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New Prime: Break in Period HV/EV mode?

Discussion in 'Prime Technical Discussion' started by Joe Cowie, May 2, 2022.

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  1. Joe Cowie

    Joe Cowie Junior Member

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    I’ve always had a general understanding that a new has a car break in period (varied speeds, no high rpm, no cruise, easy on acceleration & breaking for the first 500-1,000 miles, then change out oil to synthetic with a new filter)

    How would this apply to a new Prius Prime, should I consider running it on HV mode only for the first 1k miles and then switch over to EV once the break in period is over?

    Is there such thing as a break in period for the electrical vehicle components?

    This is something that never occurred to me as I had intended on running it 90%+ on EV mode only from day one onward.

    so many questions..lol
     
    #1 Joe Cowie, May 2, 2022
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    That might not be a bad idea - just run the car in hybrid mode for the first 1,000 miles to let the engine break-in.

    I just remember not to stress it every time the engine is on because I was in EV so often that it took half a year to break it in. I took a road trip that first summer so that helped.
     
    #2 Tideland Prius, May 2, 2022
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  3. FuelMiser

    FuelMiser Senior Member

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    You really can't control the RPM in a Prius as in other cars because there is no traditional transmission. The computer will modulate the engine RPM along with the electric motors to achieve the speed/acceleration you are asking for with the accelerator pedal. That said, yes you should probably "break-in" the ICE by manually selecting HV mode during a steady state situation, moderate speeds, not climbing a hill, etc., and let it run to full operating temp, at least 10-15 minutes like this. Whenever stopping/parking a Prius, always let the ICE come to a stop on its own before turning off the Power switch. Sometimes when using the heater, the computer will keep the ICE running to provide that heat, so if you're ready to shutdown, turn off the heater and let the ICE shutdown before powering off.
    Totally unnecessary. Your car comes with synthetic from the factory. The viscosity will be printed on the oil filler cap, either 0W-20 or 0W-16. All "0W-xx" are full synthetic. You're totally safe running the factory fill oil all the way out to 10,000 miles before first oil change. You'll get a "maintenance reminder" every 5,000 miles, but this is a holdover from the days when Prius ran "Dino" oil and the interval was indeed 5,000 miles. Now, it is 10,000 miles with the synthetic "0W-xx" oils. Just learn the procedure to dismiss the 5,000 mile maintenance service reminder and change your oil at 10,000 mile intervals.
     
    #3 FuelMiser, May 3, 2022
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  4. Joe Cowie

    Joe Cowie Junior Member

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    I believe it that the breakin period can take a lot longer in a plug in. Thanks for your reply
     
    #4 Joe Cowie, May 3, 2022
  5. Joe Cowie

    Joe Cowie Junior Member

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    This is appreciated, thanks for taking the time to write this reply.
    I’ll run it mostly hv to start then switch over after the first 1000miles. To be on the safe side I suppose it doesn’t hurt to change out the oil sooner then suggested.
     
    #5 Joe Cowie, May 3, 2022
  6. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Yes. That’s why I mentioned it took me nearly 6 months because it really wasn’t until that road trip that I ran the engine frequently and so I had to bear in mind that the engine in undergoing the break-in period even though the car had 6,000km by then.
     
    #6 Tideland Prius, May 3, 2022
  7. Marine Ray

    Marine Ray Senior Member

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    From owner's manual.

    Break in period.png
     
    #7 Marine Ray, May 3, 2022
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