Just bought a Prius have many questions

I don't understand what you mean by it's not the proximity fob. Is this a 2008 that doesn't have SKS? or is the SKS button just deactivated? or is the battery in the fob dead? Every gen 2 I've owned, I've been lucky enough to get both original fobs. They've always been SKS models and both fobs worked normally for proximity.

My 2007 has the standard CD player with an aux input plug inside the center console near the bottom, by the power port. Have you looked there?

 

Welcome. I am also a relatively new Prius owner with a 2007 purchased last July with 175K miles. It now has almost 191K and so far no problems. My average since I bought it is in my signature. Summer is much better for fuel economy than winter. There are many reasons that you can find in numerous fuel economy threads on this site.

1. Not sure, but I think there is a way to get an aftermarket fob and program it as long as you have the one that works.
2. You do have an 11.9 gallon tank and those pips in the fuel gauge are not very accurate. In most cases you can drive with a blinking pip for a looong time. I usually reset my consumption screen at fuel up and then towards the end of the tank I can have a pretty good idea of my remaining range. I do it the following way to be very conservative in my estimate and avoid running out of gas. I subtract about 4 or 5 mpg from my average for that tank (that is why I reset the meter after filling up) and use the result to multiply by 10 (gallons). That is my current tank's range very conservatively estimated. So if my consumtion average reads 45mpg. I take (45-5)=40 and multiply that by 10 and I get 400 miles. This leaves about 1.9 gallons as a reserve and also discounts the usually optimistic consumption screen reading. So if I have 400 mile range and my trip odometer for that tank (which also gets reset when you reset the consumption screen) reads 295, I really don't need to pay attention to the blinking pip on the gas gauge and I know I can comfortably drive for another 100 miles or so before looking to gas up. Even with this strategy I have not filled the tank any more than with 9.5 gallons. I just don't push it as I really do not like running out of gas.
3. I have seen videos of aux input being added to a Prius using some gadget or other. Look on YouTube, you'll probably find it. It involves taking the dash apart, which is not as difficult as it sounds.
4. I have no idea about the EV switch and frankly, from what I have read and understood, it's not all that useful except in very special circumstances. Most of the time it can do more harm than good.
5. You can buy a $20 OBDII bluetooth dongle from Amazon and connect it to your smartphone and see all kinds of info. The app and dongle will run under $40.
6. No idea here.
7. No idea here either. Following.

 

There is a flexible bladder inside the 11.9 gallon tank. It flexes less in the winter and more in the summer. But the tank is anywhere between 6 and 10 gallons, depending on outside temps. As such, you cannot trust the gauge, do NOT drive on the blinking last pip.

I do not recommend ever using it. At best, use it to move the car around a parking lot. Ev (Electric Vehicle) Mode switch for Prius 2004 - 2009

www.amazon.com/ScanGauge-Automotive-Computer-Customizable-Real-Time/dp/B000AAMY86/

There are Android software apps as well. Torque Pro (OBD 2 & Car) - Apps on Google Play

 

Add me to the list. I added it despite all the warnings, used it twice, and never touched it again. Literally the only time it has value is if you are moving your car <100 yards, and who does that very often?

 

I sit on the fence with the same question. For under $100, I can install a simple, yet modern radio that adds a lot more features than just an AUX port. I'm just not sure I will like the aesthetics.

 

Tboy160, I have an aux port and wire harness from a wrecked 2007. Found it while cleaning out the garage over the weekend. If you'd like, I can post a photo of it this evening so you can see what it looks like. Maybe there's already a cutout inside the console or maybe the wire harness is there under the carpet or something. I'd be happy to send it to you if you think you could use it. It's OEM, so it's only the aux port and harness/plug, no USB or anything like that.

 

Here's a link to the plans I used to install an EV button on my old '05. As you have already heard, its only real value is if you just want to move the car a few feet and don't want to start the engine. And it's very good for that. But it is a quite a bit of work. Also, note that you'll want a push button that won't bounce because it's easy to double-push the button and turn EV back off before you get your finger off the button. I didn't have the right kind of button and did sometimes experience that.
http://www.calcars.org/prius-evbutton-install.pdf

 

The aux port is not inside the center armrest next to the 2nd 12v adapter plug? That should be the case for 2006 and newer.

EV mode happens automatically when you barely press on the gas pedal. A switch might cause you to run down your battery lower than normal reducing its expected life.

Torque app can display engine info.

 

Only after the engine is warmed up. That's the whole point. As per post #5 and #10, it's just for moving short distances WITHOUT turning on the engine. If you want to move the car, putting it in ready will always start the engine after about 7 seconds. EV button protects the engine from the effects of a cold shutdown and eliminates the need to either shut it down cold or wait for it to warm up just to pull it out of the garage and wash it or something.

For normal driving, EV is not only a bad idea, it's really hard to do. Anything more than the barest nudge on a Gen 2 throttle will fire up the ICE. And then there's the speed limitation.

EV button is harmless, but also of very limited utility. But, when I wanted the one I installed in my '05, it was very handy.