I know this has been spoken to in relation to a dead battery question, but I thought it worthwhile to mention again. I was a bit embarrassed when I told the AutoBell attendant who seemed to be mystified trying to get my 2012 onto the wash conveyor. I told him "You have to keep the engine running to put it into neutral." Then a second attendant, about ΒΌ my age spoke up and said, "No, I know how to do it." And I thought, this I gotta see. Sure enough, after instructing the first guy, the procedure (which I tried as soon as my car was dried) was spot on. I drove back around to the entrance and told the very young Prius savvy attendant that I had driven Prii since '08, and I never knew how to do what he'd just done. And in case you're wondering: With the car off and no foot on the brake, press the start button twice, then place your foot on the brake & shift to neutral. Yes it's in accessory mode, but not running. Jeepers, was I embarrassed.
Assuming the engine is warm and the traction battery is not low on charge, why not just go through in "READY" mode in neutral? The engine shouldn't run that way either, and it's less stressful to the 12-V battery than "ON" mode.
^^This^^ Seems to me, when going through a conveyor car wash the trick is to be in neutral and keep the battery charged. I'm talking a "ride through" but I always keep the Prius in neutral but in ready mode. I always make sure I'm entering the car wash with the HV battery charged well.
My car battery died at a busy Costco gas station once. There was no way to put the car in neutral. Kinda embarrassing. Weird Toyota didn't think about that.
Not on any other car in my household. Just press the clutch or push the stick, and it will roll. I can't speak for modern cars without a clutch, we haven't had one.
I'm going to presume he was listening to the radio @high volume & charging his cell phone/tablet in the accessory position with a nearly dead 12V battery...
Apparently they "thought" about it but don't have a good solution: Page 491 of the 2013 Prius Owners manual:
Honestly, any FWD or RWD should never be towed on the drive wheels. It puts needless strain on the drive train.
