barnyard smell

papo,

:welcome: to PRIUSchat. :cheer2:

The most likely suspect is a blocked air conditioning unit drain.
This leads to funky smells that can be the devil to get rid of.

If you do somw searching terms like "bad odor," "bad smell," etc
you'll turn up a number of threads with recommendations on fixes.

Here's one thread to get you started;

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-main-forum/85704-2008-prius-interior-odor.html

 

Regarding mileage, check your tire pressure. I like to run nitrogen in mine, have less issues with varied pressure during temperature changes.

Maybe change the oil, to a better viscosity for winter season.

Not sure how winter mix fuel affects mileage, but if you can find fuel without alcohol, you'd get better mileage as well. At least that is my experience.

Regarding Odor, Drain issue is certainly a concern, but you might want to change the air filter above the glove box also. I suspect it has one just as our Gen 1's do. I purchased my car used, and this filter was absolutely filthy.

 

Why don't you just ask your son; "what the heck we're you doing in the car before I bought it from you?". Seriously though, in addition to cleaning the HVAC system cleaning suggested, is it possible a little critter got into the car somewhere and died?

 

If all else fails, you could take it to a dealer and they could do the ozone treatment. They pump the car full of ozone and it will actually remove just about any odor (even cigarettes) from the car.

 

Check for mice in the heater.