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Issues with Steering,Fuel consumption and wheel aligment??

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Genc, Oct 28, 2020.

  1. Genc

    Genc Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Hey there so i am now to the forum and i have learned quite alot of stuff here, I live in Northern Europe and there are alot of Priuses here so i bought one, a 2011 Gen 3, Not alot of mileage seems like it has been very little used with a good records of oil change,brakes and other regular stuff..

    The car has just 86.000kilomteres or 53.000 miles so very little for a Prius, So first thing after a long drive i noticed after we bought the steering is kinda stiff to turn it around I ALSO compared with my friends Gen 2 wich was way lighter, Then i also noticed that car needs a wheel aligment.

    The fuel consumption also on city not alot of traffic is somewhere beetwen 6,0-5l per 100km (36mpg) on highway it dropped to 5,7L per 100km (42mpg) wich i think its not bad but not Prius range?
    Tires are 205\55\16 for winter, For Summer 215\45\17
    I bought the car 350km from my Home so we drove for a long time and car worked perfectly and still does no issues no noise, I noticed that coolant level is abit on lowside so today i bought a bottle of coolant that the shop recommend it is suitable for my Prius the Product is COMMA xtream red coolant..

    The thing i also noticed tonight that when the car is about to start when all lights are ON there is a Warning triangle on left side yellow, And also the steering light is with "!" BUT when car is on no lights is on whatsoever, '
    The Guy who swapped my tires from summer to winter ones said he can calibrate the steering or something like that Made it like not a big issue.

    What do you think the issue might be? I am guessing 12v Battery?..

    Hope someone can help me, BTW do you think i should get the car checked totally since i am in doubt if i wanna return it maybe to the owner since he lied, about the condition of the car and in Norway this is a big deal IF There is bigger issue i mean!
     
    #1 Genc, Oct 28, 2020
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2020
  2. tankyuong

    tankyuong Senior Member

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    Test the 12v battery
     
    Genc likes this.
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Plug-in Base
    congrats and welcome!

    i think you might just have a bit of buyers remorse. it sounds like everything is probably fine.

    is the 'shop' a qualified prius repair place?

    how far away is a dealer? until you learn more, i would stick with oem fluids and parts.

    the alignment should be checked by a qualified alignment shop. do the old tires show any signs of unusual wear?

    measure your mpg by the tankful when you fill up. short term mpg is almost irrelevant.

    is there anywhere you can test drive another gen 3 to compare steering?

    not to add to your paranoia, but are you sure the car has never been in an accident? a good body shop could tell you

    all the best!(y)
     
  4. Ed Beaty

    Ed Beaty Active Member

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    "Test the 12v battery"

    Tankyoung is a man of few words, but he often gives good advice. What he means: Here in the US, most auto parts stores have devices that can test your 12V battery (you can also test it using a VoltOhmMeter, but that is much less definitive). IF your 12V is the original, or even 4-6 years old, it is very likely that it needs to be replaced.
     
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  5. Genc

    Genc Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Oslo
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    The shop was a tire shop i changed my tires on but he seem to own few Priuses and know some stuff on them (MAYBE)
    I have a qualified Toyota dealership near me but the thing with those Offical Dealerships sound to me hard to get an appointment and their prices are sky high and sometimes they can't even find the fault so i would stick with a private garage.

    The winter tires when i bought the car there were hidden into plastic bag and i didn't check them and was happy they were with original wheels but they don't seem worn out or damaged, BUT what is worrying is the year of production (69 week 10) wich means 2010 and Norway is very well known for harsh winters, ALSO the summer tires weren't to old 2016 but they were kinda worn out so i guess i gotta replace both of them but i don't see how they can effect the steering to become heavier?

    Usually the tanks says i can do 672km (412miles) BUT the odometer seem to lie because when it was almost empty i refueled it and found out the tank had 10 liters still, Because i couldn't fill more than 35liters.

    There is no gen3 i can compare but based on my experience with cars (i work at rental car lots of Hybrids)it should be easier, NOT ELECTRIC easy but still easier than now..

    I had the same worry myself about a car accident but i doubt it was since the car isn't a BMW 7series or Audi A8 i doubt anyone will pour cash to get it fixed if it had been in such a big accident, BUT i was worried since the hood does have a slightly gap panel in its left side i did check some videos on youtube how to check a Prius if its been on accident but there was just that little gap but all other lines in hood are in tack and perfectly fine..Compared to the video that i saw explaining the car that had been in accident there were other lines where you can find gaps
     
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    what tire pressures are you running? if stock, try experimenting. more than a few here run upwards of 40psi.
    does it rack well at speed with your hands off the wheel?
     
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Just editorial, and track means steers straight, not pulling to one side or the other, no excessive play in steering wheel, nor pulsation.