1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Issues after 1st oil change

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by barenakedbubba, Dec 31, 2007.

  1. barenakedbubba

    barenakedbubba New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 31, 2007
    1
    0
    0
    A month ago, I had taken my Prius in to the dealer for it's first oil change. (I had a free coupon.) I've noticed that my MPGs have dropped slightly since getting the car back. (approx. 48 MPG to 45 MPG) And also, there have been a couple of times where I'm sitting stopped, and the gas motor starts, but it does not show on screen that it's charging the battery. In fact, once the battery was in the green zone when it happened. Is this something that's normal? Should I bring it back in to the dealer? (What could they have screwed up?) The only thing that I can think of is that it's been a little bit cooler than before my oil change. (I live in LA.) Thoughts? Thanks in advance!
     
    #1 barenakedbubba, Dec 31, 2007
  2. NYPrius1

    NYPrius1 Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2007
    1,181
    125
    0
    Location:
    Middletown, NY
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    I also had a drop in MPG from 54.5 to 51.2.
    I saw they overfilled my oil and lowered my tire pressure from 42/40 to 32/34.
    Hope This helps
    As far as the battery etc. I haven't a clue.
     
    #2 NYPrius1, Dec 31, 2007
  3. N3FOL

    N3FOL Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2007
    891
    16
    0
    Location:
    Stewartstown, PA.
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    I've experienced the same thing with my Prius, but I do not worry too much about it. After a few minutes of driving, everything is indicated back to normal with a full charge on the batt. My MPG fluctuates from 46 down to 42 then up again to 45 MPG.

    I plan to change my oil at 3K, since this is going to be my first. 2.2K so far on the odo. Enjoy your Prius.
     
    #3 N3FOL, Dec 31, 2007
  4. paprius4030

    paprius4030 My first Prius

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2004
    2,077
    295
    0
    Location:
    Ormond Beach,Fl.
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I believe the ICE will start but won't show a charge when the battery is in the green, it only starts for the heater, I bet if you shut the heater or A/C control off the ICE would have shut down.
     
    #4 paprius4030, Dec 31, 2007
  5. beboyle

    beboyle Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2007
    39
    4
    0
    Location:
    Phoenix
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    You don't say where you're located, but if you are in a place where cold weather started about a month ago, that's likely to be the biggest cause of your mileage reduction. Based on reports from many PriusChat members in colder climates, the mileage can drop significantly when the weather cools off.


    That said, checking your tire pressure and oil level is a good idea anyway. There's some debate about how much effect too high an oil level will have, but low tire pressure has a very direct impact on MPG.
     
    #5 beboyle, Jan 1, 2008
  6. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

    Joined:
    Jan 6, 2004
    12,749
    5,243
    57
    Location:
    Minnesota
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    Yup. Here in Minnesota, my efficiency has dropped all the way down to 44 MPG! ;)

    Sadly, that is actually down quite a bit from the low 50's I enjoy during the summer... but still way above most every other vehicle on the road.
    .
     
    #6 john1701a, Jan 1, 2008
  7. Rae Vynn

    Rae Vynn Artist In Residence

    Joined:
    May 21, 2007
    6,038
    707
    0
    Location:
    Tumwater, WA USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    This is what we console ourselves with, too.
    The Prius is still getting double the MPG of our other car, even in winter :)
     
    #7 Rae Vynn, Jan 1, 2008
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)