- #84 of 90
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Problems filling up!
by stevegold
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Feb 12, 2009 (6:37 am)
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Replying to: farmboy3 (Feb 12, 2009 6:13 am)
I have a 2004 Prius. I live at 8,000 ft in Aspen, CO. I never had a problem in 04-07 but last winter I had the same problem you and many other described. It went away by itself last spring and just came back again yesterday. I will put a bottle of gas protector in the tank this morning and keep track of my mileage driven so I can estimate what it should take to refill the tank. It is a real pain. Otherwise the car is great.
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- #85 of 90
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Re: Bye ... bye ... Prius ... no more hybrids for me! [farmboy3]
by dmathews3
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Feb 12, 2009 (1:59 pm)
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Replying to: farmboy3 (Feb 12, 2009 6:13 am)
I wonder if the vent on the tank is plugged, but I also have to wonder why you spent all the extra money on a Pruis if you only drive 8K a year. Also I have never bought a new car where the dealer didn't fill the tank and I've bought a whole lot of cars.
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- #86 of 90
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Re: Bye ... bye ... Prius ... no more hybrids for me! [farmboy3]
by gfr1
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Feb 12, 2009 (7:32 pm)
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Replying to: farmboy3 (Feb 12, 2009 6:13 am)
I'm pretty sure that it was a fueling pump nozzle shutoff that was the culprit, not the car, in this case. You said that it shut off early, the first try and then you jiggled it around. I don't know if your actions might have caused the problem, but routinely, the nozzle should have shut off before the pressure built up. I had this happen once with a nearly new Mercedes S-model. It gushered probably in excess of a gallon and hadn't stopped on its own even then. I just happened to pull the nozzle out to check the level for I thought it was overdue. This was on a indian reservation station and I suspect that the nozzle hadn't been checked or maintained. If I hadn't stopped to check, with the available nozzle pressure, it could have caused some real expensive damage. The car stumbled for awhile after I drove away, but finally cleared and seemed to suffer no lasting ill effects. -- GR
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- #87 of 90
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Re: Bye ... bye ... Prius ... no more hybrids for me! [dmathews3]
by farmboy3
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Feb 13, 2009 (9:29 am)
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Replying to: dmathews3 (Feb 12, 2009 1:59 pm)
Well, wonder no more. I have not purchased a new car in 24 years but I have driven 8 new vehicles during those 24 years. All those vehicles were part of the fleet that my employer deploys to the field. We keep them for 3 years and then turn them in for a new vehicle. I am part of a study to determine if we want make the Prius a majority of our fleet (about 3,000 vehicles.) As I indicated in my original post, I fly almost every week so the vast majority of my driving is to and from the airport. The 2006 vehicle I turned in for the Prius had 21,877 miles.
If you buy a new vehicle the dealer may fill the tank, I don’t know because I have never had to buy a new vehicle. If the dealer is only making what is called a “courtesy delivery”, they put the minimum amount of fuel in the vehicle. The subject of the fuel procedure or quirks involving the Prius was not mentioned by the courtesy delivery dealer. The process of taking delivery consists of signing off on the old vehicle, signing paperwork for the new vehicle, accepting the keys and driving away. Interaction with the dealer is for a minimum amount of time because they only get a fee for the transaction and they know they will not be selling a new vehicle to me in the future.
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- #88 of 90
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Re: Bye ... bye ... Prius ... no more hybrids for me! [farmboy3]
by dmathews3
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Feb 13, 2009 (12:15 pm)
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Replying to: farmboy3 (Feb 13, 2009 9:29 am)
That explains a lot but maybe the employer could put these to better use instead of having someone like you who puts a small amount of miles on the vehicle into something else. They are paying at least $3K more for a Prius than say a Chevy Cobalt of compatible car and get in the high 30's on the highway. Keeping them only 3 years they will for most of the vehicles never get a return on their investment though I don't know what kind of deduction they get on their Fed taxes. Personally they shouldn't get any deduction on a non american made vehicle but the Prius may or may not be built in the U.S. one of these days.
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- #89 of 90
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Re: Bye ... bye ... Prius ... no more hybrids for me! [farmboy3]
by kdhspyder
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Feb 13, 2009 (5:21 pm)
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Replying to: farmboy3 (Feb 12, 2009 6:13 am)
This 'topping off' that you did is something you NEVER should do. There are two reasons..
In the nozzle there is a charcoal cannister to capture the evaporative emissions, clean them then release them into the atmosphere. Topping off can damage this cannister and cause a major expense.
In your Gen 2 Prius there is a fuel bladder inside the gas tank. This is what causes so much variability in the quantity of fuel that will be accepted. In new vehicles this bladder is stiff and new. In very cold areas this bladder will be very stiff and unyielding in freezing weather. The risk of topping off like you did is that raw fuel can get between the gas tank and fuel bladder. Then you've got to replace the whole fuel system.
DON'T TOP OFF..
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- #90 of 90
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Re: Bye ... bye ... Prius ... no more hybrids for me! [dmathews3]
by kdhspyder
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Feb 13, 2009 (5:29 pm)
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Replying to: dmathews3 (Feb 13, 2009 12:15 pm)
Two problems with your SOTP comparo.
The Prius is a 5 door hatchback. It's more similar to the Matrix/Vibe rather than the Corolla/Cobalt.
The other is that whatever 'premium' is being paid upfront is almost completely recaptured at resale time after 3 years.
In the case of the Matrix/Vibe the 'premium' is $4500 but almost all of that is recaptured when the vehicle is resold. The resale price of a Prius is $3500-$4000 higher than a Matrix/Vibe after 3 years. In ridiculous times like last summer a 3 y.o. Prius with < 30000 miles was actually selling at nearly full sticker price. Little or no loss in depreciation. The tax credits on Toyota hybrids are complete. Ditto Honda. Soon Ford's will begin to phase out.
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