event as all you have to do is walk out to see where it is occasionally and then turn it off when satisfied ;).

    As for the lone member you cite (sorry @jerrymildred as here comes the bus), jerry admitted he didn’t follow the instructions, so is that the equipments fault:whistle:?

    Thanks for pointing to threads I’ve participated and shared my data in(y).
     
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  5. PriusV17

    PriusV17 Active Member

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    Personally I would like to give my pack a deep inhale and a deep exhale once or twice a year to get it's lungs refreshed. Because we all tend to shallow breathe during much of our day (and night), a deep breath inhale and exhale once in a while would be a good thing to get the lungs "familiar" to their full capacity once in a while. Yes batteries are not lungs, but you have 168 cells that are all working in series in a Prius pack. Some will work harder than other, some will stress out more than others, some may be on the verge of dying because they don't know how to get back into sync. The idea is that by having all of them slowly exhale and then all of them slowly inhale, they can all slowly get back into sync. I don't know if a Prolong system will do the job long term, but I understand what it's trying to do.
     
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  6. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    I'm sold on the Prolong system, 100%. However, I would never use it on a battery still under warranty. For one thing, it won't improve performance. And, if it won't make the car run better or protect you from an expensive failure, it's a waste of money. So I advise holding off till the warranty is about up, which is a long time down the road in CA. Who knows what technology will be available at what price by then.

    No worries on my "example." It's valuable for those who see it for what it is; a reminder to follow the instructions whether it's a Prolong system or a jack. How many people have actually DIED from cars falling on them because they didn't use a jack or jack stands the right way. Those must be bad products, too. Not going to engage in further discussion with the person you refer too unless he wakes up to the difference between "use" and "misuse."
     
  7. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    +1 to everything above:).

    The reason I engage is to avoid fake news and the spread of mid information (y).
     
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  8. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Discussion of Prolong is a ll well and good but...

    No advice on my post ( see above )? :D I think it got buried.

    P.S. - Could we debate Prolong in another post? It is difficult to even find my own posts sometimes now. (y) I wish the post owner could 'reserve' spots for future use ( for car updates, etc... ).

    BTW - I think I am going to order a Prolong unit after I get this dang steering problem fixed!
     
    #108 farmecologist, Jun 9, 2018
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2018
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  9. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    I agree. Thanks for pointing out what really should have been obvious.

    Could be. I have heard of tires pulling to one side or the other. I'm sure you already checked that the pressures are the same.

    I also seem to remember someone saying that he thought the Toyota specs were broader in latitude than they should be. {edited to fix a typo}
     
    #109 jerrymildred, Jun 9, 2018
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2018
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  10. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Yes I've heard these things too. Unfortunately, I'm starting to think that there may be a 'slightly bent' suspension component somewhere. I'm going to take it into my shop to see if they can diagnose anything. However, when they replaced the tires they didn't see anything but did say that slightly bent components can be hard to see sometimes.

    Things I have done :
    • Tire pressures are fine. In fact, I'm pretty anal about checking them lately because of new tires.
    • Tires are new ( Michelin defenders ). It *could* be a tire problem but I highly doubt it as the the steering is acting exactly the same as it did with the old ( and in really poor shape ) tires. In fact, the shop said my original 'suspension shimmy at highway speed' problem was due to the tires and they were right. (y)
    • Alignment was done a few days ago and looks good now with proper toe-in that is spot on with spec ( toe was quite a bit off..with slight toe-out ). The interesting thing is that the handling feels much better now at highway speed...but the pull is still there.
    Things I need to check :
    • Switch front tires to rule out any tire issue.
      • Edit - Did this...originally though it was not a tire issue but I just took it out for an extended drive and it does seem better, but not perfect, with the tires switched. Needs more driving to make sure. If so, I'll have to have the shop look for a bad tire or wheel.
    • While jacked up, check front wheels for vertical or horizontal play ( bad ball joints, tie rods, etc... ). However, tie rods should be OK since an inspection was done before the alignment....However, I suppose something could be 'slightly bent' and would go unnoticed.
      • Edit - did this...no horizontal or vertical play.
    • Bring into shop to see if they can diagnose anything now that I have new tires on ( i.e. - now that new tires cleared up my 'shimmy at high speed' problem ).
    If all else fails...
    • Start replacing parts! ( tie rod ends, ball joints, etc... ) Has anyone replaced a lower control arm ? :D Note that I did have a vehicle once ( A Plymouth Champ!) that had a 'slightly bent' lower control arm once...which is why I bring that up here.
    • Anyone know if pulling can be caused by a steering rack issue? Steering overall does seem fine though.
    Any other ideas?
     
