need help with 2009 touring model

Congratulations on your new (to you) Prius!

A couple good to know winter driving tips:
1.) the antilock brakes on this car are overactive and will prevent you from stopping quickly on slippery or very uneven road. So give yourself more room to stop than you think you need. This can prevent accidents!

2.) The Prius is front wheel drive and does not do well backing up through snow. It can easily get stuck if you’re not careful. For this reason, I typically back into parking spaces so if it snows while I’m home or at work, I can gun the car and drive it straight out. This works nearly all the time. You can also get snow tires, which will help with grip.

And some general hybrid driving tips:
1.) When the car is warmed up, the engine will turn on and off based on when it’s needed. This is normal.

2.) The fuel gage has 10 blocks, but the way they go down can be somewhat inconsistent. The car’s low fuel alert is one blinking block with a beep at the start. I try to get gas when there is 1 block showing, but before it starts blinking. Also, when you add gasoline, less than 3 gallons will not trip the sensor for the fuel gauge to update. So make sure you’re always putting at least 3 gallons in when you fill up. Also, a 2nd gen Prius supposedly has a 12 gallon fuel tank, but it also has a fuel bladder which reduces that by a significant amount. My car accepts between 6-9 gallons for a full fill up, depending on the temperature. The colder it is, the less fuel it will accept to fill the tank.

 

Are you a diy mechanic?

PriusDIY.com: The Toyota Prius DIY Resource
Nutz About Bolts Prius Maintenance Videos | PriusChat
Prius content

 

Pay attention to the engine oil level. Even at 107K miles, this generation Prius can burn a little oil, unless previous owners were meticulus about oil changes... Check it monthly. Dealers RARELY install a new cabin filter OR clean the fan which cools the hybrid battery. Doing both of these things will help your battery stay cool and increase longevity.

 

Look through the dealer invoices to see what has been done on the car.

Some maintenance items for around 100k miles: replace spark plugs, clean throttle body bore and Mass AirFlow sensor, change fluids (engine oil and filter, engine and inverter coolant, brake fluid, drain and refill transmission fluid), inspect the brakes, suspension, and tires.

The inverter cooling system pump lasts around 100k- if you don't see an invoice for it you might consider replacing it as maintenance.

Check the cargo area where the 12V battery and spare tire are. It's common to have minor cracks in the body sealer around the top corners of the tailgate opening which can allow some water to leak in.

Have the 12V battery tested- it can last many years if the car is driven often. It can fail fairly quickly if the car sits for long periods.

Drive the car- several hours a week. Old hybrid cars have more 12V and high voltage battery problems if they sit unused.

Sad but true - this generation of Prius (Gen2, 2004-2009) is very often targeted for catalytic converter theft. Replacing the cat can be fairly pricey (if getting a new cat assembly from Toyota).

Don't know what your DIY capabilities are, but it might be a good idea to have a "fully capable" scantool if you need to scan any of the 15+ electronic control units in the car to check for diagnostic trouble codes.

Here's a thread that reviews several scantool apps (and bluetooth devices that connect the car to the app on your smartphone).

https://priuschat.com/index.php?posts/3290690

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.