So, today I accidentally put a lot of pressure on the radio’s main volume/power dial and it sort of impacted. It’s still functional but will be much harder to manipulate, especially while driving. I tried to pull it forward again, but it no longer sticks. Hope you’re able to follow my sloppy description. I have a 2013 Prius C. Is there anyway for me to fix this without taking it to a dealership and paying a lot of money?
Just pull off the radio knob. See if it is crushed or broken, If it is, a replacement costs about $3 at the dealer. Cheap fix.
OK, I may try this. But what if I find that something else has broken, something that won't be fixed by replacing the knob? Then I'll be stuck with (what I assume will be) an expensive repair, and a radio I can't use until I pay it. That's my (perhaps unreasonable) fear, at least.
Not really expensive. That radio is really cheap on eBay. It is often sold by those who have made an upgrade.
sorry to bug you, but I just went down to my car to check and as fate would have it, I actually noticed the hazard lights were blinking rapidly and weakly. I had accidentally left them on for something like 4 to 6 hours. Very lucky that I caught this. I went inside the car and it was clear the battery had been drained a bit. After I open the door, even though the car had not been started and the key not inserted, the car started making some weak puttering sound. It kept going for a minute or two. Do I need to be concerned about this? Any long-term effects? Or will it just be better by morning?
You will want the battery fully charged again. That can take several hours of leaving the car in READY (if your location is safe for doing that)—if it has enough juice left to go READY. Otherwise, a battery charger (or a jump followed by the several hours in READY).
I always use a slow charge battery maintainer. Fast charging is bad for a battery but sometimes can't be avoided.
My location isn't exactly safe for that, I live in the city and use street parking. "READY" mode - is that when I insert the key but don't start the engine? Sounds like I'm going to have to sit in this thing for a few hours..?
Is a "fast charge" what will happen if I just go to the car tomorrow and attempt to start the engine like normal?
I'm guessing the charging in a c is pretty much like the Gen 3 liftback, so it will charge the battery somewhat faster than a Gen 2 would. Still, even in old conventional cars that would really whomp the battery recharging from a jump, people would do it anyway if it was what was easiest. It may shave some indeterminate amount off the lifespan of your 12 volt battery. The question is, whenever it comes down the road that you're standing at a counter buying the eventual replacement battery, are you going to be saying to yourself, "curses! if only I had used a slow charger back in October 2020 instead of simply jumping, perhaps I would be doing this n months later!"? Sometimes you just do the thing that solves your immediate problem, and go ahead with your day.
By the way, I missed the question about READY mode. That's when the word READY lights up on the dash, which happens when you do "start the engine". Nothing is getting charged unless READY is lit up.
Well - tried to start the car, battery's dead. Guess I'm hoofing it to AutoZone to start buying things.