    #110 farmecologist, Jun 9, 2018
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2018
  11. taxibuddy

    taxibuddy Member

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    My apologies if I said that you were unfamiliar with the operation of the product. I didn't mean to say or imply otherwise. What you call a "time and money equation" I call a "cost/benefit analysis." I think we are in agreement on that. I do think people tend to undervalue their time and neglect to factor in the fact that their considerable effort may yield no benefits.

    The user who failed his battery did admit fault and I never claimed otherwise. As a design engineer, I would not personally release a product to the general public that made it so easy to destroy your battery pack. Obviously all consumer and companies have their own risk tolerances.

    Purchasing the automatic discharge option increases the cost side of the cost/benefit analysis in essence covering a larger portion of the cost of the replacement pack. Hopefully it does reduce the risk side of the ledger.

    You're welcome for the thread pointer. Or maybe you were being sarcastic. I admit I have a hard time telling sometimes especially when each paragraph is terminated with an emoji.

    Just on the off chance someone (definitely don't mean you) is taking this discussion personally, my only intention is to present an alternative point of view. I think some people here probably get a great deal of satisfaction by spending their holidays running back and forth to the garage. That's a harmless enough pleasure. I can think of a lot worse! I don't think your average Prius owner would enjoy it so much, but I definitely could be wrong. Which emoji goes with that?

    BTW, if the allegation of fake news is directed at me, then I stand behind my statements but welcome any factual corrections.

    Farmecologist, sorry for responding to the discussion. Other posters keep responding to me and in this last case an apology was in order since I apparently gave the impression that a member was unfamiliar with the use of his product.

    To Jerry, please see the point above about the design of the product. I would also refer to the complaints about the quality of the documentation. The risk factor for your average Prius owner seems way too high for my comfort level. Others may disagree. The Arrested Developer Corn Baller comes to mind as a product with high user error rate that could have had a better design.

    Finally, to everyone who interprets what I'm saying is that the product has no benefits, your interpretation is incorrect. I would not use it myself, nor would I recommend it based on my own cost/benefit analysis. I judge that the benefits are too low compared to the costs and risks. I have no problem with your point of view. I only expressed my surprise. It's not personal.
     
  12. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Have you hit any curbs or anything like that? Sometimes, if it's the right angle, it might not take much. The roads where we lived in Honduras were absolutely brutal. I bent stuff there and had no idea I what I'd hit that did it since I hit so much just battling my way up the hill to the transmitter site in my 4WD truck. Car's aren't nearly as stout, but then the roads aren't nearly as bad. ;) Here's a picture of my wife demonstrating the size of one of my favorite ruts. That's our truck in the background. 290247_2324775397786_952861463_o.jpg :cool:
     
  13. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    I haven't hit a curb. However, it has pulled like this since we purchased it..but just getting to the suspension stuff recently. Considering that I now have evidence the previous owner ran the vehicle in pretty tough conditions ( see posts above )...it wouldn't surprise me in the least that something minor happened even though there is a 'clean carfax', etc... Note that I bought the car as a 'project car' and it certainly has been that and more! lol...:rolleyes:

    Lesson learned though...I'll be staying with 'liftback variants' from now on ( PIP, etc.. ).

    Anyway, control arms are on the way. Thought I would start with those first.
     
