I'm a brand new owner of a new 2017 Prius C. I read the 'what every newbie should know' post and it was full of great information. Prius people, share all of your Prius wisdom. I've never had a hybrid before and I know just about nothing about them. I'll take all the info I can get.
congrats and welcome! just drive it. after the smile comes off your face, check out the mechanical keys in the fobs, and test them on the door lock. locate the jump point under the hood, and the mechanical hatch release for emergencies. learn how to check your oil and do it at every phillip. pump up your tyres to 42/40 id you want a bit better mpg.
Thanks! I am absolutely in love with it so far. It's the first brand new car I've ever owned (and the only car newer than a 2005 Chevy Aveo). I've tried to look up common problems with the Prius but it seems to be a really reliable car. I hope that's the truth! I'm hoping it'll last me 10 years at least.
We have two prius c cars.. one is a 2014 four and the other one 2013 prius c three...mine has 37,000 miles and the other one 88,000 miles..no trouble at all with either of them...we change oil at 10,000 miles and rotate tires every 5,000....I changed the engine air filter on my turquoise one and interior air filter in glove box....that is all we have had to do...they run great and today I got 49 MPG so am very happy.
Congrats on your new Prius. I owned a 2006 Aveo and the Chevy service writer told me one time that their shop would go broke, if the GM cars were built as well as that Korean car. I sold it when I moved to Florida in 2009- and replaced it a year later with a 2007 Prius= a rock solid car - I called it my appliance car- just push the button and it just ran, every time.
Welcome to the family. The main thing you need to know is that the C is a bit different than it's big siblings. The basic principles still apply but the specifics often are a bit different. So read carefully to see what "vintage" and model is being discussed. THEN......don't worry that it is a hybrid. JUST DRIVE IT and enjoy. If you are concerned about gas mileage, SPEED and coming to a dead stop are the big enemies of good gas mileage. Slow down and anticipate what's coming up next. This is a car, not a science experiment. Just drive and enjoy.
AND......consider the advice you get here carefully. Rock hard tires sometimes give better mileage......but sometimes they don't too. And increasing the pressure almost ALWAYS results in a harsher ride and more strain on the suspension. The best advice for care of your new car comes from..........TOYOTA. Meaning directly from Toyota in the owners manual and other official publications. Some dealers recommend unnecessary "service" just for profit. And some owners give well meaning advice that is of questionable quality.
This is for the 2nd generation Prius but you can still read over the relevant hybrid driving parts and maintenance parts that apply to you and ignore things like the navigation and climate control since the layout is different on the Prius c. John's Stuff - Toyota Prius User-Guide (Iconic)
Luckily, my boyfriend is quite the car enthusiast and is *pretty* good at picking up if the advice I'm getting is questionable. He is also not well versed in hybrids but he loves to research the stuff and has a good understanding of mechanical things like engines and generators. I'll definitely double check anything I read just to make sure. I don't want to hurt my new baby (and I can't afford to).
The best advice I can offer is READ THE BOOK (as in Owner's Guide) and follow it. Toyota spent a lot of R&D money to build a great car, they know it better than anyone. If the car really needed an alignment every year or an oil change ever 2,000 miles, they would have said so.
