Hey everyone! I just purchased a 2016 Sparkling Sea Metallic c2 Prius C and absolutely loving it! I'm coming from a Miata and enjoying the change. I look forwards to getting to know the forum better and learn more about the vehicles, as well. I have a new owner question and maybe someone else can help. The car is brand new and I don't see anything strange, but it seems like I keep getting this consistent gentle windy-whistling sound from the sideview mirror area. It happens on both the driver and passenger side, so I'm led to believe there may be a reason for it but I could be wrong. It the sound made almost like when you have a bad weather seal strip. The intensity of it increases with speed and wind. If anyone has dealt with this or has a fix, please let me know. Thank you in advance
I have Weathertech wind deflectors on all the side-windows and notice that when the windows are cracked open slightly, they whistle just a bit, but that can be stopped by closing them fully. I would have thought that your Miata would be far more noisy no matter where the windows were, particularly if the top is down! I've found my Prius to be remarkably quiet, and once you get used to the few quiet whispers, whirrs and clicks, it's almost like the car is reassuring you that all is well! Welcome to PriusChat! hope this helps - Wil
I'll have to look into it more, thank you! The Miata was definitely noisy, but it was that low wind sound. This one from the Prius is like a gentle high pitch whistling noise. When I turn the side mirrors in, it disappears. Other than that, I love the car! High 50's and low 60s mpg is absolutely amazing, as well as the technology of the vehicle, overall.
Thanks for reminding me! I don't know if it's the same on the "c", but on my Gen II, I found a couple of holes at the very botton of the mirror mounts, on the bottom surface, and no doubt something to do with the mounting (holes for the recessed bolts?), anyway, on the driver's side, the holes were uncovered, but in the passenger side, the holes were sealed with clear tape! I re-sealed the ones on the driver's side as I was concerned about crud/water getting in. I do not know about any whistling noise though! (Just a thought)
Thank you for the warm welcome and suggestions! I love the car so far, once i get this wind whistle situated I'll feel perfect about the car. It sounds almost like a low boiling tea kettle whistle. I've tried covering the holes and still no dice. Just kind of disappointed, admittedly, that I buy a brand new car and this is happening.
Had the dealer take a look at it, and we even test drive a fresh Prius C off of the lot. It made the same noise. To even add additional confirmation, drive a family members Prius C and even theirs did the same noise from the side mirror area. Three random cars all doing the same thing just leads to believe that it's part of the vehicle design somehow. A side question I have is that after a few hundred miles of city driving, I've been taking the C on the freeway and making sure to fluctuate my speed, generally going up to low 70s and mid-low 60s...how long should I have to continue to keep fluctuating these speeds? I've read a lot on the forum and some people do it for the first 1000 miles, while some just drive the car normally with no reserve...all have in common that there's been no issues regardless of how it's been driven on the freeway during break in. I'm curious what you might suggest, though.
As to your "side question": Back in 1993 after taking delivery of my brand new Corolla DX Wagon, I attended a couple of lectures at the local Toyota Dealer aimed at new owners, and one of the questions which came up was "Steps recommended for running in your new Toyota", and the dealer recommendation was that nowadays, the engines, lubricants, and technology is so advanced that the tradition of running a new car in carefully to allow things to bed in and settle down, is out-dated and no longer necessary! (from the mouth of the dealer)
Thank you for the prompt reply! I figured as much that break-in is pretty much a tradition being held on to. I bought a 2008 Yaris new and the first thing I did was hop on the freeway to go show it off to my gf (she has the sedan and it influenced me to buy the liftback), 7 years after that and 250k miles on it when I sold it to a relative, it ran like a top and had to do nothing but basic maintenance. I'm guessing that the Prius C would have the same quality considering it uses a modified 1nz-fe engine, which they Yaris uses. I'm really liking this forum so far, very informative and the people are very friendly.
I think I may have the answer to your "whistling" mystery! I think what you are hearing are the whistles and murmers of approval from the pedestrians and other folk as you pass them. Solution: roll up the windows, turn up the music, graciously wave to your subjects!
I'm curious when you guys and gals did your first oil change? Mines a 2016 New off the lot, so it's been there for quite some time. Sticker says 2-7-17 or 5000 miles...well, obviously it's passed that date. The oil looks totally fine, so not sure what to think. And I thought the first oil change is at 10k, so I don't know why it says 5k. Did you change oil early to get out contaminants?
synthetic oil and filter every 10k according to toyota. i did my first at 5k, then 10k thereafter, just to get the junk out.
I wonder why the sticker says oil change at 5k. I hope they didn't put conventional oil in it or something.
was it the dealer? usually, they just want to get you back asap. but there are some things to do at 5k intervals.
I called and they only want to do the basic check and tire rotation. That the oil change can wait until 10k. My concern is that it being a last years model, is the oil in it okay or is it too old and should be replaced right away?
some say 10k or once a year, whichever comes first. did you get the free 2 year/25,000 mile maintenance?
the wind noise is just toyota cutting corners on the cheapest hybrid in their lineup. sorry to sound bitter and rain on your new car parade welcome to the forums.
