"Matthew Keyser" (teisco15)
05/05/2019 at 20:32 • Filed to: None
5
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"Matthew Keyser" (teisco15)
05/05/2019 at 20:32 • Filed to: None | 5
| 14 |
Some cars are exciting because of the way they handle, others because of the way they hurl you towards the horizon. My roommate’s 2007 Toyota Prius does none of these, but it proves my point that automotive excitement comes in many different forms.
The drive happened last weekend after my band played a set at a small camping festival about 3 hours away from my house. While I normally try to use my Volkswagen GTI every time I go anywhere, it simply wasn’t large enough to carry the equipment needed for this particular show and we were stuck in the Prius.
Two guitars, a bass, a Fender Deluxe Amp, and a bass cabinet in the back of the Prius.
I’ve driven this Prius more times I’d care to mention, including one trip 8 hours through the night back home from Bonnaroo, but this weekend was more exciting for one reason: it was very broken.
Five, count them, five different warning lights came and went throughout my journey, not including the message on the touch screen asking me politely but firmly to pull over and contact Toyota.
I’m sure you’re wondering why the car hasn’t been into Toyota yet and the long answer is: it has but Toyota deemed the sole issue with this particular example was that it was low on “Hybrid Coolant,” something I immediately assumed was akin to blinker fluid until I googled it.
Safe to say their assessment was a bit optimistic, as the car has a squealing wheel bearing, and some sort of serious-sounding problem with the electric motor which sounds like a dog barking in distress.
Every noise, hesitation or bump gave me war flashbacks to being stranded at the side of the road with my Merkur.
Although the panicked little hybrid plead and begged me to pull over, it successfully made the journey home, rendering it a still viable form of transportation, and one that will constantly keep you on the edge of your seat.
HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute
> Matthew Keyser
05/05/2019 at 20:40 |
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Lol I understand fully, my friend has a 2012 Prius V and it's so "bad" that it's great every time. It's even funnier when we blast country music and he tries to floor it and it makes so much noise and doesn't move
Nibby
> Matthew Keyser
05/05/2019 at 20:43 |
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how i’d feel driving a 200k mile prius
Tkdkma
> Matthew Keyser
05/06/2019 at 02:45 |
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I had that same issue with my 2007 200K P rius. With all the same warning lights turns out I just needed to replace the hybrid cells and everything was back to normal before all the warning lights came on
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Penpenken
> Nibby
05/06/2019 at 02:58 |
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200k+ here as well. About a year ago my hybrid vehicle battery was failing and would lose charge overnight. I had to either put the car into reverse or turn the heater on to start the gas engine, as the car attempts to use only battery on the initial speeds.
Eventually, I hit the jackpot, and one of my cells exploded while going uphill. It sounded like a bomb went off in my car, but there was no damage other than some clear impact to the aluminum frame on the hybrid vehicle battery. I took it to a Pick-n-Pull shop to have the cells replaced , and they said they had never seen something like that before.
Still driving the car now with the replace cells, and loving it.
Thomas BOomer
> Nibby
05/06/2019 at 04:26 |
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You neglected maintenance on your car which is very irresponsible. And then you act as though it was the car's fault. You created your own crisis. Excitement brought about by your own stupidity.
pip bip - choose Corrour
> Matthew Keyser
05/06/2019 at 04:30 |
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in the end though, still a prius
Lee
> Matthew Keyser
05/06/2019 at 08:26 |
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My last Prius had 286,000 mil es on it before it died....great cars!
TheTurbochargedSquirrel
> Matthew Keyser
05/06/2019 at 08:27 |
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The horrifying noise coming from the electric motor is probably a result of overheating it due to running it without coolant flowing through the hybrid system. It’s probably safe to say that that car is mechanically FUBAR now.
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Steve_P
> Matthew Keyser
05/06/2019 at 09:17 |
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Please fill your tires. As a prius driver of your particular model, I can recognize that one an d ca n say that a low tire can be a major problem. The exact ammount to fill it varies depending on whom yo u ask, either way you don’t need that problem.
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RacingShark
> Matthew Keyser
05/06/2019 at 11:31 |
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I’ve been in plenty of prius taxi/uber’s that have a trip to the moon level of miles. Gotta hand it to toyota though. The prius is pretty complex, yet still is very reliable and cheap. I’m sure the cost of ownership of a high mileage prius is significantly lower than the average car.
Phil Not Phil
> Matthew Keyser
05/06/2019 at 11:40 |
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Mine has 230k and none of these problems because I take care of it.
For Sweden
> Matthew Keyser
05/06/2019 at 12:48 |
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doing work
Mercedes Streeter
> Matthew Keyser
05/06/2019 at 13:20 |
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Sounds like it’s ready for a great send off on a Gambler 500? :D
bhtooefr
> TheTurbochargedSquirrel
05/06/2019 at 22:59 |
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A bit more complex than that.
The coolant is for the inverter, which may well be fucked.
The barking noise may well be the motor, though, but it’s cooled by the transmission fluid . If that’s the case, there’s probably codes set for high voltage leakage, due to the windings burning through in the stator. Good news is, the stator can be replaced without too much trouble.