The Prius owner's manual warns against "dinghy towing," meaning towing with four wheels on the ground. Does that mean we should avoid automatic car washes that pull the car along on all four wheels? They seem to be pushing against the rear side of the left front wheel.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Kevin A @ Feb 3 2007, 08:58 AM) [snapback]384813[/snapback]</div> I would think with the car in neutral, the low speed and short distance of an automatic car wash would be no problem. The 'dinghy towing" they are probably warning you against is hooking it up to a tow bar on the back of the RV and driving from Frozensak, Nebraska to your winter home in Naples, FL.
The PRIUS “Neutral†does not behave the same as in other cars. A non-hybrid can be set to “N†and then turned off; turning off the PRIUS forces it to the “PARK†position. Most car washes are aware of this and place some kind of marker on the driver’s side window that tells the attendant to leave the car with the ignition on. Because of that you should always switch off the lights and AC before entering the car wash to avoid discharging the traction battery.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nicos @ Feb 3 2007, 11:09 AM) [snapback]384845[/snapback]</div> Thanks, I did not know that. A good thing to know when/if it ever needs to get towed or pushed. Now, if someone can just figure out if there's a neutral override for when you need to get pushed out of the garage to get a jump or something.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nicos @ Feb 3 2007, 08:09 AM) [snapback]384845[/snapback]</div> If the ignition is on, you can not discharge the traction battery too much. The ICE will automatically turn on if the car is in READY. Ig-On mode for car-wash jockeys is a disaster waiting to happen. And for the few minutes a car goes through a car wash, you could have ALL your lights on, the radio blasting, and the AC on sub-zero and barely touch the HV SOC. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Beryl Octet @ Feb 3 2007, 08:22 AM) [snapback]384848[/snapback]</div> I'll keep the immobilizer, thank you. If you can rig a "neutral override" you can steal any Prius you want. If your car is dead in the garage, a tow truck can drag it out, no wheels moving. Better, learn how to jump it with a spare battery from the front. There's a reason you can't just roll a Prius in neutral...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bill Merchant @ Feb 3 2007, 10:45 PM) [snapback]385068[/snapback]</div> I might be wrong, but each time I took it to the car wash with “all blue†traction battery, drove it away with at most 3 bars, even with AC & lights off.
