So I concluded my used Prius saga and ended up getting a 2009. It drives well but there are a couple issues (me of which I really should have caught before buying but there's obviously nothing I can do about it now), and so I thought I'd see if anyone had guidance. I searched but didn't find anything directly relevant. With that said: 1. The headlights (on regular) cut off very abruptly on the pavement, like there is a distinct line between the illumination zone and the dark road, and project too short in front of the car for me to feel very safe using them. I know that the headlights are different than those on older cars, but so are the ones on my Gen 4 Prius and they don't seem to have similar issues. Is this simply an issue of the lights being aimed too low? If so, how far out is normal, and should there be the diffusion/gradual fading into darkness that I am used to? 2. The gas gauge dropped down to one bar after roughly 280 miles and started flashing with the "add fuel" at roughly 300 even though I was >45 MPG. I filled the tank and it took the ~7 gallons it should have for the miles driven. Is there a way to make this slightly more reliable? I found a thread about a 2006 experiencing this sort of issue even worse, but it wasn't clear if that applied to a newer model. Thanks in advance for the help!
congrats! on #2, there is a fuel tank bladder that makes filling and the gauge somewhat unreliable. the best you can do is try filling as slowly as possible, do not fill beyond the first click, and experiment with different gas pumps. you can also try holding the pump handle at 90 degrees, or even upside down. use your average mpg and distance travelled to compute gallons used, but keep in mind that the dash is about 5% optimistic. all the best!
The HID headlights in the upper trim levels have a sharp cutoff. The bladder used as a fuel tank is variable capacity. In summer it will be gallons larger. I found that if I vented the gas tank by removing the cap before doing any payments, I got more reliable tank size. Hope that helps. As far as calculating MPG, average tanks. Any one tank will be unreliable.
My 2009 is the touring model, so it has HID headlamps & fog-lights. The HID models have a strange "self-leveling" gizmo located on the driver's side (left side here in USA) rear suspension. Some folks have reported problems when the mechanism gets corroded and the smooth operation is compromised. I've avoided the problem (so far) by giving the gizmo thingy an occasional squirt of lube. Other folks have reported problems with the HID bulbs themselves, but so far (touch wood) mine seem to have been OK. - hope this helps - Wil Oh yes, and the fuel gauge can be a bit confusing, as @JimboPalmer mentioned, it's to do with the bladder - I find when I fuel my car, the most consistent results are to be had by having the nozzle @ the 3 o'clock position, and go slowly, and stop after the 3rd cut-off click, else you'll ruin the charcoal canister (part of the v. expensive emissions gizmo stuff) (…there, aren't you glad you asked? )
If the headlights appear to be aimed way too low check the rear suspension level sensor first. 2004 Prius Headlight Height Sensor
Thank you for the responses. I had heard about the fuel bladder but didn't think that it had that drastic of an effect. I don't have any good responses otherwise now, but I might come back later once I've processed it. As for the headlights, I think that it is probably the sensor, based on the descriptions of the problem seen here, in the link provided, and in this other PriusChat thread I found (after having the proper terms to Google it). I'll take the tire off tomorrow and inspect the sensor to see the extent of the damage (I'm basically certain it has failed), and will update based on the results of that.
In MS, I had about a 3 gallon difference winter to summer. In summer I might travel 160 before the first pip disappeared, in winter 40 miles. The effect was similar on the low end, sometimes you could drive 30 miles once the last pip started blinking, other times 8 miles. If you get gas with 2 pips, you need never worry.
Alot of new Prius owners on this site here kill themselves to get every drop out of the gas tank to get the best mileage. And alot have run out of gas. That sometimes can be a horrible thing as some have killed the hybrid battery to get themselves to a gas station. Do not I repeat do not run out of gas in this car. Fill your car up at 3 pips. Only take s a few fill cycles to get yopur mileage. Or do what I do and just look at the average consumption meter. That's pretty close. Every Saturday before you start the car check the oil. Do that every saturday till you get a handle on if the car is eating oil or not. You never mentioned miles but I'm guess 150,000+. keep the oil at the fill line. It takes exactly 3.6 quarts of oil with a new oil filter. Buy the filter at the dealer its $4.50. Dont worry about the mileage you have things to do. Probably needs the engine coolant & inverter coolant changed and the trans fluid and sparkplugs and air cleaner and cabin filter chnaged and probably tires. Sort the car out first. Good luck.
The fuel gauge can be re-calibrated, the procedure is posted somewhere on PC, but use a Google search to find it. It involves (jokingly, but it's a long process): A chicken foot, rain dance, level ground, doughnuts and coffee.... LOTS of those. That *may* return the accuracy of the fuel gauge, but remember, the most important thing for a fuel level meter (or sensor) to get right, is when are you almost out!
