Is there autostart for prius?Whenever i start my prius, i immediately switch to drive gear and gas it hard, is this bad for my car? I also turn off/start my car alot (making deliveries) is this bad for my car?
What does "autostart" mean to you? Yes, driving any vehicle "hard" is bad for it, not just Prius. This puts (presumably unnecessary) stress and strain on the drivetrain. Repeatedly turning off and restarting the Prius is less harmful for that car compared to a vehicle of traditional design (after all, Prius by design turns on and off its various drivetrain components constantly). However don't be surprised if your 12V auxiliary battery needs to be replaced more frequently than normal. Since it appears that you are depending upon your vehicle's continued reliable performance for your income, it might be wise to check the status of the 12V battery by measuring the voltage across the terminals with a digital voltmeter an hour or more after the car is IG-OFF. If the voltage is 12.6V or greater, it is fully charged. If 12.2V or less, it is marginal and you should try charging the battery to see if it can be fully charged. If the battery will not hold a charge, then I suggest replacing it soon as a preventive measure, so that you are not stranded in the middle of your delivery route.
my 2 cents ------------ keep the car running and lock the doors with the mechanical key during deliveries. repeated small trips under 5 minutes (like delivering a pizza) and shutting down and turning on would probably hurt your fuel economy. don't trust a voltmeters to test the 12 v battery. if you suspect that the battery is bad, like for instance it won't start, runs out under 30 minutes in Accessory mode, or you get the dreaded erroneous error about your parking brake mechanism*, physically remove the battery and specifically request and or demand a real load test. there are times where a voltmeter will read normal voltage across the battery, but you have bad cells with diminished capacity that a voltmeter will not report *- usually when the prius battery (12v) is running dangerously low an error on the mfd screen displays about your parking brake mechanism and a request that you park your car on a level surface and block its wheels. usually this is an erronous error, and its actually caused by a bad 12v battery
I believe you still have to press the button. I wouldn't use "bad" as much as not the best way to save fuel. Try to keep the speeds low in the first mile or so, say 25 mph. This lets the car warm up with the minimum fuel burn. Not a problem but as others pointed out, after the car is warmed up, it might be easier just to leave the car in ready and the doors locked. Bob Wilson
