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What to do with my Prius in winter

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by ShaneBacon, Aug 18, 2015.

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  1. ShaneBacon

    ShaneBacon Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 18, 2015
    22
    8
    2
    Location:
    Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    The brakes were very rusted and still make a scratching sound when applied hard. I'm hoping it'll clear up with time. It used to be my mothers and now I'm going to be using it for school. It sat in the yard because we thought it was scrap and I couldn't drive yet. We had a wild thought that before we sold it for scrap (Prei are not a popular car in these parts of Michigan) we would start it up and see if it ran. It did and I'm still bewildered by it. The hybrid battery seems like it's not being charged fully into the green often so I'm a bit concerned about that. I'll probably take it in to make sure everything is a okay with it. My one nightmare is it being a slick morning and having it break down and get rear ended.
     
    #21 ShaneBacon, Aug 19, 2015
  2. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

    Joined:
    May 22, 2009
    9,083
    5,796
    0
    Location:
    Undisclosed Location
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Please DO. It really shouldn't be "probably". A seven year old Prius, with high miles, that has sat for a 1 and 1/2 years
    SAFETY is the biggest concern.

    Get it checked out.
     
    #22 The Electric Me, Aug 20, 2015
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    18,198
    6,464
    0
    Location:
    Green Valley, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    1. Regarding the brakes, try clearing the rust by getting up to 40 or 50 mph on a road with no traffic behind you, then shift to N and brake moderately to bring the car down to 10 mph or so. Repeat several times as needed. The point of shifting into N is that this forces friction braking to be utilized, thus applying the brake pads to clean off the rusted discs.

    2. Normally you will see the traction battery state of charge gauge in the 3 - 6 blue bar range. It will go into the 7 - 8 green bar range when the car is driven downhill over an extended period. The gauge will get down to 1 - 2 red/pink bars when the air conditioner compressor is running while the car is in stop & go traffic.

    3. I guess people are not interested in being fuel-efficient in your locale - they must think they have a God-given right to an endless supply of gasoline at moderate prices.

    4. No reason not to have your car checked out so that you will feel comfortable driving it. Normally it is a bad idea to leave the Prius unattended for such a long period of time, that is a really good way to kill the traction battery not to mention deterioration of other power train elements. I suggest you have all engine compartment fluids replaced including the engine oil/oil filter, engine/inverter coolants, transaxle ATF, and brake fluid.

    Good luck with your use of the Prius.
     
    #23 Patrick Wong, Aug 20, 2015
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