    #113 farmecologist, Jun 10, 2018
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2018
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  14. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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  15. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    So I can find this in the future, a nice video of how to change out the rear hub assembly...on a Camry. The Camry has a rear brake system that looks a LOT like the Prius v (wagon). In other words...the Camry has a 'mini drum' parking brake and such like the Prius v (wagon).



    Changing out the rear hub assemblies *may* be my next project at some point. :whistle: Hey..it will be a lot easier than the front suspension overhaul was! (see post above) (y)(y). Looks like old hub removal was a problem here and that worries me a bit.
     
    #115 farmecologist, Jun 25, 2018
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2018
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  16. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    When you do the rear hub, be mindful of the plastic clam shell design of the speed sensor protector;).

    If not careful, you’ll split it where you don’t want to:(.

    Slow is fast:).

    Good luck and keep us posted (y).
     
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  17. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Probably won't do this for a while as it is another proactive maintenance project. I need to lock the car down for now and refrain from doing any more major projects until after our road trip in August.

    However, I did notice that my front drivers side rotor seems to be getting hotter than the passenger side front rotor and both rear rotors. I'm assuming I may have a 'bad' caliper or some such thing. Note that these calipers were in pretty rough shape when I did my brake rotor/pad replacement a while back. I wonder if I should try replacing the caliper? Maybe I should try re-seating the pads before doing something drastic like caliper replacement? Anyone have any other ideas?
     
  18. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Well I ordered brake calipers....so guess what? I guess this is my next project. :D

    Anyone know of any good tutorials on how to do this? The part I'm wondering about is the brake line...do I just quickly transfer the line over to the new caliper and then 'bleed' it to let brake fluid fill the new caliper piston....and then pump the brakes to get any air bubbles out?

    Edit: I found the @NutzAboutBolts video about bleeding the brake on a Prius...



    Seems like I can use some of the ideas here as far as getting into the proper mode, etc...
     
    #118 farmecologist, Jun 26, 2018
    Last edited: Jun 26, 2018
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  19. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    I was recently poking around at some minor 'cosmetic' stuff that I noticed when doing the rear brakes. Seems that a couple trim parts are missing and others are loose. However, I can't seem to name the parts so I can search for replacements...wondering if anyone can help.



    First of all, the rear of the 'bottom runner' ( the plastic piece that runs the length of the vehicle under under the doors ) has a couple broken fasteners :
    IMG_5561.jpg IMG_5558.jpg IMG_5559.jpg

    A good fastener looks like this :
    IMG_5560.jpg

    And here is the missing trim piece..Oddly, I do have one of them...and I found it as a 'mystery part' that was in one of the hidden compartments under the trunk floor! :eek:
    IMG_5556.jpg IMG_5557.jpg

    And it fits here...I will need one for the other (passenger) side.
    IMG_5561.jpg IMG_5552.jpg IMG_5554.jpg IMG_5553.jpg

    Very odd indeed that these parts are missing...on both sides no less! Any idea where I can get these parts and/or what they are called? (y)

    Edit : Found it in the service manual :
    sidemudguard.jpg
    - Side Mudguard Retainer
    - #2 Side Mudguard Retainer
    - Rear Wheel House Front Plate. o_O

    Edit #3 :
    I found links to the "rear wheel house front plates" and the retainers :

    65632-47060 - Toyota Parts Deal
    65631-47060 - Toyota Parts Deal
    76924-47020 - Toyota Parts Deal
    76923-47010 - Toyota Parts Deal

    Not cheap though...geez...
     
    #119 farmecologist, Jul 10, 2018
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2018
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  20. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    I’d go to the salvage yard or look at an online catalog like http://www.toyotapartsdeal.com

    I’m missing one of the trim pieces you point out, but I said “meh” when it flew off of the I-5 freeway at 80 mph :eek:.

    That’s a lot of corrosion in the initial pics too:cool:.

    Happy I moved to the California every time I see those types of pics(y).