ok kinda of worried on guess gauge?

Now you can see that the name "guess gauge" is well-deserved.

Usually the dealer will not take action if there's no warning light on the dashboard because they can't get reimbursed by Toyota for a "no-trouble-found" situation.

I suggest that you log your odometer readings and fuel purchases so that you can compare the displayed mpg per MFD to your calculated cumulative mpg. Also keep an eye on the behavior of the fuel gauge, letting some time pass.

I also suggest that you not rely on the fuel gauge to determine when you are low, but instead use your displayed mpg and a conservative estimate of the starting fuel quantity to decide when to fill up, allowing some room for error.

Good luck.

 

I wouldn't sweat over it too much, see how it goes.
If you fill when the gauge says it has 2 bars left or on calculated travel distance which ever comes first you should be fine.

 

You should never reset if you would like to know your lifetime MPG.
You should reset every tank if you would like to know your current TANK mpg.
You should reset every trip if you would like to know your current TRIP mpg.


That or you can buy a scangauge that does the tank/trip functionality... then you can have all 3


If I were you, i'd push reset and check what mpg your currently getting. Perhaps the gas station uses really crappy gas with lots of "Filler"... or a broken pump meter.

 

You could just track those things yourself in Excel and get all three.

 

My guess is that you have not owned a car with a fuel tank bladder before. A surprising amount of technology is involved with fuel level measurement. Unfortunately the end-result still is lacking. Pls read the first three pages of the attached Toyota tech training document for an overview of the fuel gauge system.

The good news is that Highlander Hybrid and Camry Hybrid do not have the fuel tank bladder, and Camry Hybrid is also AT-PZEV certified. So there's some hope that 3G Prius will follow suit.

I have a 2004, and the MFD resets itself automatically each time fuel is added. Since you have a newer car and can choose to reset or not:

• If you want to keep track of tank to tank variations, you should reset.
• If you want to track your cumulative mpg, then you should not reset.

 

Don't sweat the gas gauge! Just refill when it says you're low and you'll be fine.

I reset after every fill and track my tank history in a spreadsheet. After all, lifetime avg. isn't so important for me while I'm driving, as while I'm sitting at the computer complaining about my wife's lead foot on Priuschat.

And if you never reset then the avg stabilizes and makes it hard to play "the game" of bettering your avg. It's easier to influence a tank avg. even on a short drive by careful application of driving techniques, but with a lifetime running average, you'll rarely see that change by even 1/10th. So I find it to be better motivation if I go with tank average on the MFD.

I think resetting between trips is also kind of cheating because it's clear that some trips have better terrain or better wind, or other factors.... maybe if you are trying to better your daily commute avg. or something like that it's OK though.

 

Your in a warm climate so bladder should not be a problem. Try this. Fill up as slowly as possible. After the first click off continue one more click very carefully ( I never do but...) and slowly.... noting how much gas is already in the tank. After that very slow second auto click shut off hang up the pump. Do not allow gas to come gushing out of the filler neck!!!!! When re-fill is complete reset the MFD and the dash odo. Drive till you have 2 pips remaining and re-fill the same way. At the second PIP you should have anywhere between 300 to 400 miles on the MFD. After the second fill up do the math: divide miles driven by gallons used. You will find it to be very accurate.
Unless you have already hosed the bladder by filling up super fast one time and gas gushed back over into the bladder reservoir trap.

 

There are sensors on the Prius that adjust the fuel gauge reading based on the "fore aft" and "side" tilt of the car. Those sensors can be reset.

You should be able to drive your Prius until you get one blinking PIP left. When the last PIP starts blinking, the "ADD FUEL" message will pop up on you MFD along with a beep. Since you have a gas station on every corner, I would drive until you get the last blinking beep.

There have been no reports of running out of gas, sooner than 20 miles after the last PIP starts blinking. Most reports are upward of 40-50 miles after the last blinking PIP.

If you do run out of gas, stop immediately and do not try and continue on electric power.

Now lets wait and see the paranoid posts by the "Two PIPs or you will void your warranty-ers".

 

Last summer I drove just over 150 miles on the blinking pip before I filled without running out. The fact that I got 86.9 mpg over 1056 miles may have played a part in that though.

 

I do my best to travel on roads with the lightest amount of traffic. I avoid cities and highways like the plague. I also do pulse and glide at 40 mph or below. I also do my best to plan my trips ahead of time so I don't have to be in a hurry to get somewhere. When I do have to travel on highways, I try to make sure they are multiple lane highways so I can hang out in the right-most lane and take it slower. On a recent trip from Milwaukee, WI to Wadsworth, IL I managed to get 76.6 mpg and from Wadsworth to my home in Elkhart, IN I ended up with 76.0. I accelerate like I have the proverbial egg under my foot and try to read traffic lights when I'm around them so that I avoid stopping which means driving as though I don't have brakes. To get the kind of mpg I get takes a lot of discipline that most people aren't willing do.

 

Get used to it matt. The fuel gauge is retarded in the Prius, and unfortunately many of the fan boys don't takke thatt critique well. They just say things like "you shouldn't wait to fill up untill your empty" or some other lame excuse.

No, I'm saying that there aren't very easy steps to take to eliminatet any potential danger from the wacky guess gauge, like filling up right whent he pip starts blinking, but the fact is a car this advanced should not have such a difficulty with a concept as old as the fuel gauge!

 

I've still never heard of anyone running out of gas with one (non-blinking) pip. What's the point of trying to push it to the limit? In my old car, I'd get gas immediately if the low fuel light turned on. It shouldn't be any different in the Prius. The car is very fuel efficient, but it DOES burn gas.

 

I think Toyota had way too much time on their hands when it came to designing the fuel tank on the Prius. There is NO need for a goofy bladder to meet the emission standards they were trying to meet. A friend of mine has an '05 Accord that meets and even exceeds(Tier 2 BIN 2) the Prius(Tier 2 BIN 3) emissions levels and DOESN'T have a bladder!

I have also noticed the extremes people go to in trying to defend some of Toyota's goofy ideas about the fuel tank. People tell of having trouble with filling their Prius(constant pump shut-off before the tank is full etc.) at multiple gas stations and at multiple pumps while not having trouble filling their other non-hybrid at the same station/pumps and the respondents come up with all manner of "reasons" why it's not the fault of the Prius. Come on, give it up! While the Prius is probably the best car on the market, let's face it and quit trying to ignore or deny the enormous pink elephant standing right in front of us and admit it, Toyota screwed up when it comes to the "guess gauge" they have mistakenly labeled a "fuel gauge."