Drove through car wash, now malfunction EDIT is was debris in the throttle from the oil change

Sure don't like the sound of that. :O

-Chap

 

So literally the first thing I said back in post #3.

This probably happened before they overfilled your oil, which Prius is a lot more sensitive to than conventional cars are. If you get your oil changes at random quick lube places, good idea to check the dipstick when you get your car back and if the level is above the full line, insist that they remove some. Wouldn't hurt to mention to them that you're going to be doing that when you drop the car off, too, so maybe they'll just get it right the first time.

I'm guessing the damage was pretty minimal to repair?

 

FWIW: The air filter is not directly over the throttle body. The snorkel between the two exits through the top of the air filter housing.

 

Not directly above, but close enough that debris pushed upwards through the throttle could easily end up on the air filter.

I learned an awful lot about the specifics of caring for my Prius from this guide - http://john1701a.com/prius/documents/Prius_User-Guide_iconic.pdf

Page 29 advises watching for overfilling when getting your oil changed. Page 30 has full color photos of the inside of the air filter housing.

 

My description is specific to third gen. Just realized it's second gen we're discussing, so I better bow out.

 

You Gen3 owners, coming in here giving us confusing information! *shakes fist*

I've only ever owned a Gen1 and now a Gen2 so I have no idea if the Gen3 has similar issues with oil overfilling.

 

Well, we have to put up with you guys too, forever telling us to turn off fob detection, how the problem could be the gas tank bladder, stuff like that.

 

I take my 2009 Gen II through local "touchy-feely-squirty" car-wash twice a year (after which it gets waxed, and all the glass gets the "0000 SteelWool then Rain-X" treatment) and there's never been a problem. The first time I took it through, I had a problem getting it to go into "N" and the operator was very helpful in explaining to me exactly how it was done, since at the time I was new to the car, and he showed me the "knack" to doing it, and said nearly all Prius drivers have the same problem getting it into "N" (need to hold in in the "N" position for a while after shifting it to that position)

 

I don't know about gen1 but gen2 is the one you fill the oil 3/4ths up the dip stick for two reasons
1 to not possibly overfill and soak the Maas filter
2 it seems to get the best mpgs when filled less then full, just check the level consciously

Gen3 doesn't have the overfill issue
Gen4 doesn't seem to, or as yet, no criticism

 

Pardon me for butting in but over in UK a TV motor programme called Fifth Gear did a test on car washes. They took 3 identical cars and at great expense had the bodywork professionally cleaned and waxed. The finish of each car was examined using uv light and a microscope by a scientist to confirm comparability. That done, one was sent to a hand wash car cleaners, another was sent to an auto wash and the third was done in a drive in do it yourself jet wash bay. The cars were then examined by the scientist with his uv light and microscope to see which method produced least damage to paintwork.

Most scratched was from jet wash with brush.
Slightly better was hand washed.
Best of the three with just 5/10 for scratches was the auto wash.

Everyone on the programme was surprised. I know I was, Were you?

 

That sounds about right. I don't think those brushes are ever cleaned at the jet-wash places. They get pretty grimy. I rarely use the brush.

I prefer to do a hand-wash at home, as much as possible.

My Camry got the most scratches at the auto-wash place you drive into, put the car in park, and the "brushes" move over and around your car. They are not brushes at all... they look like rubber strips.

 

A little surprised but I know there are varying methods (touchless or machinery contacts the car), different equipment (type of soap, wax, microfiber cloth versus sponge) and level of care with each type of wash. Those one-time results might change dramatically if done again with different locations and washers.

As an average household driver who just wants the car to look decent I run it through the touchless wash mostly for looks. Usually I pull it in the garage immediately after and hit it with a spray of Meguiar's Ultimate wax. I don't completely forget about things like wheel wells but I don't bother with them every time. I hit them in the driveway maybe every three or four months before heading to the wash.

I fully understand those owners who have immense pride in their cars and want to do the best job possible. Me? My Prius is just basic transportation and I'll keep it in shape but I'm not going to agonize all that much about it.

 

I hear you about the washes that scratched your Camry. I"ve never felt our spoiler on the Prius is secured all that well ( it's wobbled when touched since we bought the car) and I'm afraid those brushes will take it right off the car.

 

Yeah, those long rubber things slapping the car sure made a racket. And they didn't remove the dirt all that well. Then you get hit with the strong blast of air, and that's when one of the ladies lost a piece off the front of her new Prius.

I hope my Prius is the last car I'll ever have to buy, so I tend to go a bit overboard in trying to keep it nice looking. But this white paint is a losing battle!

 

…as Arte Johnson might say "…verrry interesting!"

 

My last Toyota (1993 Corolla DX Wagon with 292,000 miles on odometer) failed the state inspection (rotted rocker-panels), it was white, and a friend (auto expert) informed me that white/light coloured cars suffer most corrosion for the simple reason that when they get wet, they never totally dry out, since the paint never really warms up, whereas darker cars dry sooner!

 

I can honestly say I've never posted a single word in the Gen3 forums. And that I'm aware the bladers are only a Gen1/Gen2 thing.

Gen3 doesn't have a problem with SmartKey draining the 12v if the car's left sitting a while? That's pretty good to know.

 

That's just nuts. Stay away from those places, they're comparable to "student painters".

 

Sounds like you might be getting an entirely new throttle body.

That sort of debris sometimes gets stuck to the underside of the air filter. Still, the way the housing is designed, you'd have to be pretty darn careless to accidentally end up with some of it getting in the throttle while changing the filter... I'd say it's time to find a different oil change place.